Hamasdegh (also Hamastegh, hy, Համաստեղ), born Hambartsum Gelenian ( hy, Համբարձում Կելենեան, 26 November 1895, Kharpert,

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

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) ...

– 26 November 1966,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) was a poet and writer of 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. ...

Biography

Hamastegh (born Hambardzum Gelenian) was born in Perjench village of Kharbert on November 26, 1895. He received his primary education in the village school and continued his studies in the Central School of Mezire (now Elâzığ), where he was one of the founders of provincial literature and one of the students of the writer Tlkatintsi (Yovhannes Haroutionian), a victim of 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 ...

. After graduating in 1911, Hamastegh taught for a year in his hometown and then immigrated to the United States, following his father's advice. He attended courses at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. He started working for " Hayrenik" daily in 1918, adopting the pen name Hamastegh, combining the first syllables of the names of the three Gelenian brothers (Hambardzum, Asatur, Yeghia). In 1920, he was in

for a year, where he first met and then became close to Shirvanzade. Later, in 1930, he became close to

Isahakyan Isahakyan ( hy, Իսահակյան) is a village in the Shirak Province of Armenia. It was formerly named after ''Ghazar Agha'' who organized the defense of the town against the Persians in 1826–1828; later named after poet Avetik Isahakyan Av ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, who had just left Soviet Armenia. Among the well-known works of Hamastegh are the collections of stories “The village” (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

: «Գյուղը»,

Romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

: "Gyughy") and "The rain" (

: «Անձրեւը»,

: “Andzrevy”), which describe the

village with its unique past and images. Other works include the novel "The White Horseman" and the satirical short stories entitled "Courageous Nazar," the drama "The Trumpeter of the Mountains of Armenia," and the "First Love" novel. On November 26, 1966, 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' ...

, at the solemn evening dedicated to his seventieth birthday, Hamastegh died suddenly at the podium. Buried in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

References

External links

HamasteghA conference dedicated to Hamasdegh
{{Authority control 1895 births 1966 deaths Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United States American people of Armenian descent Armenian-language writers American writers People from Elazığ