Yervant Odian

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Yervant Odian
Երուանդ Օտեան
Odian.jpg
Born(1869-09-19)September 19, 1869
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died1926
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityArmenian
CitizenshipOttoman
OccupationSatirist, Journalist, Playwright

Yervant Odian (Armenian: Երուանդ Օտեան or Երվանդ Օտյան; 19 September 1869 – 1926)[1] was an Ottoman Armenian satirist, journalist and playwright. He is regarded as one of the most influential Armenian satirists, along with his contemporary Hagop Baronian. He is best known for his work Comrade Panchooni ("Panchooni" being a pun on the Armenian words for "has nothing"), a satire mocking the Armenian socialist revolutionary parties of the time.

Born into a wealthy family in Constantinople, Odian left the city during the Hamidian massacres of 1894–1896 and traveled throughout Europe before returning to Constantinople in 1909. Odian was deported to the Syrian desert during the Armenian genocide and survived; he published his memoirs about his experiences during the genocide in 1919.[2]

Odian's writings, which include novels and short stories, often humorously point out humanity's vices. Odian's works also dealt with Armenian-Turkish relations and Muslim-Christian relations.[3] In a 2013 piece written by Eddie Arnavoudian, he proclaimed "Even if elsewhere equaled in modern Armenian literature, Odian's exposure of the establishment's putrid core has certainly not been bettered".[4] Odian's writing styles are often described as extroverted, as if his is removing his persona from the piece in order to best portray the truth.[5]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Odian was born into one of the most affluent families in Constantinople (now Istanbul).[5] His Paternal Uncle Krikor Odian (1834-1887) was a respected political figure and one of the founders and writers of the Armenian National Constitution.[5] Odian's grandfather Yazedje Boghos Agha was from Palu, Turkey, a town notable for its massive Armenian population.[6] His father was a writer and diplomat and a translator of Victor Hugo's works.[5] Odian's mother also came from a wealthy family.[5]

Early in his life, Odian attended the Berberian School in Constantinople, where he began writing.[5] Over the course of his life, Odian became fluent in a number of languages: French, Turkish, and Armenian to name a few.[5] Odian followed his love of writing thanks to the support he received from his uncle, who was one of his biggest influences during his upbringing.[5] Odian also served as a deputy of the Armenian National Assembly.[5] Though Odian would seek a life as a political satirist through writing, he was never aligned specifically with any political party, rather he believed in free thought as being the most thorough and thoughtful process of understanding political issues.[5]

In 1896, before the massacres of Armenians in Constantinople concluded, Odian left his then-home and traveled across Europe seeking asylum in places like Athens, Paris, Vienna, and London, and Bombay, before finally settling in Cairo.[7]

Later life[]

Yervant Odian eventually returned home to Constantinople in 1909, where he continued his work as a writer.[7] In August 1915, during the Armenian genocide, Odian was arrested and deported from Constantinople. In 1916 in Hama, Syria, he was forcibly converted to Islam and given the Muslim name Aziz Nuri, although he refused to practice the religion or use his new Muslim name.[8][9] He was then deported to Deir ez-Zor, where was able to avoid falling victim by becoming a translator for German officials there, since he knew French and Turkish. Odian's horror of the events of the Armenian Genocide pushed him to write his memoirs.[5] In 1918, after World War I, he took up the responsibility of collecting orphans left over from deportations to the deserts of Syria and placing them in orphanages. Odian returned to Constantinople and wrote for the newspaper Jamanak.[2] He published his memoirs about his experience in the Armenian Genocide in Jamanak in 1919.[2] He left Constantinople in 1922 and lived in Bucharest and various locations in the Near East[where?]. Yervant Odian was an avid and heavy drinker.[5] He spent the last days of his life in Cairo, Egypt, where he died in 1926 at the age of 56.

Legacy[]

In late 2011 the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Ardavazt Theatre Company performed Odian's Ser yev Dzidzagh (Love and Laughter), a satirical comedy focused around three revolving plots all used in junction with one another in order to portray an accurate image of nineteenth century Armenian society.[10] In 2016 the Armenian Museum of Fresno celebrated the 150th birthday of Odian by hosting an event focused on his life and his literary works.[11]

Yervant Odian
Yervant Odian (Left) on Stamp

Works[]

  • Accursed Years. My Exile and Return from Der Zor, 1914-1919, Garod Books, London 2009
  • Comrade Clueless (Ընկեր Փանջունի), Constantinople, from 1914 on (several books)

(also a Turkish edition published as 'Yoldaş Pançuni' by Aras Pub.in 2008) ISBN 978-975-7265-32-0 [12]

  • Twelve Years Out of Istanbul. 1896-1908 (Տասներկու Տարի Պոլսէն Դուրս. 1896-1908), Constantinople 1922 (Reminiscences)

References[]

  1. ^ Kermanikian, Mesrob (Summer 1961). "Yervant Odian" (PDF). Ararat. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Yervant Odian". www.bibliomonde.com. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  3. ^ Guerguerian, Krikor (2018-04-02). "Odyan 02". Yervant Odyan.
  4. ^ "ANN/Groong -- TCC - 'Family, Honour, Morality' by Yervant Odian - Eddie Arnavoudian". groong.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "Yervant Odian". acam-france.org. Association Culturelle Arménienne de Marne-la-Vallée (France). Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  6. ^ "Maps| Vilayet of Diyarbekir| Palu| Locale| Population movements:: Houshamadyan - a project to reconstruct Ottoman Armenian town and village life". www.houshamadyan.org. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Yervant Odian". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  8. ^ Teotoros Lapçinciyan (Teotig): Ամէնուն Տարեցոյցը. Ժ-ԺԴ. Տարի. 1916–1920. [Everyman's Almanac. 10.-14. Year. 1916–1920], G. Keshishian press, Constantinople 1920
  9. ^ Georgelin, Hervé (March 2008). "Perception of the other's fate: what Greek Orthodox refugees from the Ottoman Empire reported about the destruction of Ottoman Armenians". Journal of Genocide Research. 10 (1): 59–76. doi:10.1080/14623520701850310. ISSN 1462-3528. S2CID 58725768.
  10. ^ "AGBU Ardavazt Continues Long String of Successful Performances with Yervant Odian's "Ser Yev Dzidzagh"". AGBU | Armenian non-profit organization. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  11. ^ "Yervant Odian: 150th Birthday Celebration (1869-1926)". Armenian Museum of Fresno. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  12. ^ Aras Pub. web site

External links[]

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