Literature – Armenia

Do you know that there is an international storytelling festival named after Hovhannes Tumanyan?

A unique event for storytellers and story lovers, the Tumanyan International Storytelling Festival is a magical weekend of performances, readings, workshops, hikes, live music, and lasting connections through the power of stories. It aims to reconnect contemporary audiences with the rich Armenian heritage and tradition of storytelling.

The Festival, the first of its kind in the country, takes place in the picturesque town of Tumanyan, which is located in northern Armenia and surrounded by the cliffs of the Debed Canyon. It was inspired by Hovhannes Tumanyan, the national poet of Armenia, who was born in the village of Dsegh in the Debed Canyon.

Hovhannes Tumanyan was a poet, writer, translator and literary and public activist, who forged his own narrative style in the early 1900s, drawing inspiration from the Armenian oral tradition. He was also a convener of writers and intellectuals, and an advocate of cross-cultural learning.

His work entitled ‘’Anoush’’ (or ‘’Anush’’) is often described as the pinnacle of Tumanyan’s poetry. This pastoral epic consists of six songs, beginning with a prelude, and depicts the tragic love of a young shepherd boy (Saro) for a girl (Anush). This story inspired Armen Tigranyan to write his eponymous opera, which is still performed worldwide.

Enjoy a 360° virtual tour of Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum in Dsegh, HERE.

Sources & pictures taken from: http://www.tumanyanstoryfest.com/, http://www.toumanian.am/en

Picture No 1: Hovhannes Tumanyan

Picture No 3: Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum

Picture No 4: The town of Tumanyan

Courtesy of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to BSEC

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