Armenian Literature

Armenian written literature originated almost 16 centuries ago with the invention of the Armenian alphabet. This anthology, translated into English, takes a comprehensive approach to capturing the essence of of the literature of the entire period covered.

A comprehensive guide to Armenian writers and literature spanning five centuries. Combining features of a reference work, bibliographic guide, and literary history, it records the output of almost 400 authors who wrote both in Armenia and in the communities of the Armenian diaspora. Presents a general history of the literature, with chapters devoted to a single century and prefaced by information on the era's social, cultural, and religious milieus; followed by a section of biobibliographical entries for Armenian authors, a section of bibliographies and reference works, and a listing of anthologies of literature both in Armenian and in translation. Includes references to earlier authors and to sources of influence, both Armenian and non-Armenian. A final section contains bibliographies devoted to particular genres and periods, such as minstrels, folklore, and prosody. A thematic discussion of the works of more than 150 poets, historians, monks, and others highlights the themes that captured the imagination of Armenian authors.--From publisher description.

Preserving Armenia's rich literary tradition from a multitude of viewpoints has been the aim of this three-volume work. This third volume joins the previous two in making excerpts of Armenian masterpieces accessible in beautifully rendered English translations, while enabling readers to enjoy the immediacy of these works through lively discussions of the authors and their times. Here the focus is on the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. The volume begins with a comprehensive overview of the entire historical, social, and literary panorama of the periods covered: the Armenian Renaissance, the development of modern Armenian (with its Western and Eastern versions), the emergence of a national identity and democratic thinking (with their impact on literature and theater), and such literary schools as Romanticism, Realism, and Aestheticism. Biographies of more than 130 prominent authors appear in these pages, together with critical comments concerning their works and extensive excerpts from the works themselves. The texts are edited, annotated with footnotes, and presented in a format that permits easy comprehension. Literature unveils a rich pageant of works in historical perspective. The varied experiences from the Armenian past come alive, allowing for new understandings and comparisons to literatures of other nations.

The second volume of The Heritage of Armenian Literature continues the highly acclaimed and monumental project of presenting Armenia's literary treasures to an English-speaking audience. Nowhere else can students and general readers easily find a comprehensive, English-language guide to these masterpieces, complete with important background information and vivid, accurate translations of key sample passages. Volume 2 takes readers through the medieval period up to the eighteenth century. As in the previous volume, the editors here offer a wide and varied range of readings that encompasses the literary panorama of this ancient civilization. They situate each work as extensively as possible within its theological, historical, and philosophical contexts, while highlighting aspects that will be meaningful to readers in light of modern scholarship.

The Bois de Vincennes is a personification of a park that tells the history of an entire people, depicting love, frustration, war, sometimes antiquated views of women, and philosophical musings. It is a complex attempt to understand the remarkable and tragic history of Armenians in the twentieth century, a book in which trees become murderers and saints, and where world history and personal history become one. Originally published in 1947 in the Armenian language, this is the first English translation.