''The Fool'' (Խենթը, ''Khenté'', ) is an 1880 Armenian language novel by the Armenian novelist
Raffi
Raffi Cavoukian, ( hy, Րաֆֆի, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is a Canadian singer-lyricist and author of Armenian descent born in Egypt, best known for his children's music. He developed his career as a " ...
, one of the best-known novels by one of Armenia's greatest novelists. The plot is based on the last
Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
, the plot tells a romance set against the background of the divided Armenian nation.
The novel was translated into Russian and published in 2006.
Setting and structure
The novel is set in three districts near the border between the Russian and Ottoman Empires:
Bayazit,
Alashkert, and
Vagharshapat
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is com ...
.
The novel opens with four fast-paced chapters describing the Turkish siege of Bayazit, an historic episode from the last Russo-Turkish war. After a harrowing depiction of the battle, its outcome is left in suspense as chapter five suddenly shifts the focus to an earlier time to tell the story of a village in
Alashkert and a romance caught in the treacherous sociopolitical crosscurrents of the war. The succeeding twenty-nine chapters present a rich ethnographic account of country life in this particular region of
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 ...
, while depicting the ideological themes that dominated Armenian life at the time through a set of powerful, competing actors. The novel concludes in Vagharshapat
tchmiadzin
Translations
French translation
The French translation was completed by Mooshegh Abrahamian as ''Le fou : Conséquences tragiques de la guerre russo-turque de 1877-1878 en Arménie'' in 2009.
English translations
Jane Wingate (1950).
Donald Abcarian (2000).
Kimberley McFarlane and Beyon Miloyan (2020).
Sophene Armeniaca
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Literature
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References
1880 novels
Armenian-language novels
Armenian novels
Novels set in Armenia
Novels by Raffi
Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
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