In a superb narration, Levon Sharoyan, masterfully compares and contrasts two noted Armenian American writers of Kharpert extraction who were contemporaries and lived through the unfolding of the genocide, the first republic, the treaties of Sevres and Lausanne, Soviet Armenia and onto the Cold War. The article was published in “Aztag” Daily on August 23, 2024 (Համաստեղ Եւ Վահէ-Հայկ. Խարբերդցի Երկու Գրագէտներ Դէմ Յանդիման). Vahe H Apelian
 |
| LtoR: Hamasdegh, Vahe Haig |
«Hamasdegh (Hampardzum Gelenian) and Vahe Haig (Dinjian).
I can easily find many similarities between these two writers I love.
First of all, both of them are from Kharpert. Hamasdegh is from Perjench village of Kharbert, and Vahe Haig is from the city of Kharpert.
Hamasdegh was born in 1895, and Vahe Haig was born a year later, in 1896.
Both of them received their primary education from the Armenian schools of the region. Hamasdegh received his primary education in the village school and continued his studies in the Central School of Mezire (now Elâzığ). Vahe Haig received his education from the Euphrates College of Kharpert.
Both are regarded among the few notables of the first generation of the Armenian American literature. It is with them that Armenian American literature began in the twenties of the last century.
Both of them tirelessly elaborated the genre of our prose literature that dealt with the village life. With lovely and impressive stories, they presented to us the lost, every day simple but colorful life of the humble Armenian villagers in the provincial life of Western Armenia, who clinging to their lands, eked out a living with the sweat of their labor, remaining faithful to their native customs, manners, and native dialect. This type of literature, we can say, was a kind of extension of the provincial literature that started and flourished with Khrimian, Karegin Srvantiants, Tlgadentsi, and Msho Gegham (Gegham Der-Garabedian).
Despite living in America for decades, both Hamasdegh and Vahe Haig, had not been able to disassociate themselves from the lost charm of their birthplaces. Nostalgia tormented them. Both of them carried the lost provincial life in their blood and in their backbone. They wanted to at least revive, in the Armenian literature the provincial life, which was erased from the map.
What a wondaful thing they did by saving the images of that provincial life and relegating them to eternity.
Although Hamasdegh and Vahe Haig resemble each other in so many details, they were far from each other in their ideological tendencies. Hamasdegh was a tashnagsagan (ARF-er), Vahe Haig was a ramgavar (ADL-er). (note: ARF-Armenian Revolutionary Federaration, ADL Armenian Democratic Liberal Party)
I know that nowadays this last fact has lost its former partisanship. The servants of Armenian literature will be valued or honored only by their merits and the quality of their literary output, and they will live in our textbooks, in our cultural experiences and thoughts, without discrimination.
However, decades ago, in the days of Hamasdegh and Vahe Haig, partisan discrimination was rooted in our literature as well. There was Soviet Armenia with its supporters abroad, and there was the segment opposed to it. Diaspora Armenian writers, in their own ways, willingly or unwillingly, were part of one or the other of the opposing camps. Therefore, the literature was also divided. Literary periodicals even had "fronts" and formed fronts. Vahe Vahian's "Ani" of Beirut would not take kindly to the Antranig Zaroukian's "Nayiri" magazine of Aleppo, Syria. Boston's "Hairenik" magazine and New York's "New Letter-Nor Kir – Նոր Գիր" were not on friendly terms. Paris's monthly "Zvartnots - Զուարթնոց" turned its back on the leftist leaning "Loussaghpiour Լուսաղբիւր" monthly published in the same city. This trait inherited from the past, continued almost unabated by Beirut's "Shirag - Շիրակ" and "Pakin - Բագին" literary magazines as well.
* * *
 |
| Copied from the Armenian Weekly |
I remembered all this and wrote about it because of a random reading.
In a corner of my library, I found Vahe Haig's " voluminous book, “Bright Faces in Our Days – Loussavor temker mer oreroun vra -Լուսաւոր դէմքեր մեր օրերուն վրայ", printed in Beirut, about half a century ago, in 1972 (Donigian printing house). It is one of his most important works next to his five-volume sequel of " Native Abode -Haireni Tzkhan – Հայրենի Ծխան" and his monumental history book of "Kharbert and its golden field - Kharpert yev anor voskeghen tashte - -Խարբերդ եւ անոր ոսկեղէն դաշտը". In 400 pages, Vahe Haig presented thirty Armenian literary and cultural figures, recording his impressions about them, and for his contemporaries, commemorating memories, and narrating unforgettable episodes. For one thing, it is an informative book that is read with pleasure.
Hamastegh is also among them. I was interested in Vahe Haig's opinion about his fellow writer considering their ideological contrasts and sensitivities of the time they lived. It would be beneficial to know what a ramgavar – ADL-er - writer thought about a Tashnagtsagan – ARF-er - writer. To what extent did the artificial barriers allow a writer to publicly express positively about another writer from the opposite camp?
Vahe Haig expressed his appreciation and praise of Hamasdegh. According to him, in the field of short stories, "it can be confirmed with certainty that he (Hamasdegh) is a great master of creating provincial stories, rustic portraits and psychology, and he remains among the few authentic figures in this field."
In addition to Hamasdegh's " Kouyghe – The Village - Գիւղը" and " Rain – Antsrev -Անձրեւ", Vahe Haig did not hide his favorable opinion about Hamasdegh's "Brave Nazar – Katch Nazar – Քաջ Նազար" book also. He wrote: "Once you started reading one paragraph, you couldn't stop. Familiar, simple and living and breathing beings come to you, talk, fight, act, live or die, exactly as you saw in our life, every day, and every hour," he assured.
However, Vahe Haig's opinion is different about Hamasdegh's two-volume novel " The white horseman – Spedag Tziavore - Սպիտակ Ձիաւորը». He did not deny that it has some beautiful and attractive images or individual episodes, but on the whole, he wrote "unfortunately, it should be noted that it was unsuccessful". According to him, "while advancing the development of the novel, he loses its forward path, falls into dark circles and deeply injures the entirety of the novel. ... The reader gets lost like a traveler lost among bushes."
So much as far as literature is concerned. But Vahe Haig has another dissatisfaction with Hamasdegh and he did not hide it.
"Regarding the magnificent reality of Armenia (Soviet) and its magnificent culture, Hamasdegh's passive stand or silence need interpretation”, Vahe Haig noted, "I do not believe that some political prejudices constrained him or closed his lips. I know that he is fond of silence, he is cautious and relegates himself to the back seats."
Vahe Haig recalls that when he visited Armenia (Soviet Armenia), many literary colleagues showed interested in Hamasdegh, and asked about him. And he tried to satisfy their interest. He continued writing, "for any surviving Armenian writer who came from the old country and knows the difference between the two times, it is impossible not to slow down and show interest and extend hands to the people, who are called upon to the glory of building the Armenian home in our native land, that is to say to the builders, the writers, the singers, the speakers, the sculptors, the poets, the researchers and to everybody and everyone."
The reason behind Vahe Haig's dissatisfaction is clear. Hamasdegh's passive stand towards Soviet Armenia.
* * *
Now, I will take from the library the book of the Hamasdegh's letters, by the "Mughni" publishing house in 2003. The book is printed in Yerevan and is sponsored by the Garbis Nazarian Foundation, and is edited by philologist Margarit Khachatryan (Մարգարիտ Խաչատրյան). I find seven letters by Hamasdegh addressed to Vahe Haig.
The one that interests me the most is the letter written in August 1947. In it, Hamasdegh expresses gratitude to his, for having received the third volume of his "Native Adobe". He tells that the editorial board of "Hairenik" daily also received a copy of the new book, and that one of the members of the editorial board, Dr. Armenag Parseghian told him that he intends to write a review of the book. Hamasdegh continued noting the following.:
"You can see that there is no partisan issue in Hairenik when it comes to beautiful literature in particular and literature in general. Fortunately, that has always been the case with us, not to confuse literary and artistic works with party-politics. I have seen the opposite in yours. They even avoided mentioning the name, eh, that's an old wound."
Yes, "ours" and "yours"... is an old wound...
* * *
The last letter among the letters is addressed to Vahe Haig by Hamasdesh and is dated January 30, 1960. The letter writer stated that he has received Vahe Haig's noted history book of Kharpert and has read it with pleasure. Then he added:
"I was happy that your book "Native Abode" is being published in Armenia. I was not ordained to go to Armenia, in other words, I did not take advantage of an invitation that was extended to me. I always believe that I will go one day."
Aha, Hamasdegh's real desire was to go to Armenia...
The story of the official invitation to Hamasdegh to visit Soviet Armenia and his hesitations to make the journey, is a different story.
Pity! he was not able to make the trip he longed for, because on November 26, 1966, he died suddenly on the stage during the jubilee organized in his honor in Los Angeles, when he was reading pouring his heart out. "
Link: Of Aintabtsis, Marashtsis and Kharpertsis - 1/2 -
http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2024/09/of-aintabtsis-marashtsis-and-kharpertsis.html
