Vahan Totovents

Armenian activist and writer (1894–1938)

Vahan Hovhannesi Totovents (Armenian: Վահան Թոթովենց; September 1, 1889 - July 18, 1938)[1] was an Armenian writer, poet and public activist.

Biography

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Vahan Totovents was born in Mezire, Western Armenia[2] (modern Turkey). He studied in Armenia and Istanbul, then at Wisconsin University which he finished in 1915.

He was a volunteer in the Caucasian front during World War I, and served as the bodyguard and translator for the secretary of General Andranik Ozanian, about whom he wrote memoires and published them in 1920. In Tbilisi Totovents edited the "Hayastan" paper, the official organ of Andranik.

Since 1922 he lived in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia. In 1938 he became a victim of Stalinism.[3]

The works of Totovents were published from 1907. He is the author of "Doctor Burbonian" (1918), "Death battalion" (1923), "New York" (1927), "Baku" (v. 1-3, 1930-34), "Jonathan, Son of Jeremiah" novels, stories and dramas. He influenced to Armenian literature especially by his "Life on the Old Roman Road" autobiographical novel (1930, "A piece of sky"[4] film by Henrik Malian) which "reflect the society, culture, and mores not only of the Armenians of his childhood but also of their neighbors in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire".[5]

Other websites

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References

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  1. "Vahan Totovents - Writers.am". Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  2. Totovents in Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian)[permanent dead link]
  3. The list of victims of stalinism (in Russian)[permanent dead link]
  4. "The Official list of films by Armenfilm". Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  5. A World of Books 2002: International Multiculturalism