Mikael Nalbandian

Portrait of Mikael Nalbandian

Mikael Nalbandian ( Armenian Միքայէլ Նալբանդեան Nikajel Nalbandjan , born November 14 or 2, 1829 in Nakhichevan-on-Don , Russian Empire ; † April 12 or March 31, 1866 in Kamyshin ) was an Armenian writer of the Armenian literature of the 19th century and a revolutionary . The text of the Armenian national anthem Mer Hajrenik is based on his poem Song of the Italian Girl .

Life

Nalbandian was born into a family of craftsmen in what is now Rostov-on-Don . Originally he wanted to become a priest by himself, but left his studies shortly after taking up to study medicine at Moscow University for four years (1854–58) . Together with the Armenian-Russian publicist Stepanos Nazaryan , he founded an influential magazine called Hyusisapayl (Northern Lights). During the revolutionary years 1859–61, Nalbandyan was one of the first Armenian writers to adopt the view of a revolutionary democracy influenced by the propaganda of the Kolokol (bell) and Sovremennik (contemporary) magazines . He traveled through large parts of Europe and visited cities such as Warsaw , Berlin , Paris , London and Constantinople as well as India . In Constantinople, he founded a secret revolutionary community called the "Young Party" around the Armenian magazine Meghu (bee). In London he made friends with Alexander Herzen , Nikolai Ogarjow , Mikhail Bakunin , Nikolai Serno-Solovjewitsch and many others and took part in the discussion about an organization called “What people need” - a forerunner of the later “Organization for Land and Freedom”. . In the leaflet Zwei Linien in 1861 he made his political credo known: to dedicate his life to the idea of ​​liberating people. In one of his most important articles, Agriculture as the Right Way , a year later Nalbandian strongly criticized the emancipation reform of 1861, even though he wrote from the position of community socialism. He saw the peasant revolution as the only solution for Russia after the reforms. His activities led to his arrest and imprisonment in St. Petersburg , more precisely in the Peter and Paul Fortress , in July of the same year . Accused of inciting the government by distributing propaganda literature, he was exiled in 1865 in Kamyshin, a remote area over 500 miles southeast of Moscow in Saratov Province . He died of tuberculosis a year later in prison. Possession of Nalbandian's picture was forbidden in Russia; However, portraits of him with his poem Freedom continued to circulate secretly .

legacy

Reform and renewal are central to Nalbandian's literary legacy. His writing style was inspired by leading journalists whom he met during his extensive travels. He dealt with topics such as philosophy, economics, linguistics and education, was a disciple of anthropological materialism according to Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach and Nikolai Tschernyschewski . His philosophy is an important factor in the history of Armenia's social thought. With his revolutionary activities he tried to unite the democratic forces of the Armenians with the Russian freedom movement. Nalbandian is also an author of critical realism in Armenian literature. He was greatly admired for his efforts to create a national literature that would realistically reflect the wishes of the Armenians.

Nalbandian on an Armenian postage stamp

Similar to Chatschatur Abovyan , who is considered the father of modern Armenian literature, Nalbandian struggled with the introduction of the new literary language Ashharabar instead of the traditional Grabar , which resulted in him being excluded from the clergy and reactionaries. He also translated poems by Alexander Pushkin , Michail Lermontow , Heinrich Heine and other poets.

Nalbandian is buried in the cemetery of the Armenian monastery Heiligkreuz (Sourp Khatch) in Nakhichevan on the Don, where he was born.

Web links

Commons : Mikael Nalbandian  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mikael Nalbandian - Poems. Retrieved November 12, 2018 . 
2. ^ Great Soviet encyclopedia . tape 3 . Moscow.
3. ↑ Bardakjian, Kevork B .: A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature . Editor: Wayne State University Press. 2000, ISBN 0-8143-2747-8 .