Patkanyan Rafael

(1830 - 92)
His father, priest Gabriel P., wrote the once popular poem, and his grandfather, a native of Turkey Serope P., famous for his songs. Educated in the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages and Tartu and St. Petersburg University. Already in the Dorpat student composing songs and in 1855 published, with two companions, a collection of poems. In 1865 he founded the St. Petersburg magazine "North", which was to replace the Moscow "Northern Lights" Nazaryantsa (see), but without success, and soon stopped. Since 1867 P. lived at home, in the Nakhichevan-on-Don, was an inspector of trade school. P. wrote stories and novels as a literary-Armenian language ( "I was engaged", . "Monte, . "Mistress and maid", . "Ambitious"), . and in the original dialect Nakhijevan (Vartevor ", . "Neighbors, . "Grocery Store", . "Penknife", . "Deserted Dvor, . "Stung", . "Bachelor" and others), the last group of stories, . due to peculiarities of the dialect, . little known to a broad range of Armenian readers, . but on the native P,
. It was a great success, differing liveliness, wit, a real flair. In the poetic works of P. is a purely artistic things ( "Armenian girl," "Cradle Song," "Artist", "Tomorrow," "Epitaph for a child," "Victim of Love" and others), but the glory of his poems were with patriotic content. First, they stood at the forefront passion of Armenian origin and antiquity, such, for example, "Death of the brave Vardan Mamikonyana" (with the famous song Vartan: "And now we keep silent?") Or elegy "Tears of the Araks". Russian-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878 period, caused the emergence of the strongest poems P. He becomes a folk singer grief, . bright colors depicts the suffering of Armenians in Turkey, . Kurdish raids, . abduction of Armenian women for their harems, . looting of villages and towns, . Abuse of the Turkish administration, . desecration of religion (of Van Our Father, . "The old man Vanets", . "One thousand", etc.),
. He mourns, . seeing degradation and apathy of the people, . his lack of dignity, . willingness to bear all and suffer, and only beg for mercy (Lamentations mushtsev ") - and on the other hand welcomed the emergence of the Armenian community of new people, . independent, . full of indignation ( "Song of Van farmer", . "Vani heart of oak", . "The new generation mushtsev),
. Not once P. raises the question of the relation of Europe to the Armenians, blaming the European diplomats in heartlessness, in formulating a brief complaint and desires of its people ( "Armenian blood", "Protest against Europe," "New Year", "Congress", etc.). He denounces those Armenians who are heavy for the people of the era they think only about their own personal gain, or even supported the Turks against the Christians ( "The desire of the Armenians", "Patriot", "Amir", "Address to the Sultan of the 36-year-mullah-traitors" "Armenian curse"). The outcome of the war of 1877 - 78 years, have not justified the optimistic expectations of the Turkish Armenians, who reflected on the general nature of creativity P., giving it a melancholy, cheerless shade. Effect P. on the surrounding society has been enormous, sincere enthusiasm, integrity outlook, close to real life, love for the people - all this makes his work interesting and non-Armenians. Wed. Arthur Leist "Raphael Patkanian" (Second Edition Leipzig "Armenische Bibliothek"); Nat. Chalhushian "Armenian poetry in the face of Rafael P." (Rostov, 1886); Low. Berberyan Rafael P. ", biographical essay in the 1 st volume book" The Armenian novelists "(ibid. translate stories:" Neighbor, "" I was engaged, "" Vartevor). The latest edition of the works of P. was published in 1893, in St. Petersburg. Up to 20 poems P. translated into European languages ( "Tears of the Araks" 6 times translated into languages: German, French, English and Russian). YU. Veselovsky.