The attached is my translation of Levon Sharoyan’s posting on his Facebook page, today, August 3, 2023 Vahe H. Apelian
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| Lorig Gelenian reminiscing about her father, Courtesy Levon Sharoyan |
LORIG, THE DAUGHTER OF HAMASDEGH IS NO MORE
Time flies fast, years roll one after the other, and decades follow one another. And with this crazy slide of time, things get lost, and a lot disappear and become soil and dust.
There was a time when every now and then we would sadly hear the death of our present-day writers. One day it was Aram Haykaz ( Արամ Հայկազն), another day it was Dzarugian (Ծառուկեան), and another day it was Garo Polaտիan (Կարօ Փօլատեան) who would be the one who left, another day it was Vahe Vahian (Վահէ֊ Վահեան), on another day it was Siran Seza (Սիրան Սեզան), and on another day it was Haykanoush Mark (Հայկանոյշ Մառք).
Years and ages have gone by so much that nowadays, now and then. we are informed that this or that writer's son or daughter has died. In other words, another generation, a younger one has said goodbye to this world.
Today, from America, the news broke of the passing away of Lorig, the daughter of the famous village writer Hamasdegh,.
LORIC GELENIAN.
She was not a writer, nor was she a famous person. She was an Armenian who was born and lived in America, as an ordinary mortal. But she was the daughter of Hamastegh, that is to say a living mortal remains of an Armenian writer, the bearer of his blood. Does this not mean something to us?
Hamastar (1895-1966) had 2 daughters, Lorik and Arminee (Armineh). They were generally English-speaking, because there were no Armenian day schools in America until the 60s.
Following her literate father's wish, Lorig came to Beirut in October 1956 and spent a year attending the Hamazkayin's Nshan Palandjian Djemaran’s (Academy) Armenian course, in order to improve her mother tonque and conversational ability.
We know from Hamadegh’s letters that the writer was very enthused about her daughter studying in Djemaran.. Almost every week he received a letter from her, from Beirut. Lorig would tell him about the atmosphere of Djemaran, his new friends, andteachers.
At the time the principal of the Hamazkayin Nshan Palandjian Djemaran was Simon Vratsian In a letter dated 1957, addressed to Simon Vratsian, Hamasdegh wrote: «Lorig's Armenian, the new words she uses, impresses me very impres me very much. I notice that her spelling mistakes are gradually decreasing, and she she forms her sentences correctly with new words. «.
This is how the Armenian literary laureate was able to give his daughter a partial Armenian education.
I lack biographical and family information about Lorig Gelenian. I only know that she was born in 1939, so she was already in her 80s.
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Hamasegh (Courtesy Armenian Prelacy)
Hamasdegh was a leading Armenian-American writer and became a highly regarded name in the Armenian literature of the Diaspora.
He was born Hampartsoum Gelenian in the village of Perchenj, in the region of Kharpert, on October 15, 1895 (*). He got his primary education in the local school, and then in the Central College of the city of Mezireh. He would become one of several Armenian-American writers from the “Kharpert School,” along with Peniamin Nurigian (1894-1989) and Vahe Haig (1896-1983), who were inspired by their teacher, Tilgadintsi (Haroutioun Haroutiounian, 1860-1915), an elder writer victim of the genocide.
After graduating in 1911, the young Hampartsoum worked as a teacher in his village for a year and then traveled to America upon his father’s exhortation. He followed courses at Columbia University and Boston University but did not graduate. He started contributing poetry and translations to the Hairenik daily in 1918 with the pseudonym Hamasdegh, which is the root of the word hamasdeghootyoon (“constellation”) but was also composed by the initial syllables of three Gelenian brothers (Hampartsoum, Asdour, and Eghia).
In the early 1920s Hamasdegh went from poetry to prose and became a much-sought name in the Hairenik monthly from its inception in 1922. His first stories, published during the 1920s, were collected in two volumes, The Village (1924) and The Rain (1928), and turned him widely popular by their literary quality. It reflected some trends of Diaspora literature, which was mainly focused on themes of village life and the lost country, and rites and traditions of the homeland. His depictions of the feelings, thoughts, and aspirations of ordinary people struck a note with the readers. In 1928-1929 he traveled to Europe and the Middle East. Before and after, he spent his entire life in the Boston area, where he worked for many years as a photoengraver.
In 1931 he started writing the novel The White Horseman, which was dedicated to the liberation struggle of Western Armenia. However, after publishing it in serial form in the Hairenik monthly from 1931-1933, he left it unfinished and would only finish it in 1952, when he released it as a book. He continued his literary activities, with the main theme of longing going through his writing, and published a selection of new stories in Nazar the Brave and 13 Stories (1955), the meditation House of Prayer (1957), and the poem The Goat Book (1960). His last book was the novel The First Love (1966).
In the 1960s, Hamasdegh was invited to go to Armenia–where his name and work were practically unknown due to political issues—several times, but he could not make the trip. His prolific literary life was rewarded with the celebration of his 70th birthday in 1966 throughout the Diaspora. Unfortunately, he was beset by personal and health problems. His wife passed away after a long illness in early 1966, and the writer himself passed away on November 26, 1966, victim of a heart attack while he was speaking at his jubilee in Los Angeles. He was buried in Boston.
The school of Soorp Khatch Church in the Washington D.C. area bears the name of Hamasdegh. In 2018 the Eastern Prelacy published a bilingual edition of Hamasdegh’s House of Prayer, his first book translated into English. Part of his correspondence and several collections of his works scattered in the press have been published in Armenia during the past two decades.
(*) We are grateful to the writer’s elder daughter, Ms. Loretta Gelenian, for providing his date of birth.
*****
Բնագիրը՝
ՀԱՄԱՍՏԵՂԻ ԴՈՒՍՏՐԸ` ԼՈՐԻԿ, ՈՉ ԵՒՍ Է
Ժամանակը կը սահի արագ֊արագ։ Տարիները կը գլտորին իրարու ետեւէ, տասնամեակները կը յաջորդեն մէկը միւսին։ Եւ ժամանակի այս խելացնոր սահանքին հետ` ինչե՜ր ու ինչե՜ր կը կորսուին, կ`անհետանան, հող ու փոշի կը դառնան...։
Կար ժամանակ, երբ հոսկէ֊հոնկէ տխրօրէն կը ստանայինք մահուան գոյժը ժամանակակից մեր երեւելի գրողներուն։ Օր մը Արամ Հայկազն էր մահացողը, օր մը` Ծառուկեանը, օր մը` Կարօ Փօլատեանն էր մեկնողը, օր մը` Վահէ֊Վահեանը, օր մը` Սիրան Սեզան, օր մը` Հայկանոյշ Մառքը...։
Հիմա, տարիներն ու տարիքները այնքան յառաջացան` որ մերթ ընդ մերթ կը տեղեկանանք, թէ մահացած է սա կամ նա գրողին որդին։ Այսինքն, այս աշխարհէն հրաժեշտ կ`առնէ ուրի'շ սերունդ մը` աւելի' կրտսերը։
Այսօր, ահաւասիկ, Ամերիկայէն գուժեցին մահը նշանաւոր գիւղագիր Համաստեղի աղջկան` Լորիկին։
ԼՈՐԻԿ ԿԷԼԷՆԵԱՆ։
Գրող չէր, ոչ ալ նշանաւոր դէմք մը։ Ամերիկա ծնած ու հոն ապրած հայուհի մըն էր, սովորական մահկանացու մը։ Բայց` Համաստեղին դուստրն էր, այսինքն` ապրող ու կենդանի մէկ նշխարը հայ գրագէտի մը, անոր արի'ւնը կրողը...։ Բան մը կը նշանակէ՞ ասիկա մեզի համար։
Համաստեղ (1895֊1966) ունէր 2 աղջիկ զաւակ` Լորիկն ու Արմինէն։ Անոնք առհասարակ անգլիախօս էին, քանի որ մինչեւ 60֊ականներ` հայկական ամէնօրեայ վարժարաններ չկային Ամերիկայի մէջ։
Ընթացք տալով իր գրագէտ հօր բաղձանքին` Լորիկ 1956֊ի Հոկտեմբերին Պէյրութ եկաւ ու լման տարի մը հետեւեցաւ Համազգայինի Նշան Փալանճեան ճեմարանի հայերէնի դասապահերուն, բարելաւելու համար իր մայրենի լեզուն ու խօսակցական կարողութիւնը։
Համաստեղի "Նամականի"֊էն գիտենք, որ գրագէտը շատ խանդավառ էր Լորիկին Ճեմարանի ուսումնառութեամբը։ Գրեթէ ամէն շաբաթ նամակ մը կը ստանար անկէ, Պէյրութէն։ Լորիկ կը պատմէր Ճեմարանի մթնոլորտին, իր նոր ընկերներուն, ուսուցիչներուն մասին։
Ճեմարանի այդ շրջանի տնօրէն Սիմոն Վրացեանին ուղղեալ նամակի մը մէջ (1957) Համաստեղ կը գրէր."Լորիկին հայերէնը, անոր գործածած նոր բառերը զիս շատ կը յուզեն։ ...Կը նկատեմ որ հետզհետէ կը պակսին իր տառասխալները, եւ նախադասութիւնները ճիշդ կը կազմէ` նոր բառերով"։
Ահա այսպէս, հայ գրագէտը գէթ հայեցի մասնակի կրթութիւն մը կրցաւ տալ իր աղջկան։
Լորիկ Կէլէնեանի մասին կենսագրական ու ընտանեկան տուեալներ կը պակսին ինծի։ Միայն գիտեմ, թէ ան ծնած էր 1939֊ին, ուրեմն, արդէն շատոնց բոլորած էր իր 80֊ամեակը։
