Vaհe H Apelian
Hovhannes Tumanyan is endearingly referred to as the “All-Armenian Poet”. He is known for hosting in his fourth-floor house in Tiblisi, Georgia, social gatherings of who’s who in the Armenian world. His house came to known as the "vernatun" (vernadoun), that is to say the upper floor. The term has entered in the Armenian lexicon for informal get together of those who matter.
The vernatun (vernadoun) existed for a number of years. The gathering became the cornerstone of the "Caucasian Society of Armenian Writers", which was founded in 1922, with Hovhannes Toumanian as its president.
The following anecdote, in translation, pertains to such a gathering.
«Once, at one of the usual dinners at Hovhannes. Tumanyan's house, a group of writers and other intellectuals - teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. - were present. Bishop Mesrop (note: Mesrop (baptismal name: Parsadan) Vardan Ter-Movsisyan (May 7, 1865, Shikahogh, Armenia - June 3, 1939[1], Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR), a master of Armenian philology), who was personally close to Tumanyan, was also present. Among the household members at the table was also Mrs. Tumanyan with her two eldest children, Mushegh and Miss Ashkhen.
The toastmaster, of course, was Hovhannes Tumanyan.
It so happened that Tumanyan divided the attendees into pairs and proposed a toast to each of the attendees in pairs.
-Let's drink a toast to our two novelists, Shirvan (Shirvanzade) and Avetis (Aharonian)... And this is a toast to our two poets, Avo (Isahakyan) and Derenik (Demirchyan)... And this is a toast to our two doctors...
Thus one by one, everyone present was toasted, except Bishop Mesrob.
Tumanyan stood up with his glass in hand. The same question arose in the minds of everyone present: how would Tumanyan pair Bishop Mesrop who was the only celibate at the table?
The clever Tumanyan had certainly had already figured a way out. But what was that way out? We were all impatient to know.
-Now the toast to our pontiff remains, - said Tumanyan and glanced quickly at Bishop Mesrop, and then at his eldest daughter, the young lady Ashkhen.
-I propose to drink this glass as a toast to the two virgins sitting at the table with us, Bishop Mesrop and my Ashkhen...
Although Bishop Mesrop blushed, he laughed heartily and heartily with the others.»
The picture of the painting posted below is the artist’s rendering of some of the notables in Armenian history who met in Hovhannes Tumanyan’s house. Not all who attended the get together in the Tumanyan’s upper floor apartment were always men of letters. It is claimed that General Antranig attended also whenever he was in Tbilisi. It is also said that he was a superb raconteur and mesmerized his audience.
The following are depicted in the painting.
1. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՍՊԵՆԴԻԱՐՅԱՆ (ALEXANDER SPENDIARYAN)
Born on November 1, 1871 in Kakhovka, Ukraine
Died on May 7, 1928 in Yerevan, Armenia
Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiaranov was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor, founder of Armenian national symphonic music.
2. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՇԻՐՎԱՆԶԱԴԵ (ALEXANDER SHIRVANZADE)
Born on April 18, 1858 in Sirvan, Azerbaijan
Died on August 7, 1936, Kislovodsk, Russia
Alexander Movsisian, better known by his pen name Alexander Shirvanzade, was an Armenian playwright and novelist.
3. ԳևՈՐԳ ԲԱՇԻՆՋԱՂՅԱՆ (GEVORG PASHINJAGHIAN)
Born on October 28, 1857 in Sighnaghi, Georgia
Died on October 4, 1925 in Tbilisi, Georgia
He was an Armenian painter who had a significant influence on Armenian landscape painting.
4. ՎԱՀԱՆ ՏԵՐՅԱՆ (VAHAN TERIAN)
Born on January 28, 1885 in Tiflis Governorate
Died on January 7, 1920 in Orenburg, Russia
Was an Armenian poet, lyrist, and public activist. He is known for hos sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.
5. ՂԱԶԱՐՈՍ ԱՂԱՅԱՆ (GHAZAROS AGHAYAN)
Born on April 4, 1840 in Tiflis Governorate
Died on July 20, 1911 in Tbilisi, Georgia
He was an Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure.
6. ԴԵՐԵՆԻԿ ԴԵՄԻՐՃՅԱՆ (TERENIG DEMIRCHIAN)
Born on February 6, 1877 in Tbilisi
Died on December 6, 1936 in Yerevan.
He was an Armenian writer, novelist, poet, translator, and playwright
7.ՊԵՏՐՈՍ ԱԴԱՄՅԱՆ (BEDROS ADAMIAN)
Born on 1849, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire
Died on June 3, 1891, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire
He was an outstanding Armenian actor, poet, artist and pubic figure. According to Russian critics his interpretation of Hamlet and Othello put Adamian’s name among the best tragedians of the world.
8. ՎԱՐԴԳԵՍ ՍՈՒՐԵՆՅԱՆՑ (VARTGES SURENIANTS)
Born on February 27, 1860 Akhaltsikhe, Georgia
Died on April 6, 1921, Yalta
He was an Armenian painter, sculptor, illustrator, translator, art critic , and theater artist. He is considered the founder of Armenian historical painting. His paintings feature scenes from Armenian fairy-tales and various historical events.
9. ՄԱՐՏԻՐՈՍ ՍԱՐՅԱՆ (MARDIROS SARIAN)
Born on February 28, 1880 in Nakhichevan-on-Don, Russia
Died on May 5, 1972 in Yerevan, Armenia
He was an Armenian painter, the founder of modern Armenian national school of painting.
10. ԵՂԻՇԵ ԹԱԴևՈՍՅԱՆ, (YEGHISH TATIOSSIAN) (1870-1936)
Born on September 14, 1870, in Vagharshabad (Armenia)
Died on January 27, 1936, in Tblisi, Georgia
He was a famous Armenian landscape painter. This year (1920) the Armenian government celebrated the 150the anniversary of his birth.
11. ԿՈՄԻՏԱՍ (KOMIDAS)
Born on October 8 1869 in Kutahya, Turkey
Died on October 22 , 1935 Villejuif, France
He was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer and choirmaster who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. He is recognized as the one of the pioneers of the ethnomusicology.
12. ՍՏԵՓԱՆ ԼԻՍԻՑՅԱՆ (STEPAN LISITSYAN)
Born on October 4, 1865, Tbilisi, Georgia
Died on January 4, 1947, Yerevan, Armenia
He was an Armenian historian, translator, pet an public figure.
13. Ավետիք Իսահակյան (AVETIK ISAHAKYAN)
Born on October 30, 1875 in Gyumri, Armenia
Died on October 17, 1957 in Yerevan, Armenia
He was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer, and public activist.
14. ՀԱԿՈԲ ՀԱԿՈԲՅԱՆ (HAKOB HAKOBYAN)
He was born on May 29, 1866, in Tblisi
Died on December 13, 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgia
He was a poet, translator and an influential writer.
15. ՀՈՎՀԱՆՆԵՍ ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆ (HOVHANNES TOUMANYAN)
Born on February 10, 1869, Lori Province, Armenia
Died on March 23, 1928 in Moscow, Russia
He was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, and critics and journalistic articles.
Note: I would like to thank Paris Erganian for noting my error and correcting the biographical information about Hagob Hagobyan/Hagop Hagopian), 10/21/2021
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