Ghevond Alishan's Literary Activity Through the Light of Russian

Abstract

The history of Russian-Armenian literary relationships is one of the brightest and most significant events of the time. It undoubtedly enhanced the mutual cultural heritage and left a profound mark on the worldview, moral and aesthetic values of Armenian and Russian writers, translators, and literary critics. Since the beginning of the 20th-century Armenian culture, mainly Armenian literature, aroused great interest among such outstanding classics, as M. Gorky, V. Bryusov, A. Blok, O. Mandelstam, A. Bely, A. Akhmatova and others who not only appreciated its aesthetic and stylistic texture but also embarked on the laborious work of translating its best achievements into Russian. In this sense, the anthology "The Poetry of Armenia from Ancient Times to the Present" in 1916 can be considered a significant cultural event. It was edited by Valery Bryusov, who also wrote the introductory part of the work. The publication was carried out with M. Gorky's direct assistance and support. It should be noted that many Russian translations done by V. Bryusov and A. Blok are still brilliant samples of the artistic heritage of translation. The present work focuses on the evaluations and interpretations of Russian critics (V. Bryusov, Y. Veselovsky) of the creative heritage of Gh. Alishan, his poetic individuality and the influence on the development of the literary process of that time. It also reveals the role of Russian poets, translators and literary critics in promoting the publication and popularization of Bryusov's anthology as a significant cultural event of the time. The section of the anthology "Poetry of Western Armenians" includes the most famous poems of Gh. Alishan, M. Peshiktashlyan, P. Duryan, Sipil, L. Shant, and others are parallelly illustrated by the excellent translations of V. Bryusov, S. Shervinsky, V. Khodasevich, K. Balmont, S. Bobrov and others. The scientific research has shown that among Russian poets and translators, Bryusov was one of the first interested in Gh. Alishan's literary works and his bright poetic individuality. It can be explained by the fact that Alishan was a well-known representative of Western Armenian poetry and a comprehensive creator of his time, a man with encyclopedic knowledge. In addition, he was a historian, philosopher, translator, philosopher, geographer who devoted his whole life to science and enlightenment. Bryusov was also a gifted man. He had a poetic talent; he contributed to improving the Russian dialect, elevating it to a new, higher level. Consequently, there are many common features between Bryusov and Alishan. These are the breadth of the intellectual range, brilliant knowledge of languages and world literature, devotion to scientific activities, profound love for their Motherland, its cultural values and the highest level of humanism. Undoubtedly, they were outstanding figures of their era who made a significant contribution to the development of culture, science and literature. This article is an attempt at a comprehensive study of the principles of the Russian translation theory used in the translation of Armenian literature, with particular reference to the poem "Hrazdan", an extract from Gh. Alishan's patriotic lyrics. The proficiency of Russian translators and the revelation of Armenian linguistic and national characteristics helped them interpret the linguo-stylistic peculiarities of the original and recreate their equivalent counterparts.