Hovhannes Tumanyan was an Armenian poet considered the national poet of Armenia. He wrote poems, ballads, novels, and fairy tales in realistic style about everyday life. Born in 1869 in Armenia, he moved to Tiflis as a young man where he became known for his simple yet poetic works. Some of his most famous works include the ballads "Maro" and "Davit of Sassoun", as well as the novels "Anush" and "David of Sassoun". He was a literary and political activist who worked to support refugees and promote Armenian culture.

1. HOVHANES
TUMANYAN
M A R I A M H O V H A N N I S Y A N
M I D D L E S C H O O L
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2. HOVHANES TUMANYAN
• Hovhannes Tumanyan was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, literary
and public activist. He is considered the national poet of Armenia.
• Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, critical and
journalistic articles. His work was mostly written in realistic form, often
centering on everyday life of his time. Born in the historical village
of Dsegh in the Lori region, at a young age Tumanyan moved to Tiflis,
which was the center of Armenian culture under the Russian Empire
during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He soon became known to
wide Armenian society for his simple but very poetic works.
• Many films and animated films have been adapted from Tumanyan's
works. Two operas: Anush by Armen Tigranian and Almast
Spendiaryan, were written based on his works.

3. PICTURES

4. BIOGRAPHY PART 1
• Hovhannes Tumanyan was born on February 19, 1869 in the village of Dsegh, Tiflis
Governorate, Russian Empire.
• His father, Aslan, was the village priest known by the name Ter-Tadevos. He was an offspring of
an Armenian princely family of Tumanyan, branch of the famous royal house
of Mamikonian that settled in Lori in 10th–11th centuries from their original feudal fief
of Taron.
• His mother, Sona, was an avid storyteller with a particular interest in fables. Young Tumanyan
was the oldest of eight children; his siblings were Rostom, Osan, Iskuhi, Vahan, Astghik,
Arshavir, Artashes.
• From 1877–1879, Tumanyan attended the parochial school of Dsegh. From 1879–1883 he went
to a school in Jalaloghly. Tumanyan moved to Tiflis in 1883, where he attended the Nersisyan
School from 1883–1887. Tumanyan's wrote his first poem at the age of 12, while studying
in Jalaloghly school. He lived at the teacher's house for a while and fell in love with the
teacher's daughter Vergine. Since 1893, Tumanyan worked
for Aghbyur, Murtch, Hasker and Horizon periodicals and also was engaged in public activism.

5. BIOGRAPHY PART 2
• In 1899, Tumanyan came up with an idea of organizing meetings of Armenian intellectuals
of the time at his house on 44 Bebutov Street in Tiflis. Soon it became an influential literary
group, which often gathered in the garret of Tumanyan's house. Vernatun means garret in
Armenian, which was the name the group was referred to. Prominent members of the
collective were Avetik Isahakyan, Derenik Demirchyan, Levon Shant, Ghazaros
Aghayan, Perch Proshyan, Nikol Aghbalia, Alexander Shirvanzade, Nar-Dos, Vrtanes
Papazyan, Vahan Terian, Leo, Stepan Lisitsyan, Mariam Tumanyan, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and
many other significant Armenian figures of early 20th century. With some pauses, it existed
until 1908.
• In 1912 Tumanyan was elected the president of the Company of Caucasus Armenian
Writers.
• In the fall of 1921, Tumanyan went to Constantinople to find support of Armenian refugees.
After months spent there, he returned ill. After surgery in 1922, he started to get better. But
in September, Tumanyan's disease started to progress again. He was transferred to a
hospital in Moscow, where he died on March 23, 1923.

6. PICTURES

7. PERSONAL LIFE
•In 1888, at the age of 19, Hovhannes Tumanyan
married Olga Matchkalyan, 17. They had 10
children: Musegh (1889–1938), Ashkhen (1891–
1968), Nvard (1892–1957), Artavazd (1894–
1918), Hamlik (1896–1937), Anush (1898–1927),
Arpik (1899–1981), Areg (1900–1939), Seda
(1905–1988), Tamar (1907–1989).

8. POLITICAL AND PUBLIC ACTIVISM
• During the government-provoked Armenian–Tatar massacres of
1905–1907, Tumanyan took the role of a peacemaker, for which he
was arrested twice. Tumanyan also deeply criticized the Georgian–
Armenian War of 1918. Tumanyan was also actively engaged in
preaching the Gospel. As he put in one of his verses "There is only
one way of salvation; through Jesus Christ abiding inside every one
of us".
• In October 1914 Tumanyan joined the "Committee for Support of
War Victims", which later helped Armenian Genocide refugees
settled in Etchmiadzin.
• In 1921 in Tiflis he founded the House of Armenian Art.

9. PICTURES

10. LITERARY WORK
• Tumanyan's work is simple, natural and poetically inspired at the same time. It is not by
mere chance that dozens of phrases and expressions from Tumanyan's works have
become a natural part of people's everyday language, their sayings, adages, and
maxims.
• Tumanyan is usually regarded in Armenian circles as "All-Armenian poet". He earned
this title when the Catholicos of Armenia had ordered that Armenian refugees from the
west not enter certain areas of his church and house, since he is considered to be "The
Catholicos of all Armenians". Tumanyan in response decried that decision claiming that
the refugees could seek relief in the Catholicos' quarters under order of "The Poet of
all Armenians".
• He created lyrics, fables, epic poems and translations into Armenian
of Byron, Goethe and Pushkin.

11. TUMANYAN'S MOST FAMOUS WORKS
INCLUDE
•Ballads and poemsThe Dog
and the Cat (1886)
•Maro (1887)
•Akhtamar (1891)
•Davit of Sassoun (1902)
•The Capture of
Tmkaberd (1902)
•A Drop of Honey (1909)
•The End of Evil (1908)
•The Shah and the
Peddler (1917)
•NovelsAnush (1890)
•Gikor
•David of Sassoun
•Fairy talesNazar the Brave
•The Kid Goat
•The Unlucky Panos

12. THE END…