Raphael Patkanian

Patkanian was born on in Nakhichevan-on-Don (now within Rostov-on-Don), Russia, into a noted family of intellectuals. His grandfather, , was a poet and educator, and his father, , was a clergyman, author and social activist. He was the first cousin of scholar Kerovbe Patkanian. He began his education in the private school founded by his father, where one of his classmates was Mikayel Nalbandian, another future writer. After some time living with and being taught by his uncle Petros in Stavropol, he attended the Lazarev Institute in Moscow from 1843 to 1849. Before graduating, he moved to Tiflis with his father, who had been appointed principal of the Nersisian School. He continued his education at the universities of Dorpat (1851–52), Moscow (1852–1854), and Saint Petersburg (1855–60), finally graduating from the latter, having specialized in Oriental studies. Patkanian later adopted Gamar Katipa as a penname. The group published its first pamphlet in 1855. Their literary philosophy was expressed in the motto "Write as you speak; speak as you write." By 1857, the group had published four more pamphlets, most of them authored by Patkanian. He published works in several periodicals starting in 1860. In 1863, he founded his own journal, , which ceased publication after one year. == Work ==

Patkanian wrote poetry, as well as novels, short stories, memoirs, textbooks, and children's songs and poems. His poems are mostly written in the vernacular language. Like Khachatur Abovian before him, he promoted the use of vernacular Armenian (as opposed to Classical Armenian) as a literary language. His first poems are about merrymaking and youth, but he soon shifted to the topic of the struggles of the Armenian people. He sought to use his poetry to promote patriotic ideals and to advance the cause of the enlightenment and liberation of his nation. Two of his poems which have enjoyed lasting popularity are "" (The tears of the Araxes) and "" (The death of Vardan Mamikonian), both written on patriotic themes. The first poem is a dialogue between the poet and the river, personified as the mother of the Armenian people who is lamenting the suffering of her children. In Kevork Bardakjian's view, the poem achieves an "intimate dynamism" and combines feelings of grief and loss with an unsaid optimism. The second work is an epic poem has the fifth-century Battle of Avarayr between the Armenians and the Persians as its subject. The section of the poem "Vardan's Song," which calls on Armenians to rise up against their oppressors, is particularly popular. In these works, he depicted social and political abuses, immoral merchants and priests, and a decadent youth. == Influence and legacy ==

Patkanian's poetry made him one of the leading Armenian poets for several decades. Shirvanzade described him as "the sole popularized Armenian lyrical poet of his time," noting that his "" and "" were sung and recited "on stages, in homes and everywhere that there was a handful of Armenians." Some even dubbed him "the poet of all Armenians," an epithet that was later more famously attributed to Hovhannes Tumanyan. The Russian poet Valery Bryusov also valued Patkanian's poetry, seeing its main strength in its "intense patriotism, unfailing dedication to [his] native people, which is expressed not only through odes, but also through bitter satire." In Bardakjian's view, "[a]lthough too many of [Patkanian's] poems read like rhymed speeches, his sincere and emotional patriotic appeal resonated with the prevailing mood." The writer's collected works were published in eight volumes from 1963 to 1974. == Selected works ==

This is a selection of Patkanian's works, including all of the collections of poetry published in his lifetime and a list of his works which have been translated into English. Collections of poetry • (1855–1857) 5 pamphlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). • (1864) Published under the pseudonym Gamar-Katipa. (Read online.) • (1878) Published under the pseudonym Gamar-Katipa. (Read online.) • (1879) Published under the pseudonym Siwliwk. (Read online.) • (1880) Published under the pseudonym Gamar-Katipa. (Read online.) Stories and novellas • (1884) (Novella. Read online.) • (1905) (Story. Read online.) • (1909) (Story, orig. date 1875; translated from the Nakhichevan dialect by Stepan Lisitsian. Read online.) Works translated into English • (1901) (Anthology. Read online.) • (1913) • (1916) • (1917) (Anthology. Read online.) • (1929) • (1961) (Read online.) == Notes ==