Literary Afternoon Dedicated to Hovhannes Shiraz

“Modern Armenian Poetry Awoke on Mount Shiraz”
— Paruyr Sevak

On March 19, the “Yntaniq” Children and Youth Creative Center held a literary afternoon dedicated to Hovhannes Shiraz, the brilliant 20th-century Armenian poet and incomparable singer of the human spirit. The event was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The event opened with the naturally gentle and sensitive melodies of the poet’s soul, transporting the audience into Shiraz’s world, where every word is a weapon capable of captivating the listener. Shiraz was a poet who came to remove the stigma of fear that had been instilled in the Armenian people for decades, forcing them to speak with fear about their history and their heritage.

Amid the enchanting poetic world of nature and the human soul, with the boundless depth and crystal-clear simplicity of poetry, the students presented excerpts from Shiraz’s life and the rich legacy he left to future generations. The words spoken by the young participants seemed to take on new life, deeply moving everyone with their emotion.

The bardic, lyrical, and philosophical strings of the poet’s lyre resounded in both English and Armenian.

The performances of the touching songs also captured the joyful images of spring that prevail in Shiraz’s lyric poetry, the eternally renewing and vibrant colors of nature, and the mysterious harmony between life and human emotions.

The audience savored the enchantment of Hovhannes Shiraz’s extraordinary poetry.

Seda Hakobyan