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Istanbul literary figure receives final send-off
VERCIHAN ZIFLIOGLU
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
Tuesday, December 21, 2010Writer Yervant Gobelyan died last week at
the age of 87, leaving behind an impressive literary career that
included eight books, one of which was devoted to poetry. Born in
Istanbul, Gobelyan was known for emphasizing his profound love of the
city in his literary works. The writer also spent his last 14 years at
Agos, a weekly of Turkey's Armenian community
Prominent Istanbul literary figure and weekly Agos writer Yervant
Gobelyan will
be buried Wednesday after succumbing to illness last week. The
87-year-old writer was best known for his poetic and literary works
that reflected an overwhelming love of Istanbul.
Gobelyan died Thursday at Yedikule Surp Pırgic Armenian Hospital
after a long treatment process. He will be buried at the Balıklı
Cemetery in Zeytinburnu after a funeral service starting at 1 p.m. at
Beyoglu's Uc Horan Armenian Church.
Gobelyan was born in Rumelihisarı in the Istanbul district of
Sarıyer, a neighborhood known for is beauty next to the
Bosphorus. Like many other Armenian writers from his generation,
Gobelyan enjoyed close relations with members of the Turkish literary
world, including one of the country's most famous poets, Orhan Veli
Kanık, as well as many others. Gobelyan and others, such as Kanık,
used to come together at Eptalafos, an old Greek-style tavern in
Taksim.
Writing was a passion for him Writing was Gobelyan's main interest in
life, but financial difficulties often prevented him from earning a
living solely from his literary pursuits. Like many other leading
figures in Turkish-Armenian literature, Gobelyan graduated from Esayan
Armenian School in Taksim. After finishing school, however, Gobelyan
had difficulty in making ends meet as a writer, leading him to work as
an apprentice, auto mechanic, carpenter and in other
professions. Despite the hardships, Gobelyan never ceased his literary
pursuits.
His first book of poetry was published in 1948, after which he found a
job writing for the local Armenian community's weekly `Luys' (Light)
paper. Financial difficulties, however, soon forced Luys to close,
after which Gobelyan was again forced to find other employment. Within
time, Gobelyan would work for all of the major Armenian community's
papers in Istanbul, working the final 14 years of his life at Agos.
Gobelyan had spent many years away from Armenian newspapers until he
was hired for the Agos job in 1996 by Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, the
prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007.
Remained inaccessible to non-Armenian readers Despite his close
relations with Turkish writers and poets, most of Gobelyan's works,
including one book of poetry among a total of eight books, remained
only in Armenian for many years and were thus inaccessible to the
wider Turkish society.
Eager to bring the writer's work to the Turkish public, Aras
Publishing House, which began publishing in the 1990s, released a
number of Gobelyan's stories in `Memleketini Ozleyen Yengec' (The
Crab Missing His Country) in 1998.
The book, which featured stories from Gobelyan telling of the daily
routines of Turks, Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul, quickly drew
interest from Turkish readers.
© 2009 Hurriyet Daily News
From: A. Papazian
VERCIHAN ZIFLIOGLU
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
Tuesday, December 21, 2010Writer Yervant Gobelyan died last week at
the age of 87, leaving behind an impressive literary career that
included eight books, one of which was devoted to poetry. Born in
Istanbul, Gobelyan was known for emphasizing his profound love of the
city in his literary works. The writer also spent his last 14 years at
Agos, a weekly of Turkey's Armenian community
Prominent Istanbul literary figure and weekly Agos writer Yervant
Gobelyan will
be buried Wednesday after succumbing to illness last week. The
87-year-old writer was best known for his poetic and literary works
that reflected an overwhelming love of Istanbul.
Gobelyan died Thursday at Yedikule Surp Pırgic Armenian Hospital
after a long treatment process. He will be buried at the Balıklı
Cemetery in Zeytinburnu after a funeral service starting at 1 p.m. at
Beyoglu's Uc Horan Armenian Church.
Gobelyan was born in Rumelihisarı in the Istanbul district of
Sarıyer, a neighborhood known for is beauty next to the
Bosphorus. Like many other Armenian writers from his generation,
Gobelyan enjoyed close relations with members of the Turkish literary
world, including one of the country's most famous poets, Orhan Veli
Kanık, as well as many others. Gobelyan and others, such as Kanık,
used to come together at Eptalafos, an old Greek-style tavern in
Taksim.
Writing was a passion for him Writing was Gobelyan's main interest in
life, but financial difficulties often prevented him from earning a
living solely from his literary pursuits. Like many other leading
figures in Turkish-Armenian literature, Gobelyan graduated from Esayan
Armenian School in Taksim. After finishing school, however, Gobelyan
had difficulty in making ends meet as a writer, leading him to work as
an apprentice, auto mechanic, carpenter and in other
professions. Despite the hardships, Gobelyan never ceased his literary
pursuits.
His first book of poetry was published in 1948, after which he found a
job writing for the local Armenian community's weekly `Luys' (Light)
paper. Financial difficulties, however, soon forced Luys to close,
after which Gobelyan was again forced to find other employment. Within
time, Gobelyan would work for all of the major Armenian community's
papers in Istanbul, working the final 14 years of his life at Agos.
Gobelyan had spent many years away from Armenian newspapers until he
was hired for the Agos job in 1996 by Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, the
prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007.
Remained inaccessible to non-Armenian readers Despite his close
relations with Turkish writers and poets, most of Gobelyan's works,
including one book of poetry among a total of eight books, remained
only in Armenian for many years and were thus inaccessible to the
wider Turkish society.
Eager to bring the writer's work to the Turkish public, Aras
Publishing House, which began publishing in the 1990s, released a
number of Gobelyan's stories in `Memleketini Ozleyen Yengec' (The
Crab Missing His Country) in 1998.
The book, which featured stories from Gobelyan telling of the daily
routines of Turks, Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul, quickly drew
interest from Turkish readers.
© 2009 Hurriyet Daily News
From: A. Papazian