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Vahan Tekeyan ( hy, Վահան Թէքէեան (January 21, 1878,
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
- April 4, 1945,
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
) was an
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 ...
poet and public activist. In his lifetime he was the most famous poet 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. ...
, and he remains a significant symbol of Armenian identity and cultural heritage.


Early life and education

Born in the
Ortaköy Ortaköy ( ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing village, known in Greek as Agios Fokas (Άγιος Φωκάς) in t ...
district of
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, Tekeyan attended primary education in that neighborhood. He attended the Nersisyan School, the Berberian School, and
Getronagan Armenian High School Getronagan is an Armenian minority high school in the Karaköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, The school is attached to the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church. Establishment With the sponsorship of Archbishop Nerses Varjabetyan, Getronagan H ...
.


Career

Beginning in 1896, he worked as trading official, a job that involved a good deal of travel in Europe. He worked for a time as a newspaper editor in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
and, later, in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. He also worked as a teacher and became involved in political and social activism. In addition, he began to write and publish poetry. His first collection of poems, ''The Wonders'', was published in Paris in 1901. From his base in Cairo, he wrote frequently for Armenian periodicals in the West, and in 1905 he founded the periodical Shirak, which published the work of many writers in the Armenian diaspora. After the collapse of the dictatorial regime of
Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...
, the sultan of 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) ...
, in 1909, Tekeyan moved from Cairo to Constantinople, where he continued to publish ''Shirak'' and became an established public figure in Constantinople. When the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began in 1914, Tekeyan happened to be in Egypt, which enabled him to escape the bloodshed. Eventually, however, he did return to Constantinople, where he edited a newspaper, ''Voice of the People'', then served as director of the Central School. Political tumult in Constantinople ultimately drove him back to Egypt, where he edited the daily newspaper ''Arev'' until the end of his life. Tekeyan's poems include: ''The Armenian Church'', ''A Prayer on the Eve of Tomorrow'', ''Your Memory Tonight'', ''When the Day Finally Comes'', and ''Your Name''. His later collections of poetry include ''The Wonderful Renaissance'' (1914), ''Midnight to the Dawn'' (1919), ''Love'' (1933), ''Hayerghutyun'' (1943), and ''Tagharan'' (1944). He also translated works by Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, and Oscar Wilde into Armenian. He died in 1945 in Cairo, where he is buried at the Armenian cemetery.


Legacy

He is regarded in Armenian literary circles as the "Prince of Armenian Poetry," as his poetry, especially his sonnets, are masterpieces of Armenian literature. Tekeyan's themes in poetry revolved mostly around love, such as compassionate love, love for one's homeland, or love for humanity. Another Armenian intellectual and poet,
Vahe Vahian Vahe-Vahian (''Armenian'': Վահէ-Վահեան), born Sarkis Abdalian (22 December 1908, Gürün Turkey, died in 1998, Beirut, Lebanon), was an Armenian poet, writer, editor, pedagogue and orator. Personal life Vahe-Vahian was the fifth son ...
, was heavily influenced by Vahan Tekeyan's work, from where his pen-name came from. His Complete Works, in nine volumes, were published in Cairo in 1949–50. Volumes of selected works was issued in Beirut in 1954 and in Yerevan in 1970. A collection of his letters was published in Los Angeles in 1983. The
Tekeyan Cultural Association The Tekeyan Cultural Association (, TCA) is a network of Armenian cultural organizations active in 16 countries. History It was established in 1947 in Beirut, Lebanon, named after the poet Vahan Tekeyan. It aims to preserve the Armenian culture an ...
, the most important institution of its kind in the Armenian diaspora was founded in 1947 in Beirut, and now has branches around the world.Who Is Who?; Armenian Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1; Yerevan, 2005


Books

* Sacred wrath: The selected poems, transl. Marzbed Margossian and Diana Der Hovanessian, Diana, New York, 1982, 76 p.; .


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tekeyan, Vahan 1878 births 1945 deaths Writers from Cairo Armenians from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Armenian poets Armenian male poets 20th-century male writers