My Mother’s Armenian Manual Typewriter

Vahe H. Apelian

An Armenian manual typewriter

My mother was born and raised in Keurkune, Kessab in Syria and taught Armenian language and literature during her entire productive life in Syria, Lebanon and then in the U.S. She left behind hundreds of beautifully handwritten pages. On unlined blank sheets of paper, she wrote neatly and on a straight line, line after line, hundreds of pages. She had a beautiful handwriting. At least, I know of no other whose natural effortless Armenian handwriting is as beautiful as hers was. She was also endowed with an uncanny ability for committing poems by heart much like a recording. She loved Armenian poetry and had a habit of writing them down for her enjoyment. She also loved and prepared group recitations, Khmpayin Asmoung in Armenian, for her students to recite. Such group recitations were, as I am not sure if they still are, time-honored traditions at the graduation ceremonies from Armenian schools.  I invite interested readers to read my blog about group recitation (see note)

Along with her handwritten papers, she left the following hand written instruction. 

-                Do not treat my handwritten notes ungently.

-                Keep my albums in a corner.  Do not throw them away. At times you look for something and cannot find them.

-                Love, learn and speak the Armenian language. That is a blessing and a sacredness.”

The instructions my mother left behind.

Surely it leaves me with a great burden as her only surviving child. A year ago, I had part of her handwritten group recitations assembled and published as 260 pages long, 8”x11” size book, titling it “Group Recitations” (Read the link below if interested).. I am in the process of assembling the rest of her group recitations as the second volume of a sequel.

Her handwriting reminded of the following.

Decades ago in Lebanon, my mother purchased an Armenian font manual typewriter. It was not an on the spur of the moment purchase. Armenian font manual typewriters were fabricated upon request. It was an expensive proposition, especially for a teacher in Armenian schools. It might have taken her a year maybe to set aside enough funds to buy an Armenian manual typewriter. She knew how to type on a regular typewriter. She committed herself learning to type on the Armenian font typewriter. But I do not think she ended typing a letter on it. She did not like the fonts. She stored the typewriter never to use it again.

Some time ago I found in her papers a typewritten report by the late Rev. Aram Hadidian, on the founding of the one-time Sin El Fil Armenian Evangelical School. The fonts indeed look very dull. There is no appeal whatsoever. It is made to be functional and that’s all.  The technology or the mindset may not have been there to impart to the fonts appeal along with their functionality. (link: https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2017/08/blog-post.html)

An example of the fonts on Armenian manual typewriter 

I was also reminded of a movie about Steve Jobs. In a dramatized scene Steve Jobs fired one of their best programmers because he questioned the need to devote time and effort to have different scripts on the McIntosh computer when they were facing so many challenges to overcome; but Steve Jobs was adamant. He attributed his appreciation of the importance of having different appealing calligraphy on the McIntosh to his attending a calligraphy class during his short stay in college.

By the time the computers became available loaded with beautiful Armenian fonts, my mother was too much set in her ways to ever consider learning word processing. She remained oblivious of the beautiful fonts out there. She resorted to the only way she knew, handwriting.

An example of mother's group recitation handwriting

As to the Armenian font manual typewriter, it was shipped along with other household items from Lebanon as the family moved in, one by one, and settled in the U.S.  Sometime ago I donated it to the Armenian Library and Museum of America, in Watertown, MA. The original ribbon was still on it. I typed a line on a page indicating that this typewriter is being gifted to the Armenian museum and had her Armenian manual typewriter shipped there.

Note: Group recitation - Խմբային Ասմունք։

http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2017/10/tribute-to-art-khmpayin-asmoungner.html