Azadian’s New Volume Feted by Yerevan Intellectuals

The compiler and editor of the book, Yervand Ter-Khachatryan, who is a respected literary critic philologist and writer, in his own right, emphasized the importance of the contents of the book and its author. He exclaimed that it is so pleasant to encounter a work written in Armenian by an author whose writing and thinking is truly Armenian, in contrast to the truly terrible state of Armenian language writing in general. He continued, “Azadian is one of those unique men whose perspective is broad.” He can write about opera, literature, theater, sculpture or many other fields. Ter-Khachatryan pointed out a third important aspect to Azadian’s works, which is his taking civic positions on issues, as Ter-Khachatryan said that a public figure should be a moral character.

Director, actor and musician Gerald Papasian of Paris read the final story of Azadian’s book, “The Desire of the Elderly,” while the periodic performances throughout the evening of the Zvartnots kanon players of the Armenian State Pedagogical University led by Hasmik Leyloyan created a pleasant atmosphere.

Mirzakhanyan, who had organized the event and also is president of the Tekeyan Cultural Association of Armenia, spoke of Azadian’s literary, political and public path and commented on Azadian’s essay “Blue Yerevan.” He said that though the author lived distant from Armenia, he expressed such warm sentiments about it, and concluded, “Behold Edmond Azadian, one of the best intellectuals of our times.”

The evening closed with Azadian’s expression of thanks to all those who participated in the event. He said that he always tries to publish his books in Armenia as a gesture towards national unity. He said, “We always speak of repatriation, but we must accept that together with people, those pages of literature must come to the homeland which have been created abroad, and are largely unknown to our compatriots living in the homeland. Is literature not a great force? I attempt also to bring Western Armenian here, where unfortunately it gradually is hardening like a diamond. Many no longer are able to take advantage of this hardness. This issue requires an urgent solution. UNESCO has already placed Western Armenian in the category of languages at risk. Why does this realization not exist in our homeland? I have great hope that soon work in this direction will be carried out, while in the future, concrete results will already be seen. I will contribute everything possible that I can for this work.”

At Yerevan State University

Yerevan State University’s Armenian Philology Department organized a book presentation event for Edmond Y. Azadian on September 30 at which students and faculty were present. Department dean Artsrun Avagyan pronounced Azadian to be a Mohican in his approaches to Armenian culture and the themes he has chosen. Avagyan went on to say to the audience, “You see before you a man who is Western Armenia to the marrow, who speaks, writes, reads and thinks in Western Armenian—this is a great distinctiveness.” Avagyan said that the editor and compiler of the volume, Yervand Ter-Khachatryan, is himself a Mohican in his approaches to literary criticism and rigor, which are joined in his person to form the true synthesis of a writer and literary critic.