Misak Medzarents: The Complete Lyric Poems Published as Volume 12 in Armenian Series

Staff Report

Armenian Studies Program Director Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced the publication of Dr. James R. Russell’s Misak Medzarents: The Complete Lyric Poems, Volume 12 in the Armenian Series of The Press at California State University, Fresno.

Misak Medzarents, 1886-1908, was the second great lyric poet of the Western Armenian language after Bedros Tourian. During his tragically short life he published several slim volumes of verse. The poems, written in a complex and allusive language that deploys ancient Armenian, local dialect, and the vocabulary of Symbolism combine vivid evocations of the traditional rural life of his home village, fabulous nocturnal reveries, cries of loneliness, and celebrations of nature and life. He was a poet native to the realms of joy; though in his final verses, published posthumously, there are hints of a transition to a realistic, urban style and political, revolutionary themes. This is the first complete translation of his works, together with the Armenian text, into any language.

“Misak Medzarents: The Complete Lyric Poems is a significant work in Armenian literature,” said Prof. Der Mugrdechian, general editor of the Armenian Series. “Dr. Russell’s translation of one of the greatest of Armenian poets brings those works to a wider audience.”

James R. Russell is Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University, Emeritus. His books include Zoroastrianism in Armenia (1987), The Heroes of Kasht: An Armenian Epic (2000), and Bosphorus Nights: The Complete Lyric Poems of Bedros Tourian (2005).

Copies of Misak Medzarents: The Complete Lyric Poems are available for purchase from: Abril Bookstore, http:///abrilbooks.com or the National Association for Armenian Studies & Research (NAASR) Bookstore, https://naasr.org/collections/naasr-bookstore.

For bulk orders please contact the Armenian Studies Program, at 559.278.2669 or by email at barlowd@csufresno.edu.