A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature, 1500-1920: With an Introductory History

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Armenian literature is a body of work that goes back hundreds of years. Kevork Bardakjian, a scholar recognized for his expertise in Armenian literary culture, brings his knowledge of that corpus to fill a major gap in our understanding of this tradition.

This massive volume offers a comprehensive guide to Armenian writers and literature spanning five centuries. Combining features of a reference work, bibliographic guide, and literary history, it records the output of almost four hundred authors who wrote both in Armenia and in the communities of the Armenian diaspora.

The book first presents a general history of the literature, with chapters devoted to a single century and prefaced by information on the era's social, cultural, and religious milieus. There then follows a section of biobibliographical entries for Armenian authors, a section of bibliographies and reference works, and a listing of anthologies of literature both in Armenian and in translation. Cross-references to earlier authors and to sources of influence, both Armenian and non-Armenian, enrich the volume's encyclopedic aspects.

A final section contains bibliographies devoted to particular genres and periods, such as minstrels, folklore, and prosody. Of particular interest is a thematic discussion of the works of more than one hundred and fifty pocts, historians, monks, and others, highlighting the themes that captured the imagination of Armenian authors since the sixteenth century. A general index containing names, pseudonyms, and place-names rounds out the volume.

An indispensable guide for scholars of Armenian literature, Bardakjian's work will be invaluable for teaching and research. Moreover, it offers a new touchstone for appreciating this vast body of literature.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Twenty years in the making, this massive reference to Armenian literature is designed to provide access to texts of and secondary writings about Armenian authors born between 1500 and 1920. Bardakjian, author of two other books on Armenian literature and history, picks up where A Bibliography of Classical Armenian Literature to 1500 AD (written by a colleague for the same project) leaves off. The reference is divided into three main sections. The first, alone a great resource for college students, provides six lengthy introductory chapters on the development of Armenian literature, key writers, and the political and social context over five centuries (16th through early 20th). The second section is bio-bibliographical, with each entry including the author's pen names, a brief biography, and a bibliography of writings listing translated editions where appropriate. The final section includes separate bibliographies of reference works, bibliographies, folklore, studies of shorter periods, minstrels, literary influences, prosody, and anthologies both in Armenian and in translation. Recommended for academic libraries supporting comparative literature programs.--Neal Wyatt, Chesterfield Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

John A. C. Greppin - Times Literary Supplement