Rupen Zartarian
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Rupen Zartarian or Ruben Zardaryan ( hy, Ռուբեն Զարդարյան hyw, Ռուբէն Զարդարեան; 1874 – 16 August 1915) was an Armenian writer, educator, and political activist. He was killed by Ottoman authorities during 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 ...
.


Life

Zartarian was born in 1874 in the city of Diyarbekir, but moved to
Harput Harpoot ( tr, Harput) or Kharberd ( hy, Խարբերդ, translit=Kharberd) is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the M ...
(or Kharpert) (Armenian: Խարբերդ) when he was two. He received his education from the educational institutions of that city. Zartarian became a student of
Tlgadintsi Tlgadintsi or Tlkatintsi ( hy, Թլկատինցի), Hovhannes Harutiunian ( hy, Յովհաննես Յարութիւնեան, 1860, Tlkatin vil ...
(Hovhannes Harutiunian, 1910–1912), who was a leading figure in rural Armenian literature. Tlgandintsi was also killed by Ottoman authorities during the Armenian Genocide. Zartarian was greatly influenced by his mentor, and his writing career stemmed from the encouragement he obtained. At the age of 18, he started teaching, and for the following decade, he continued in the field of education. At first, he taught at Tlgandinsti's institution, he then spent three years in French religious institutes. In 1903, Zartarian was arrested by the Ottoman government and subsequently forced to leave the country because of his political activity. He established himself in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and in 1906, founded a new newspaper called ''Razmik''. When writing for the newspaper, Zartarian would often reiterate the need for Armenian nationals living outside their homeland to pursue working towards the ultimate goal of an autonomous Armenia. In 1908, he returned to
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 (" ...
, along with many other Armenian intellectuals. A year later, Zartarian worked for the newspaper ''Azatamart'' while teaching at the Central Academy. During 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 ...
, Zartarian was taken to Ayaş and kept in prison on 5 May and later taken under military escort to Diyarbakır to appear before a court martial there and was murdered by
Cherkes Ahmet Cherkes Ahmet (died September 6, 1915) was the leader of Ottoman Turkey's state-sponsored paramilitary marauders of supposedly Circassian origin during World War I. Cherkes Ahmet was from Serres, Macedonia. He was notoriously responsible for the ...
, and lieutenants Halil and Nazım, at a locality called Karacaören shortly before arriving to Diyarbekir.Armenian Reporter Online, Article about the edition of Khachig Boghosian's autobiography


Works

Zartarian started writing poems at the age of 11, and his articles were published in many newspapers. In 1910, he released a volume called nocturnal clarity (ts'ayglos, Armenian: Ցայգլոս) that was subsequently translated in French. Many of his works were collected by a group called "The Friends of Fallen Authors" and released as a volume in 1930 in
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 ...
. Zartarian's duties as an editor often hindered his creativity as a writer. He had many responsibilities and he would have surely produced more books had he been free of them. Some of his stories include: *''The Petrified'' (Karatsadznere, Armenian: Քարացածները), *''The Lake's Bride'' (Dzovagin Harse, Armenian: Ծովակին հարսը), *''Flowers, Red Flowers'' (Dzaghigner Garmir Dzaghigner, Armenian: Ծաղիկներ, կարմիր ծաղիկներ), *''The Injured Hunter'' (Zarnevadz Vorsorte Armenian: Զարնուած որսորդը) *''The Prisoner's Tear'' (Prnavorin Artsoonke Armenian: Բռնաւորին արցունքը) *''HomeLove'' (Dan Ser Armenian: Տան սէր) All of these narratives are a mixture of ordinary life situations and fiction. Zartarian was able to cultivate this mixture in a new and very interesting way. His poetry usually focused on the beauty of nature. It can almost be said that he was the fore figure in this new genre of the
Armenian literature Armenian literature begins around AD 400 with the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots. History Early literature Only a handful of fragments have survived from the most ancient Armenian literary tradition preceding the Christia ...
scene.


Writing style

Zartarian was a great figure from the rural Armenian scene. He was a true admirer of beauty and always wrote with a somewhat critical viewpoint. He wrote in
Western Armenian Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...
and was a true connoisseur of the language. Zartarian's writing style was one of finesse and very delicate depictions.
Erukhan Yervant Srmakeshkhanlian, ( hy, Երուանդ Սրմաքէշխանլեան; 1870 – 1915) known by his pen name Erukhan ( hy, Երուխան) or Yerukhan, was an Armenian writer of late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was killed during the Arm ...
described his writing as the cleanest, most opulent and haughtiest of their time. Inspiration was a key element for this author. Zartarian often said that the pages on his desk would remain unfilled until he would feel inspired enough to write. He was never in a rush to write and did not see it as a job, but rather as stimulating work. Being more of poet by nature, Zartarian's works are peppered with poetic influences. His love of poetry contributed significantly to the splendor of his works.


References

Translated from Armenian: N.A. Արդի հայական գրականութիւն Բ հատոր, odern Armenian literature 2002, pg. 50-53


See also

*
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 ...
*
Armenian notables deported from the Ottoman capital in 1915 The deportation of Armenian intellectuals is conventionally held to mark the beginning of the Armenian genocide. Leaders of the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman capital of Ottoman Constantinople, Constantinople (now Istanbul), ...
*
Krikor Zohrab Krikor Zohrab ( hy, Գրիգոր Զոհրապ; 26 June 1861 – 1915) was an influential Armenian writer, politician, and lawyer from Constantinople (now Istanbul). At the onset of the Armenian genocide he was arrested by the Turkish government an ...
*
Erukhan Yervant Srmakeshkhanlian, ( hy, Երուանդ Սրմաքէշխանլեան; 1870 – 1915) known by his pen name Erukhan ( hy, Երուխան) or Yerukhan, was an Armenian writer of late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was killed during the Arm ...
*
Siamanto Atom Yarchanian ( hy, Ատոմ Եարճանեան), better known by his pen name Siamanto (Սիամանթօ) (15 August 1878 – August 1915), was an influential Armenian writer, poet and national figure from the late 19th century and early 20th ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zartarian, Rupen 1874 births 1915 deaths People from Diyarbakır 19th-century male writers 20th-century male writers Armenian male poets 19th-century Armenian poets 20th-century Armenian poets People who died in the Armenian genocide Journalists killed in Turkey Armenians from the Ottoman Empire