Description
Book SynopsisHmayeak Shems: A Poet of Pure Spirit presents the life and writings of Armenian poet Hmayeak Shems (1896-1952). The Armenian Genocide of 1915 devastated Shems, who lost his family and home. For eight years he wandered in exile, his voice extinguished by anguish. Yet from debilitating isolation, Shems found a lyrical mastery of Armenian identity and modern spirit. Incontrovertibly shaped by his people''s tragic history, Shems speaks simply yet profoundly. Illuminated by his poetry, this biography chronicles his travels, encounters, and thought to reveal a more compelling and complete portrait of Shems than previously known. Cover portrait of Hmayeak Shems by Ashot Zorian.
Trade ReviewIntense music rises from the very heart of his poetry, expanding the allure of compressed beauties. -- Vardan Gevorgian
Shems's language…unites Eastern and Western Armenian both in terms of its form and of its usage. His pan-Armenian mode of thought is a phenomenon rather rare in our times. -- Gevorg K'rist'inian
Shems's writing is the poetry of pure spirit, the murmur of a restless soul. It is a cry of protest and rebellion, a quest for beauty and a dream, expressed in a powerful voice…. The best way to portray Shems is to think of the magnificent ruins of Armenian churches. He was an expatriate, a lone émigré in search of Mt. Ararat and its shade, a man seeking the heart in others, a dreamer who longed to create the song of the heart…. a dervish aspiring to be an artist, an artist living the life of a dervish. -- Gurgen Mkhit'arian
Table of ContentsChapter 1 List of Photographs Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Acknowledgments Chapter 4 Reference Key Chapter 5 A Chronology of Hmayeak Shems Chapter 6 A Diasporan Journey: Cities Where Shems Visited and Lived Chapter 7 Part I Student, Rebel, and Wandering Dervish: From Trabzon to the Caucasus and the Balkans Chapter 8 Part II Poet, Scholar, Orator, and Teacher: Alexandria Chapter 9 Appendix A "A Portrait of Hmayeak Shems" by Gurgen Mkhit'arian Chapter 10 Appendix B "The Hmayeak Shems I Knew" by Step'an Shahpaz Chapter 11 Appendix C An Undated Draft Letter to Levon Hovhannesian Written by Hmayeak Shems Chapter 12 Notes Chapter 13 Acronyms and Abbreviations Chapter 14 Selected Bibliography Chapter 15 Index
