Role: Author

Vahé Oshagan has authored eight volumes of poetry, six volumes of prose fiction, short stories, plays, and literary commentaries, as well as countless scholarly articles and essays on literary and historical topics. Oshagan is the preeminent poet and man of letters of the Armenian diaspora. His career as a writer was marked by a clear break from the past and the introduction of new literary ideas and forms into the Armenian language. In 1998, the President of the Republic of Armenia awarded Oshagan the Movses Khorenatsi medal for a lifetime of service to Armenian culture and letters—the highest Armenian honor given to a living person. Vahè Oshagan passed away on June 30, 2000.

Vahan Tekeyan (January 21 , 1878 , Constantinople – April 4 , 1948) was an Armenian poet and public activist. He worked as a newspaper editor in Beirut and Cairo, a teacher, and a social worker. He is regarded in Armenian literary circles as the “Prince of Armenian Poetry”, as his poetry, especially his sonnets, are unparalleled in Armenian literature. Tekeyan’s themes in poetry revolve mostly around love, such as compassionate love, love for one’s homeland, or love for humanity.

Vahan Totovents, one of the leading Armenian writers of this century, was first introduced to the English reader with a translation of his masterpiece, Scenes from an Armenian Childhood, published by the Oxford University Press in 1962 (reissued by the Mashtots Press in 1980). It was an outstanding literary success and secured the highest critical acclaim in such prominent papers as ‘The Times Literary Supplement’, ‘The Guardian’, ‘Daily Telegraph’, and a host of others.