Smbat Shahaziz ( hy, Սմբատ Շահազիզ, 1840 in

Ashtarak Ashtarak (Armenian: ), is a town and urban municipal community in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the Aragatsotn pr ...

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 ' ...

– January 5, 1908 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

) 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 ...

educator, poet and publicist.

Biography

Born in a family of a priest, he was the youngest of six brothers. He was home schooled until the age 10, and then sent to Lazarian College in

. Upon his graduation in 1862 he was asked to stay and teach modern and Classical Armenian at the primary school level, all the while he was preparing for a university degree. In 1867 he was granted a degree in oriental languages by the University of St. Petersburg. He obtained a college level teaching position at Lazarian College and retained it for thirty five years, until his retirement in 1897. He started writing in his student days and was influenced by

Raphael Patkanian Raphael Patkanian ( hy, Ռափայել Պատկանյան, also known as Kamar Katiba; 20 November 1830 – 3 September 1892) was one of the most popular Armenian poets.The Survey - Page 259 by Survey Associates Biography Patkanian was born i ...

and Khachatur Abovyan. He contributed to the journal ''Hiusisapayl'' (Northern Lights), which was founded and edited by Stepanos Nazarian. His articles and essays received public interest and he remained a contributor until the papers demise. In 1860 he published his first collection of poems, titled (Hours of freedom) comprising thirty three poems, most of which were written in modern Armenian and few in classical. The theme of the poems varied between love, nature, and national heroes. His second book was published in 1865: it was a long patriotic poem titled (Levon's grief). The poem is about Levon, a serious-minded, idealistic Armenian youth studying in the far north. He is deeply concerned and grieved by the dire conditions of his homeland, while his compatriots carry on in prodigal life, some even deny their Armenian identities. Lonely and grieved he decides to return home and contribute to the struggle against ignorance, servility, moral and religious decline, and corrupt leadership in all domains. The poem which reflected the reformist ideology emerging in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

at the time, was very well received. Articles, essays, and speeches about the national and social issues of the time make a considerable part of Shahaziz's legacy. He encouraged the use of the modern Armenian language, criticized methods of archaic education and

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

of religious leaders, and denounced despotism and the hypocritical attitude of European powers with regards to the Armenian question. In 1893 he founded the Abovian-Nazarian Fund for writers in financial need. After his retirement in 1898 he created a committee in Moscow to organize the care and education of children orphaned because of the Hamidian massacres. He exposed the anti-Armenian stance of czarist Russia regime in (Recollections from the feast of Vardanank, 1901) and duplicity of Turkish diplomacy in (A few words to my readers, 1903). He died in 1908.''The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times'', by Agop Jack Hacikyan, Gabriel. Basmajian, Edward S. Franchuk (pages 377-378)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahahiz, Smbat 1840 births 1908 deaths People from Ashtarak 19th-century Armenian poets Armenian male poets 19th-century male writers Poets from the Russian Empire Armenian people from the Russian Empire