Description

The publication in 1858 of the novel Verkʻ Hayastani (Wounds of Armenia) by Khachatur Abovyan (1805–48) is considered the beginning of modern Armenian literature. In a significant break with the literary past, Abovyan wrote in the Armenian language as spoken in his time instead of grabar (the classical dialect). Novelists after Abovyan composed their works in modern Eastern and Western Armenian, depicting Armenian life, politics, and culture. Verkʻ Hayastani is a historical novel, set in the period of the Russo-Persian war of 1826‒28 and concerned with the sufferings ...