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Armenian Book's Divine Breath Through The Ages

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  • Armenian Book's Divine Breath Through The Ages

    ARMENIAN BOOK'S DIVINE BREATH THROUGH THE AGES
    by Georgiy Saakov

    http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2013-02-08-armenian-book-s-divine-breath-through-the-ages
    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
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