A Rightful Owner For Epilents

Vahe H. Apelian

 

Tsolag Apelian in Kessab Nature

Epilents (Էբելենց) was the pen-name of Albert Apelian, M.D. It was a fairly known pen-name at one time. The Armenian Wikipedia reveals the use of the moniker as early as in 1928 in “Hairenik” Daily in Boston.

It is thought that it was Dr. Albert Apelian who came with the Epilents penname. It is not from the Kessab dialect. Kessabtsis have similar words such such as Epillek, Epillik, which mean of or from the Apelians. Epilents, I believe, is its Armenian version implying of Apelians as the ending “–ents” implies from or of, in Armenian. It is a well thought Armenian pen-name and rings true for someone hailing from the Apelian family of Kessab. 

 Dr. Albert Apelian was born in Kessab in 1892 and lived a long and a fruitful life. He passed away at the ripe of age of 93. He authored five medical books, four novels and a historical documentary about Kessab in Armenian along with many articles he published over the years in Armenian journals. The Armenian Wikipedia reports Էբելենց (Epilents) having also appeared in “Aztag - Ազդակ” (Beirut) in 1946, “Asbarez – Ասպարէց» (Fresno) in 1957, and in “Haratch - Յառաջ” (Paris) in 1961. His creative literary opus was his last novel in English titled “The Antiochians”. Dr. Albert Apelian passed away on November 14, 1986 in Belmont, MA where he practiced his profession for five decades. With his death his pen-name Epilents gradually subsided.

In the last issue of Kessab Educational Association’s 61^st edition directory and yearbook (2020), I read an article about the preparation of the grape molasses Kessabtsis are known to prepare. They call the process “Masara” and its preparation is one of the most cherished social events for the Kessabtsis. Dr. Tsolag Apelian had authored the article not in Armenian, nor in English but in the local Kessab dialect. He also had signed the article as Էբէլինց Ձոլակը - Epilints Tsolag. Suddenly, it dawned on me that cherished pen-name has now a deserving person who well embodies Kessab and Kessabtsis.

I am not conversant in Kessaberen, the Kessab dialect or should I say language because for generations it was the only language they used to carry on all aspects of their daily lives. My mother told me that my paternal grandparents did away speaking Kessaberen at home for my sake, their firstborn grandchild and started speaking Armenian at home, at least in my presence. Even though I am not conversant in Kessaberen but I understand the language pretty well and can pass a judgment on the fluency of the language spoken by someone. Reading the article I was surprised at Tsolag’s mastery of the language given that his parents, Stepan and Ani, did not speak Kessaberen at home. For a quarter of century Ani was the principal of the Armenian Evangelical School in Kessab, where Tsolag also attended. After Kaloustian and Noubarian Schools in Egypt, it is the oldest Armenian School in the Diaspora outside Turkey. My parents conversed fluently Kessaberen but they were born and raised in Keurkune in families who spoke Kessaberen. And it was in Kessaberen that their parents welcomed their newborn children whose first words were uttered in Kessaberen. But that was not the case with Tsolag. 

Tsolag not only cherishes the dialect, he is also keen on perpetuating it. To that end he has set up an account in the Facebook called Քեսպնուոկ-Քիսապի Բարբառը (Kesbnog-the Dialect of Kessab), where he has ruled the conversation be in the Kessab dialect and is open for anyone who would like to converse in Kessaberen or would like to hone his skill conversing in Kessaberen. 

Tsolag was born in Keurkune in the family’s ancestral home where his granfather Joseph and my father Hovhannes were born to Stepan and Sarah (Mousajekian)  family. My paternal cousins Stepan and Ara were also born in the same house. Stepan’s children Tsolag, Shoghag and Hovag were also born there. The patriarchal house was built in the later part of the 19th century and bridges three centuries as it still stands fortified in the original stones that made its thick walls, although it has been cosmetically renovated.

Tsolag has always been a brilliant student. He attended school in Keurkune, Kessab and after succesfully passing his Syrian Baccalaureate national examinations he graduated from the State Engineering School in Latakia and from there he attended University of California in Irvine from which he received his doctorate degree in Engineering. Presently he holds a position as the Principal Engineer at the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Tsolag is also related to Dr. Albert Apelian. His maternal great-grandfather Hagop Apelian is a brother of Albert Apelian. They were the children of Dr. Soghomon Apelian who had four sons and four daughters.

It gives me a pleasure knowing that Tsolag has adopted Epilints as his literary moniker, although he spells the third vowel a little bit different – Էբիլինց -  to sound it truer to its Kessab sounding. The transliteration also changes slightly as Epilints. Henceforth we shall associate Epilints with Dr. Tsolag Apelian as the community at large, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, once associated Epilents with Dr. Albert Apelian.

Tsolag Apelian with the late Pastor Sevag Trashian (left) in Kessab at the Armenian Evangelical Church Entrance