Alicia Ghiragossian () was an Armenian-Argentine

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

. Born in Argentina as the daughter of Armenian parents, she began publishing poetry in the late 1960s before settling in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1971. Writing in three languages (Spanish, English and Armenian) she was the author of more than 60 books, including (''Being and Punctuation''), which was illustrated by the Spanish artist

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

. Her work has been recognised with a nomination for the

1997 Nobel Prize in Literature The 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Italian playwright and actor Dario Fo (1926–2016) "who emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden." Fo became the sixth Italian ...

Life

Alicia Ghiragossian was born in 1936, the daughter of Armenian parents in

Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...

. Her parents had emigrated to Argentina after the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

in the

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. She obtained a law degree form the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...

and began practicing as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, but abandoned the profession to pursue a publishing career. She moved to

in 1971 where she resided until her death in 2014. She had a daughter named Lara.

Career

In 1967, Ghiragossian published a collection of poetry (''Being and Punctuation''), having published her first book the previous year. The collection was translated into Italian and illustrated by the Spanish artist

. The same year, an edition of her poems (''Roots and Essence'') was translated into Armenian, and became a bestseller in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

and among the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

. Writing in Spanish, English, and Armenian, she went on to publish more than 60 books, most of which are poetry collections. She also translated an edition of the Armenian poet Raffi into Spanish. Ghiragossian has been variously recognised for her poetry. She was nominated for the

; the award was later given to the Italian playwright Dario Fo. In the same year, she was made an honorary citizen of Armenia, while the

Armenian National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության գիտությունների ազգային ակադեմիա, ՀՀ ԳԱԱ, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri az ...

awarded her an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghiragossian, Alicia 1936 births 2014 deaths Argentine people of Armenian descent Argentine poets People from Córdoba, Argentina