2001_10 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper October 2001

              October 2001
Hye Sharzhoom
3
Abcarian Presents Raffi's Novel
By Arpik Paraghamian
Staff Writer
Donald Abcarian, a graduate of U. C. Berkeley and
a native ofFresno, recently
translated Raffi's The Fool.
Abcarian opened the Armenian
Studies Program's Fall Lecture
Series on Monday, September 10,
with selected readings from his
translation.
In 1835 Hagop Melik
Hagopian was bom in a village
called Bayajuk, near Salmas, in
northwest Iran. Though this name
may seem unfamiliar, the person
behind it is anything but. It was
under the pen name Raffi, that
Hagopian expressed himself poetically in an Eastern dialect of the
Armenian language. With works
such as Salpi, Jalaleddin, and Davit-
Bek, Raffi kept Armenian literature alive. But, it was with his
novel, The Fool (Khente), that he
was able to capture an audience
that never let go. Though Raffi
died in 1888 in Tiflis, he is still
considered one of the most well
known writers of Armenian literature.
Written in 1878 and set during
the last Russo-Turkish war, The
Fool was a reflection of the times.
The results of the war between
Turkey and Russia are apparent in
the book. As Raffi describes the
unfriendly events and paints the
bloody images, one can't help but
feel compassion for those who suffered.
A crowd of about 60 people,
gathered in the Alice Peters Auditorium on campus, listened eagerly
as Abcarian dedicated his readings
to his father, Manouk Abcarian,
who lived through the massacres
that swept through Armenia in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries,
before he came to the United States
in 1912.
Abcarian chose to translate The
Donald Abcarian
Fool because he had a "deep emotional need to solve the mystery of
Raffi," and he hoped his translation " gave some glimmer on who
Raffi was."
Although he didn't know how
to read Armenian, Abcarian says
he taught himself by reading Raffi's
literature. It also served Abcarian
well to compare George Orwell's,
Animal Farm in English and in
Armenian to gain a better perspective on the ways literature can be
translated.
The Fool took Abcarian about
4 years to translate. Abcarian admits it was challenging at times,
but says translating this novel was
fun and exciting. When asked if he
has plans to translate more of Raffi' s
works, Abcarian light-heartedly
replied, "I'm not ruling it out, but I
only have so much eyesight."
The Fool is available from the
publisher, Gomidas Institute, at
www.gomidas.org.
• Armenians and the Internet   •
By Ara Mekhitarian
Virtual Ani
Address: http://www.virtualani.freeserve.co.uk/
Brief Summary: Virtual Ani is a web site based in the United Kingdom, offering
extensive information on the ancient city of Ani. A thousand years ago, Ani was the
capital ofthe Bagratid Armenian kingdom. Ani's many churches, palaces and fortifications were among the most technically and artistically advanced buildings ofthe time.
Ani is now a ghost town in Turkey, on the border with modern Armenia. Virtual Ani
takes you back in history to the time when Ani was a great city in a powerful kingdom.
The site offers extensive history, maps, plans, and pictures ofthe ancient city of Ani and
its surroundings. You can also find out the current status of Ani and the physical threats
to its continued existence. This site is nicely designed, informative, and very easy to
navigate.
Main Categories: History of Ani, Rediscovery of Ani, Ani's Recent History, The Rape
of Ani, Maps & Plans of Ani, Bibliography, Messageboard.
Contact: email: webmaster@virtualani.freeserve.co.uk
Church Armenia
Address: http ://www.churcharmenia.com
Brief Summary: Church Armenia is one of the newest online Armenian community
web sites. Registration is required to access the site, but it is fast and easy. The site offers
a wide range of services including; world-wide news, a free email account, free online
file storage, the latest music, available scholarships and jobs. This site's main purpose
is to bring Armenians together and offer them free useful services. The Church Armenia
xommunity is growing rapidly with several new members every day. This site also
offers an online marketplace, and educational Bible games.
Main Categories: World, Armenia, Church, Youth, Jobs, Education, Email, Live Mail,
Share Mail, File Storage, Calendar, Favorites, Gallery.
Contact: email: info@churcharmenia.com
The Debut of Tigran Chukhadjian's
Arshak II at the SF Opera
By Tamara Karakashian
Staff Writer
As the lights dimmed, hundreds of spectators rushed
to their seats; the curtains
were drawn to reveal the Armenian
army and King Arshak II celebrating a glorious victory over the Persians. Armenians for centuries since
have learned about the history of
the great nation of Armenia from
historians such as Agathangelos,
Movses of Khoren, and Pavstos
Buzand to name a few. Now there
is an amazing opportunity to experience Armenian history on the
stage-by watching Tigran
Chukhadjian's Arshak II debut at
the San Francisco Opera.
Chukhadjian dramatized the
story of Arshak IPs reign by writing his opera in the European style.
He changed some relationships and
they were given the choice between
Chukhadjian's original version and
the version that had been on stage
in Armenia since 1945. They chose
the original version to put on stage
for the first time, thereby making
history. Although Chukhadjian's
opera was originally written in Italian, the San Francisco Opera
thought it should be performed in
Armenian as a tribute to its late
composer.
Arshak II was composed in
1868, however, according to Gerald
Papazian ".. .it was not performed
during the composer's lifetime because of financial constraints and
the stifling political atmosphere of
Ottoman rule."
Since 1945 the only known
version of the opera had been performed in Armenia. There is a
debate about this version, which
had been "modified" to conform to
added a romantic flavor to the war-
stricken history of the Armenians.
Many people have debated the issue of "changing" history. Some
feel that history should be preserved
in its original form, and there are
others who appreciate the "flare"
that Chukhadjian added to Arshak
II. Chukhadjian did not write a
history of the Armenians as
Agathangelos did. He wrote an
opera to appeal-as most operas do-
to the enjoyment of its audience.
When the San Francisco Opera became interested in Arshak II,
the communist political control of
Armenia during that time. Had the
modifications not been made, and
the opera staged, there would have
been the risk of losing an epic opera.
Chukhadjian did not see his
opera performed during his lifetime, however due to the financial
support of many people from the
Armenian community, in the
amount of over $1,000,000, and
from the San Francisco Opera, the
opera debuted on September 8,2001
at the San Francisco Opera.
The Deserted City of Ani