PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
RUSSELL TO LECTURE ON PARTHIA-ARMENIA-RUSSIA
IN HONOR OF RICHARD FRYE AT NAASR
Prof. James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at
Harvard University, will give a lecture entitled "Magic From Greater
Iran: The Parthian-Armenian-Russian Triangle" on Thursday, May 13, at
7:30 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. Prof. Russell’s lecture
will be given in honor of the 90th birthday of Prof. Richard N. Frye.
The lecture will consider the web of word, meaning, and sound and
explores the ways our minds and spirits can still be revived by the
heritage of wonder that emerges from the Iranian-Armenian-Russian
triangle.
It is possible that an intensified grade of an ancient Indo-European
root meaning "to work" acquired the connotation of magical craft in Old
Iranian. From Parthian it entered Armenian, where a mystic poet
employed it; and it was loaned also into Slavic, where it signifies
sorcery and enchantment. It leaps from old folk tradition into the
poetic codes of the most innovative, visionary Russian writers of modern
times.
With uncommon depth and breadth of knowledge, Prof. Russell sheds new
light on the familiar and makes connections with the unfamiliar as
Armenia and its culture are seen not in isolation but in the wider
context of civilizations.
NAASR and Prof. Russell are honored to present this lecture in
commemoration of the 90th birthday of Prof. Richard N. Frye. Prof.
Frye, Aga Khan Professor Emeritus of Iranian at Harvard, a founder of
Middle Eastern Studies in the U.S., called "the Dean of World Iranists,"
was also a catalyst for the growth of Armenian Studies in America.
Frye inspired the men and women who established NAASR and was
instrumental in the creation of the first endowed chair in Armenian
Studies at Harvard. He is a Founding Member, former Board Member, and
long-serving Chairman of NAASR’s Academic Advisory Committee. His
voluminous publications include The Heritage of Persia, The Golden Age
of Persia, and the memoir Greater Iran: A Twentieth Century Odyssey. He
will be present the evening of this event.
Prof. James R. Russell has been the Mashtots Professor of Armenian
Studies at Harvard University since 1992. His books include Bosphorus
Nights: The Complete Lyric Poems of Bedros Tourian, Armenian and Iranian
Studies, The Book of Flowers, An Armenian Epic: The Heroes of Kasht,
Zoroastrianism in Armenia, and Hovhannes Tlkurantsi and the Medieval
Armenian Lyric Tradition.
Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the
U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in
adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.