ARMENIAN BOOK’S DIVINE BREATH THROUGH THE AGES
by Georgiy Saakov
Published: Friday February 08, 2013
An Armenian manuscript.
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN – ?he very first hand-written Armenian book that
came to be known as “Astvatsashunch” (“The divine breath”) was the
Bible translated 1600 years ago by Saint Mesrob Mashdots, the creator
of the Armenian alphabet and the beginner of the native literary
tradition. That was followed by original religious, historical,
philosophical, scientific, medical, and literary milestones engraved
by the legendary authors Agathangelos, Pavstos the Byzantine, Koriun,
St. Movses Khorenatsi, Frik, Lazarus Barbedzi, David the Invincible,
Eznik of Koghb, Nerses Shenorhali, and multitude of others.
“It is better to have blind eyes than blind reason”, said chronicler
Yeghishe about romantic time of the fifth century when “Armenian
Wisdom” was born in the dark monastic cells. Thanks to the manuscripts
hand-copied by monks we today know of our past first-hand.
Under the pressures of time Armenian statehood fell into decay but for
many centuries hand-written thoughts were still appearing both inside
the medieval universities of Gladzor and Tatev and in such Armenian
scholarship centers as Haghpat, Sanahin, Van, Akhtamar and Karin
monasteries up till 1512 when “Urbatagirk” (“Book of Fridays”), the
first printed Armenian book came off the printing press in Venice. In
2012, to mark the 500th anniversary of the work of Armenian printing
pioneer Hakob Meghapart (Jakob the Sinner) UNESCO designated Yerevan
as the Book Capital of the World.
With this milestone the Armenians were if not “ahead of the entire
planet” then not too far behind Johannes Gutenberg, who introduced the
printing press in 1439. In the way of comparison, the first book in
Arabic was printed in 1514, in Persian in 1546 and in Russian in 1564.
In subsequent decades and centuries most of Armenian books were
published in the Diaspora. Such patrons as Abgar Dpir Tokhatetsi,
Yovhannes Jughayetsi, Khachatur Kesratsi appreciated the significance
of the revolutionary discovery and continued the Armenian printing
literary tradition. It offered means to produce multiple copies
of diverse texts faster and less expensively than by hand-copying
manuscripts.
The eighteenth century is considered a period of Armenian
enlightenment. With the support of the wealthy Armenian merchant class
literary and printing activity began to flourish in many centers of the
expanded Diaspora, including London (1736), Madrid (1770), Calcutta
(where the first Armenian newspaper Azdarar was published in 1795),
St. Petersburg (1781), Nakhichevan (1790), Astrakhan (1796), Moscow
(at the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages) and Constantinople
became the Armenian Book capital.
260 years after “Urbatagirk” was printed in Venice, the first printing
press was established in the Armenian homeland in Vagharshapat (Holy
Etchmiadzin, Armenia) in 1772 thanks to the efforts of the Catholicos
Simeon Yerevantsi.
During the nineteenth century scholarly and literary Armenian
periodicals were being published throughout the Armenian world
including Bombay (1810), Vienna (1812), Tiflis (1823), Shushi (1828),
Jerusalem (1833), Cairo (1865), Baku (1872), Alexandria (1888), Geneva
(1891), Athens (1892), Tehran (1894), Boston (1899). The first Armenian
press in the United States was set up in 1888.
Printing of the Armenian thinkers’ works was continued by Sargis and
Mardiros Dpir, Chichin Hovhannes, Stepanos Petrosyan, Poghos Aranian,
Shahamir Shahamiryan, Grigor Khaldareants (for many decades he was
the main book publisher of the Ottoman Empire) and in the monastery
on the Venetian Island of San Lazzaro, founded by Mkhitar of Sebastia.
The Soviet heritage and beyond There are various ways to assess
the 70-year Soviet heritage for Armenia. However there is no
doubt the “great power” had successfully cultivated the printed
word. Inhabitants of then the “most read” country got acquainted with
the multinational Soviet literature, including the widely released
Armenian authors. Works of such prominent writers as Raffi, Khachatur
Abovyan, Hovhannes Toumanyan, Avetik Isahakyan, Yeghishe Charents,
Paruyr Sevag, Hovhannes Shiraz, Misag Metsarents, Levon Shant, Derenig
Demirchyan, Hrant Matevosyan were translated into Russian, telling
the often tragic story of the people that combined both masculinity
and tenderness.
That all is now in the past and the read-reread Armenian novels, which
became a great addition to the global Armenian printing culture, are on
the shelves as “literature without the reader.” The work of a literary
translator is little paid and the profession is gradually dying.
In the post-Soviet period, as the focus on the classical language
was lost, the aesthetic and ethical degradation happened. There has
already grown an accomplished generation that is familiar not with
the fundamental authors but with the producers of the manufactured
“fast-read” products. Books and reading are no longer an attribute
of life and the incomparable book page rustling has been substituted
by flickering screens of virtual games.
Armenian publishing faces the same challenges as all the other
countries and is essentially fighting for survival. State and
philanthropic support is so necessary both in Armenia and Diaspora.
On the eve of Armenian printing 500-th anniversary a new version of
the original “Urbatagirk” printed by “Zangak” publishing in original
black and red text, was at the center of the celebration events.
“Preliminary work and translation into the modern Armenian Ashharabar
lasted about two years and my goal was to introduce the publication
to a wide range of readers”, a young philologist Lusine Avetisyan said.
“Book of Fridays” consists of prayers and spells which were used
long ago by the Armenians who visited temples on Fridays to heal
their suffering relatives. Such content once made by the pious Hakob
Meghapart (“the Sinner”) for the collection was justified. Henceforth,
people saw every book written in the Mesroibian alphabet became a
healer of the human spirit.
Letters of Mashdots in the electronic age Life goes on and even
major American editions like “Newsweek” switch to electronic
format. Electronic publications are steadily replacing the printed
ones.
Now the third stage in the chronology of the Armenian book begins. The
modern authors, not immune from temptation to do what is fashionable,
face a choice to work for the mass market or for their conscience.
Thankfully, young talented writers, such as Hrach Saribekyan and Aram
Pashyan, poets Ashot Gabrielyan, Gevorg Toumanyan, Hayk Hambardsumyan
and Karen Antashyan, among others, carry the torch of contemporary
Armenian literature.
Ashot Gabrielyan, a young member of the Armenian Writers’ Union
initiated the Granish project. Since January 2011 this web-edition has
been offering information on writers working in Armenia and Diaspora.
During last year in Diaspora the Iran-born Khatchig Khatcher presented
his large-scale work of forty-two German writers’ translation into
Armenian. Original publications included “The Sandcastle Girls”
by American writer Chris Bohjalian, “Story of the Book from ?ush”
by Antonia Arslan of Italy and “The Book of Whispers” by Romania’s
Varujan Voskanian.
Most of these books are focused on the past, the historical memory,
genocide, committed during the World War I. Significantly the book
entitled “1915 Armenian Genocide” by Turkish journalist Hassan Cemal
who is the grandson of Jamal Pasha, one of the key figures in the
Government of the Young Turks has become a bestseller in Turkey. In
her novel Arslan narrates “Msho Charantir”, the story of the largest
surviving Armenian manuscript. It became the basis for the creation
of the “Life of Eternity” monument, devoted to two women who saved
the 12th century manuscript weighing 30 kilos. Its opening ceremony
took place in Yerevan when the Armenian printing celebration started.
There’s a saying that human beings may stop thinking if they stop
reading. For that reason all the newly created high-quality literature,
based on the national literary tradition, is still in demand and takes
its rightful place in the book series. It can protect contemporary
culture from the onslaught of globalization.
“Diverse as the stars, A comet alike or the planet, I love books,
intimate and simple Talking with me about everything…
In the spirit of Yeghishe Charents let us bow our heads to the Armenian
book, our eternal spiritual attribute, our sacred value. Even in the
electronic form it’ll retain its unique look, national pattern and
healing power. It will remain an Armenian national literature conductor
in the world literary space and in the very heart of Armenian spiritual
memory, at the National State Repository of Ancient Manuscripts.
“Matenadaran is our everything, our language, literature, history,
science, the anchor of our future victories, our constant and eternal
benchmark”, President Serge Sargsyan recently. There it stays under
the protection of its first founders.
The keepers of time and memory, the sage authors of the Armenian
“golden age” continue to protect the human thought and creativity
starting with ancient manuscripts to printed – physically and
electronically – books today.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2013-02-08-armenian-book-s-divine-breath-through-the-ages