Treasures of NAASR's Mardigian Library:
Literature in Translation (1845-1950), part 3
Part 3, the final part of this feature, takes us from 1920 up to 1946. The post-World War II era saw further developments in terms of translations which lie beyond the scope of this feature (but could form the basis for future ones).
Author: Hēnrik‘ Ibsēn = Հէնրիք Իպսէն [Henrik Ibsen]

Title: Dzovun Digině = Ծովուն Տիկինը [Fruen Fra Havet or The Lady from the Sea, 1888]

Publication Information: Bōstěn: “Hayrenik՛”i Dbaran, 1920

Translator: Hagop G. Khashmanean = Յակոբ Կ Խաշմանեան

Henrik Ibsen’s (1828-1906) plays utterly transformed the theatre throughout Europe and beyond from the 1870s onwards, tackling previously untouched topics and injecting psychological realism and modernity into the stuffy edifice of 19th century drama. Fruen Fra Havet was written in 1888 and first performed in 1889; Hagop Khashmanian’s 1920 translation works from English and French versions. Remarkably, Ibsen was translated into Armenian as early as 1891, when an Eastern Armenian translation of his Enemy of the People (En folkefiende, 1882), a powerful and, alas, probably timeless story of the tragic hypocrisy of community leaders who fail to heed warnings of an imminent public health threat, appeared in Tiflis.

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of George Kolligian
Author: A. Kanōn [sic] Dōyl = Ա. Գանօն Տօյլ [A. Conan Doyle]


Title: Shērlōk‘ Hōlmsi nor aragdznerě = Շէրլօք Հօլմսի նոր արկածները [The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]
Tiw 1: Garmir Martots' Ěnkeragts‘ut‘iwn = Թիւ 1: Կարմիր Մարդոց Ընկերակցութիւն ["The Red-Headed League," 1891]
Tiw 4: Ver dardzats shrtʻunkʻov mardě = Թիւ 4: Վեր դարձած շրթունքով մարդը ["The Man with the Twisted Lip," 1891]

Author: G. Bolis: H. Asaturean Ordik, no date (ca. 1920?)

Translator: Zh. Sh. = Ժ. Շ.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) first presented his creation Sherlock Holmes to the world in 1887, and over the next 40 years he appeared in 56 stories and 4 novels—to say nothing of the innumerable translations, imitations, and adaptations down the current day. Among these are these two collections of Western Armenian translations of classic Holmes stories, with "The Red-Headed League" and "The Man with the Twisted Lip," both first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891, featured on the covers. 

Worth noting as well are two other works in Armenian: Abdiwl Hamid ew Sherlōk‘ Holms by Yervant Odian, published in Constaninople in 1911; and Ēnvēr, T’allēat‘, Chēmal ew Shērlōk‘ Hōlms, by “Detek‘t‘iv”—presumed to be a pen-name of Yervant Odian, published in Constantinople in 1920. (Both are in the NAASR Library.)

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of Haroutiun Kazazian (Tiw 1); Haroutune and Samuel Toumayan (Tiw 4).
Author: Saadi = Սաատի [Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī]

Title: Gōlesdan gam Purasdan = Կօլէստան կամ Բուրաստան

Publication Information: Niw-Eork‘: Armēnia Dbaran, 1920

Translator: H. T‘ireak‘ean = Յ[արութիւն] Թիրեաքեան

Saadi of Shiraz (1210-1291 or 1292) was a major Persian poet and prose writer. His best-known works are Bustan (The Orchard, 1257), in verse and Gulistan (The Rose Garden, 1258), mainly in prose and containing stories and aphorisms, advice, and humorous reflections. Dr. Haroutiun Tiryakian (1845-1919) was a prolific writer and translator, whose other works which are in the NAASR Library include translations into Western Armenian of portions of the Shah-Namē and various philological works. (See Dok‘t‘. Harut‘iwn T‘ireak‘ean, Hin Hishadagner [Niw Eork‘, 1978], compiled by his son Mihrtad Tiryakian, for more information.)

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of Ani and George Bournoutian
Title: Ōmar Khayyam,
Baba Tʻahēr ew zanazan
= Օմար Խայյամ Բաբա Թահէր եւ զանազան

Publication Information: Tehran: Tp. Ěnk. “Modern”, 1923

Translator: Hovsep Z. Mirzayeants = Յովսէփ Զ Միրզայեանց

The book contains translated poems and quatrains from Omar Khayyam (11th century), Baba Taher (11th century), and others such as Vahshi Bafqi (16th century), Kemal (16th century), Qaani (19th century), and others. Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet. His poetry became widely known to the English-reading world in a translation by Edward FitzGerald. Baba Tahir or Taher was a Persian dervish poet from Hamadan.

In the dedication the translator notes:

"My sincere regret has been that Armenians of Persia have lived in this country for centuries, but do not know the culture and literature of this land and its values deeply. To show my appreciation to Persia’s rich literature and my respect and love toward both nations I am dedicating this selection to you."

The first part of the book is a psychological study of Khayyam and the translations of Khayyam’s quatrains, the second part is sixteen quatrains by Baba Tahir, and the last part contains poems and quatrains by various authors.

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of George Kolligian
Author: Oskar Uayld = Ոսկար Ուայլդ [Oscar Wilde]

Title: Salome = Սալոմե [Salomé, 1891]
Publication Information: K. Polis: Petakan Hratarakchut‘yun, 1923

Translator: Vahan Teryan = Վահան Տերյան

Although not the earliest translation of Dublin-born Wilde (1854-1900) into Armenian, this Eastern Armenian translation (using Soviet orthography) is the first and, as far as we know, only translation of his play based on the Biblical story of Salome. As with so many of Wilde’s works, Salomé was greeted with controversy; written in French, it was first performed in Paris in 1896 when Wilde was in prison in Britain for “gross indecency.”

Vahan Terian (1885-1920) was an Armenian poet and public activist. He is known for his sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.

NAASR Mardigian Library
Author: Mishēl Zēvakō = Միշէլ Զէվագօ [Michel Zevaco]

Title: Harachank‘i gamurjě = Հառաչանքի կամուրջը [Le Pont des soupirs, 1909]

Publication Information: Kahirē: Dbaran Arkos, n.d. [1924?]); also, Peyrut: K. Tonikean, 1954

Translator: T‘Argos = Տ՝Արգոս

Michel Zevaco (1860-1918) was a highly successful writer of historical novels, most of which were published serially, and the Dumas-esque Le Pont des soupirs was one of his most popular works. His work was popular in Persian and in Turkish—this is the only Armenian translation we have found.

NAASR Mardigian Library: 1924 ed. from the collection of the Hairenik Association; 1954 ed. from the collection of George Garabian
Title: Nipelunknerun erkě = Նիբելունգներուն երգը [Das Nibelungenlied, written ca. 1200]

Publication Information: Venedig: Mkhit. Dbakrut‘iwn, 1925

Translator: H[ayr]. Arsēn Gh. Ghazikean = Հայր Արսէն Ղազիկեան

The medieval German epic is first known to have been written down in the 13th century, although it contains older elements drawn from Norse myth and literature. It is one of the most important and influential works in German literature, and as such must have been irresistible for Fr. Ghazikian to take on as a translation, having already tackled so many other epic works.

NAASR Mardigian Library
Author: Maykel Arlen = Մայքըլ Արլէն [Michael Arlen]

Title: Ganach Glkhargě = Կանաչ գլխարկը [The Green Hat, 1924]

Publication Information: Bolis: Dbagrut‘iwn. Arew, 1926

Translator: Herminē P. Iskēndēr (Ajarean) = Հերմինէ Իսկէնտէր (Աճառեան)

Michael Arlen (born Dikran Kouyoumdjian = Տիգրան Գույումճեան, 1895-1956) published his most famous and successful novel The Green Hat in 1924; this translation followed rapidly. He turned the novel into a successful Broadway play and it was adapted into the 1928 film A Woman of Affairs starring Greta Garbo.

NAASR Mardigian Library
Author: Giwst‘av Flōbēr = Կիւսթավ Ֆլօպէռ [Gustave Flaubert]

Title: Madam Bōvari = Մատամ Պօվառի [Madame Bovary, 1856]

Publication Information: G. Bolis: M. Hovagimean, 1927

Translator: H. Keshishean = Յ. Քէշիշեան

Flaubert’s (1821-80) first novel, Madame Bovary was first published serially in 1856. Prior to its appearance in book form in 1857, Flaubert (with the book’s publisher and printer) was prosecuted for obscenity: Flaubert was accused, through the unprecedented psychological realism of his depiction of Emma Bovary and her thoughts and desires, of having committed an “outrage to public morality and religion.” He was acquitted. The book left its mark on almost all that came after it, from Zola to Henry James to Proust to Joyce and beyond. This Western Armenian edition appears to be the first translation of Flaubert into Armenian; and there is something profoundly moving about the thought of its being undertaken in the dark days of late 1920s Armenian life in Istanbul.

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of Rev. Haroutune and Samuel Toumayan
Author: Mark Tven = Մարկ Տվեն [Mark Twain]

Title: T‘om Soyeri arkatsnerě = Թոմ Սոյերի արկածները [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876]

Publication Information: Yerevan: Pethrat, 1931
Translator: St[epan] Zoryan = Ստեփան Զորյան

Mark Twain (pen-name of Samuel L. Clemens, 1835-1910) was translated into (Eastern) Armenian as early as 1893, when a translation of his 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper was published in Tiflis (as Իշխանն ու աղքատը [Ishkhann u aghk‘atě]; a Western Armenian translation by Peniamin Noorigian was published in New York in 1930 as Իշխանն եւ մուրացիկը [Ishkann ew murats‘igě]). Twain was rather popular in the Soviet Union: in 1939 it was stated that “in a period of three recent years Mark Twain’s works sold over a million and a half copies printed in the various languages of Soviet peoples” (Albert Parry, “Mark Twain in Russia,” Books Abroad 15.2 [Spring 1941]). Tom Sawyer was particularly popular and was filmed by Lazar Frenkel and Gleb Zatvornitsky in 1936. 

The translator of this work, Stepan Zoryan (born Stepan Arakelyan, 1889-1967), was an important writer himself who is perhaps best known for his historical novels such as Pap T‘agavor (Պապ Թագավոր)A state prize for translation was established in his name in Armenia in 1980.

NAASR Mardigian Library
Author: Erikh Maria Remark = Երիխ Մարիա Ռեմարկ [Erich Maria Remarque]

Title: Arevmtyan Frontum Anp‘op‘okh E = Արեվմտյան ֆրոնտում անփոփոխ ե [Im Westen nichts Neues or All Quiet on the Western Front, 1929]

Publication Information: Yerevan: Pethrat, 1932)

Translator: E. Ch. [Eghishe Charents‘] = Ե. Չ. (Եղիշե Չարենց)

Remarque’s (1898-1970) harrowing and unforgettable novel of the toll of war on a generation of young Germans achieved international success following its publication, including its adaptation by Lewis Milestone into a successful Hollywood film in 1930. The book was banned and burned by the Nazis upon assuming power in 1933. It was translated into Russian in 1929; Charents’ translation (from the Russian?) is credited simply to “Ե. Չ.”

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of Harry and Araxie Kolligian
Author: Servantes = Սերվանտես [Miguel de Cervantes]

Title: Don Kikhot = Դոն Կիխոտ [Don Quixote, 1605]

Publication Information: Yerevan: Pethrat, 1934)
Translator: P. Makintsyan = Պ. Մակինցյան

This very partial translation of Don Quixote is included mainly for the spectacular artwork of Mikayel Arutchyan (Միքայել Արուտչյան), the standout feature of this beautifully designed Soviet Armenian volume.

NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection George Kolligian
Top: illustrated endpapers from Don Kikhot; bottom: tilting at windmills
Author: Uilliěm Saroyean = Ուիլլիըմ Սարոյեան [William Saroyan]
Title: Hayn u ashkharě: Garj badmuadzk‘neru hawak‘adzoy mě Uilliěm Saroyeani kordzerēn = Հայն ու Աշխարհը: Կարճ պատմուածքներու հաւաքածոյ մը Ուիլլիըմ Սարոյեանի գործերէն / The Armenian and the World: A Selection of Short Pieces from the Works of William Saroyan
Publication Information: Ant‘ilias–Libanan: Maksud Maksdean, 1940
Translator: Samuel H. Tumayean = Սամուէլ Յ Թումայեան [Samuel H. Toumayan]
NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of Alice Foley Najarian
Author: Uileem Saroyean = Ուիլիըմ Սարոյեան
Title: Mardkayin Katakergutiwn = Մարդկային Կատակերգութիւն [The Human Comedy, 1943]
Publication Information: Bosten: Dbaran Hayrenik‘, 1943
Translator: A. Kesar = Ա Կեսար [pen-name of Asadour Khederian (1893-1955)]
NAASR Mardigian Library: from the collection of Hagop and Hamest Atamian
Author: Uiliěm Saroyean = Ուիլիըմ Սարոյեան [William Saroyan]
Title: Badmuadzk‘ner = Պատմուածքներ
Publication Information: Kahirē: Dbaran Sahag-Mesrob, 1943
Translator: Sahag Balěkchean = Սահակ Պալըգճեան
NAASR Mardigian Library: From the Hairenik Association collection
 
Author: Uiliem Saroyean = Ուիլիըմ Սարոյեան [William Saroyan]
Title: Dasě nor badmuadzk‘ner = Տասը նոր պատմուածքներ
Publication Information: Kahirē: Dbaran Sahag-Mesrob, 1947
Translator: Sahag Balěkchean = Սահակ Պալըգճեան
NAASR Mardigian Library: From the collection of the Hairenik Association
Saroyan (1908-81), the most famous of Armenian-American writers, of course wrote only in English; but his work was translated into Armenian early in his career. These three volumes all appeared within the decade following Saroyan’s spectacular launch onto the American literary scene with the publication of The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934).

Hayn u ashkharě includes 10 short pieces by Saroyan culled from his early collections The Daring Young Man, Inhale and Exhale (1936), and The Trouble with Tigers (1938), representing only a small portion of his absurdly prolific output. It features such famous stories as “Seventy Thousand Assyrians” (Եօթանասուն Հազար Ասորիներ) and “The Armenian & the Armenian” (Հայն ու Հայը). The translator, Samuel Toumayan (1912-88), was born in Hadjin and spent most of his adult life in the Boston area; he was a writer and publisher of books as well as of a newspaper, Nor Ashkharh (1954-73), and his book collection was donated to the NAASR Library (and has furnished several titles in this translation feature).

Saroyan contributes a rather remarkable and utterly in character English-language foreword in which he declares:
 
Although I write in English, and although I am an American by birth, I regard myself as an Armenian writer.
The words I use are English.
The environment I write out is American.
The spirit that moves me to write, however, is Armenian.
I am therefore an Armenian writer.
 
A. Kesar’s translation of The Human Comedy, Saroyan’s most successful novel, which evolved out of his script of the 1943 MGM film of the same name (for which he would win an Academy award in 1944 for Best Story), was published by the Hairenik Press—Saroyan’s earliest published writings had appeared in the Hairenik Weekly in 1933. The copy from the NAASR Library shown here, which is part of the Hagop and Hamest Atamian collection, appears to be inscribed by the translator, A. Kesar, to no less than Levon Shant!

Two collections of short stories translated by Sahag Balekjian were published in Cairo in the 1940s: Badmuadzk‘ner in 1943 and Dasě nor badmuadzk‘ner in 1947 both draw from the vast quantity of short stories and sketches published by Saroyan to that point.

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