Rafael Patkanjan

Rafael Patkanjan.

Rafael Patkanjan (also: Raphael Patkanian , Armenian Ռափայէլ Պատկանեան , Russian Рафаэл Габриэлович Патканян ; * 8 November ^July / 20 November 1830 ^greg. In Nakhichevan on Don ; † 22 August ^July / 3 September 1892 ^greg. Ibid) was an Armenian writer. He was one of the founders of Armenian secular poetry, but also wrote prose, translated and was active in the social field. He published a large part of his literary oeuvre under the pseudonym Kamar Katiba .

Life

Patkanjan was the son of pastor, teacher and amateur poet Gabriel Patkanjan. He received his first school education in his father's school, where he met his later writer colleague Michael Nalbandjan , with whom he was to become a lifelong friend.

Patkanjan studied at the Lazarev Institute for Oriental Languages in Moscow . After completing his studies, he accompanied his father, who became a teacher at the Nersesjan Spiritual Seminary in Tbilisi . In 1852 Rafael Patkanjan enrolled at the University of Dorpat . He then continued his studies at the University of Saint Petersburg and several German universities.

In Moscow he was a member of an Armenian student literary circle. An acronym, formed from the first letters of its members - "Kamar Katiba" - he later used as a pseudonym for the first edition of his own works, especially his poetry collections from the years 1855–1857.

In 1862 he opened an Armenian printing house in Saint Petersburg, where, in addition to his own works, he published Armenian translations of Russian and foreign literature. In 1865 he started the educational magazine "Norden" aimed at an Armenian audience. "Norden" was supposed to replace the Moscow magazine "Nordlichter", which was published by the Armenian educator and social activist Stepanos Nazarjan, but which had been discontinued shortly before. In 1867, Nord was also discontinued for financial reasons; the number of subscribers had proven to be unsustainable.

As a result, Patkanjan returned to Nakhchivan and opened a secondary school and a vocational school for poor children. In the latter he also acted personally as headmaster. To finance the school lessons, which were free, the school children were fed "on the house".

Patkanjan died on September 3, 1892 in his hometown. He is buried near the church of the Armenian monastery Surb Chatsch not far from the grave of his friend Nalbandjan.

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Rafael Patkanjan. Postage stamp, 2005.

Patkanjan wrote mainly in Armenian, but also in Russian and in the local Armenian dialect of Nakhichevan. Most of his works are poems; his prose works are mostly short stories and essays.

The leitmotif of his works is the idea of the national liberation of the people of Western Armenia from Ottoman rule . The author called for a national Armenian identity and encouraged people to take up the armed struggle for independence. Examples of this are the poems of the 1850s such as "Tears of Arax", "The Song of Mother Agassi" and the historical poem "The Death of the Brave Vardan Mamikonjan".

In the work of Patkanjan reflected ardent sympathy for the Russian people and Russia . This is most evident in poetry during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 , examples being the story "Der Krieg" (1877) and the cycle of poems "Free Song" (1878).

In his later creative phase, Patkanjan turned to social issues. He wrote a number of satirical works, the cycle of poems "New Nakhchivan Lyra" (1879), novels and short stories such as "Ambitious" (1880), "Mistress and Maid" (1884), "Walking corpses" (1889).

In addition, he translated a number of classical works of Russian and European literature into Armenian. These include the first translations of many of Aesop's fables , " Robinson Crusoe " by Defoe and "The fairy tale of the fisherman and his wife" by Pushkin .

Two complete editions of his works appeared while Patkanjan was still alive, and a third was published in 1893, a few months after his death. Almost all of his poems have been translated into Russian, and many into other languages. Well-known authors such as Valeri Brjussow are among the Russian translators .

Honors

In 1901 Rafael Patkanjan's grave was decorated with a bust by the sculptor Andreas Ter-Manukjan. In Decree 624 of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of December 4, 1974, it received the status of a historical monument of federal importance as part of the "Surb-Chatsch" Memorial. In 2005, the 175th anniversary of Patkanjan's birthday in Armenia was honored with the issue of a postage stamp.

Web links

Commons : Raphael Patkanian - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Rafael Patkanjan - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Памятники дона: Рафаэль Патканян (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Article Rafael Patkanjan in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h N. Dabagjan: Патканян (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)
↑ ^a ^b ^c Патканян Рафаэл Габриэлович (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)

personal data
SURNAME	Patkanjan, Rafael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Patkanian, Raphael (alternative spelling); Պատկանյան, Ռափայել (Armenian); Патканян, Рафаэл Габриэлович (Russian); Katiba, Kamar (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Armenian author and writer
DATE OF BIRTH	November 20, 1830
PLACE OF BIRTH	Nakhchivan-on-Don
DATE OF DEATH	September 3, 1892
Place of death	Nakhchivan-on-Don

[Памятники_дона-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Памятники дона: Рафаэль Патканян (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)

[БСЭ-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Article Rafael Patkanjan in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)

[ЛЭ-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h N. Dabagjan: Патканян (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)

[Хайазг-4] Патканян Рафаэл Габриэлович (Russian, accessed October 24, 2015)