Twentieth-Century Poet
Throughout the twentieth century, poetry was a literary mode for Armenians to express their longing, deepest thoughts, political views, loves, and patriotism following the loss of their ancestral homeland. One of the chief poets of this period was Vahan Tekeyan, born in Constantinople in 1878. He emigrated to Egypt in 1914 after the Hamadian Massacres of 1894–1896 and died in Cairo in 1945. One of the founders of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramkavar Azatakan Kusakts‘ut‘iwn), he is today known for his lyric poetry, especially for his sonnets. This collection displays Tekeyan’s literary range as he addresses religious, profane, and nationalistic themes.
Throughout the twentieth century, poetry was a literary mode for Armenians to express their longing, deepest thoughts, political views, loves, and patriotism following the loss of their ancestral homeland. One of the chief poets of this period was Vahan Tekeyan, born in Constantinople in 1878. He emigrated to Egypt in 1914 after the Hamadian Massacres of 1894–1896 and died in Cairo in 1945. One of the founders of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramkavar Azatakan Kusakts‘ut‘iwn), he is today known for his lyric poetry, especially for his sonnets. This collection displays Tekeyan’s literary range as he addresses religious, profane, and nationalistic themes.