The Hayern Aysor electronic newspaper of the RA Ministry of Diaspora always publishes articles and interviews devoted to the lives and careers of Diaspora Armenian intellectuals.

Benefactors; prose writers; poets; journalists; translators; public, political and cultural figures; representatives of Diaspora Armenian media outlets; artists and craftsmen; pedagogues; heads and members of Armenian community structures and youth organizations; schoolchildren and students; choirs and dance groups; individual performers; athletes; literary critics; linguists; doctors and educators; repatriates and freedom fighters…The substantial articles and interviews devoted to these people make every day a busy and significant day, and one of those days was marked with an interview with Lebanese-Armenian writer, public and cultural figure Aram Sepetjian, which I present to our readers.

“I was born in Alexandret. In 1938, my family and I settled in Beirut. I received my primary education at the Holy Forty School of New Marash and went on to receive my secondary education at the AGBU School. Later, I participated in courses on geology and pedology and graduated from that school. Afterwards, I studied in the Department of Economics of Constructions in England. This is how I have been earning a living. On my free time, I have always read books. I started reading prose and went on to read in other genres.

My teachers were Vahe Vahian, Zaven Melkonian and Ara Topchian. I was a freelance listener during lessons on subjects devoted to Armenia and the Armenians for five years, after which I was granted a corresponding certificate. I started pursuing my career in literature at the age of 16. In 1951, I released my short story entitled “I feel sorry for you, homeland” in “Paykar” Armenian daily, the editor of which was Hrach Yervand. I chose a literary pseudonym for me-Armen Hrach. My father’s name was Armenak, and Hrach Yervand was my literary “godfather”. So, I joined the two together and got that name. I started working for Andranik Andreasyan’s Nor Or (New Day) Armenian newspaper in Los Angeles. Andranik Andreasyan was also my first mentor in the field of media. At school, it was Vahe Vahian. I became Nor Or’s correspondent in Lebanon. Andreasyan was very tactful and attentive. Every New Year, he would send a small envelope, in which there was either a book, a pen or a memento. In 1956, the Tekeyan Cultural Association of Beirut released its literary magazine called “Shirak”, and our generation of 20-year-olds started writing articles and publishing them in that magazine.

My first short story that I published in that magazine was entitled “Crying in front of a painting”. There was an Istanbul-Armenian painter Jack Ihmalian who had a painting with that title. He had told the story of that painting to one of my contemporaries, painter Harutioun Torosian, who told me, and I wrote the short story based on that story. This year marks the 60^th anniversary of his career in literature, the 10^th anniversary of our “Kamar” periodical and the anniversary of the release of the 25^th edition, and on this occasion, I will be giving a lecture at the Union of Writers of Armenia tomorrow, but I wouldn’t like anyone to talk about the 60^th anniversary of my literary career so that I don’t seem immodest. I will celebrate the anniversary in my inner world. Besides prose, I have also written articles.

Two years ago marked my 80^th birthday. When Catholicos Garegin Hovsepyants was serving as a primate in New York in the 1940s, by his condac, the month of October was declared as the month of Armenian culture for all Armenians. I thought of compiling my original works and the works left out of the volumes in two volumes. The first was the series of my articles entitled “Voices in Silence” and included articles under the title “Thoughts and Moments from the Homeland” that I had written with the impressions of my visit to the Homeland on the occasion of the 9^th Congress of Writers of Armenia (1986-87). In 1987, “Shirak” magazine celebrated its 30^th anniversary. I had published my short stories and critiques in that magazine, and my articles have been published in Zartonk, Aztag, Ararat, Nor Or, Marmara, Nor Harach and Ararat periodicals. In the Soviet Armenia magazine, editor Levon Zakaryan published the critique for my series of short stories/short novel entitled “Nights without Light”. My second book entitled “Longing for Life” is a 200-page collection of short-stories. My third book, which was released in 1978 and entitled “Burnt”, presents the start of the civil clashes that took place in Lebanon between 1975 and 1992. This short novel marked the start of inner dualism, and Lebanon was suffering from dualism from the inside. When we were already living in Lebanon in 1943, we already felt like Lebanese because we already had an identity document. At the tie, Lebanon became independent and a small sovereign state. We can’t refer to Lebanon as our homeland. For me, it is not even my birthplace because I wasn’t born there. Lebanon was the country that received us. We represent the Diaspora that was formed after 1923. Alexandret is my birthplace, and my parents are from Chorkmarzvan, Cilicia where the scent of oranges, which drives one crazy, would spread everywhere, and those approaching the residence could already feel the scent from afar.

Our extended family, the Sepetjians, moved from Kessab to Chorkmarzvan in 1806. My next books are entitled “Longing for Life” and “Land and Pain” (the last one was edited by the late Levon Ananyan, presented in 2001 at Aram Khachaturian Home-Museum of Yerevan, I owe it to Levon Ananyan), “Panic in Poems” (2005) collection of literary studies and the book “Thoughts in Time”. In 2014, I wanted the collection of my articles to be followed by my other articles and editorials…From 1982 to late 1996, I have served as editor of AGBU’s Khosnag official newspaper. I compiled all my articles, entitled them “Voices in Silence” and dedicated them to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. My next book is my 500-page collection entitled “Literary Encounters”. It was the duty of my soul…I won’t say it is my last book, as Vahe Vahian would say-“the last one, but not the final one”. I must say that some of my books have been translated into different languages, including Persian and English…25 years ago, I established SIPAN Publishing House. I chose “SIPAN” as the symbol of the claims of Armenians. It is also very close to my last name. However, my French-speaking Arab friends perceive it differently and translate the initials into an association of printing homes for artistic books (S.I.P.A.N.) “Shirak” magazine published for nearly 45 years, after which the five members of the editorial office and I have been continuing to work for “Kamar”, the editor-in-chief of which is bibliographer Zhirayr Danielian. We have many writers and employees from Armenia. I still have a lot to do. I am working on a new book entitled “Literary Encounters with Armenian Writers”.

I am concerned about Western Armenian. We Armenians lost the Historic Armenia and spiritual values, including schools, cultural centers, 800 intellectuals and a star-studded lineup of writers…What were we left with? We were left with the Western Armenian language, which we need to protect and preserve as something sacred. We will be able to find the roots of words more quickly through classic orthography. Children need to be taught grabar (classic Armenian) in schools in Armenia. Before that, there is a need to prepare grabar specialists, after which it will be very easy to make the transition to Western Armenian and master classic Armenian orthography. Anything is possible! I am also a longstanding member of the Tekeyan Cultural Association. Our activities have also been targeted at science and education in Armenia. We Armenians must not feel ashamed in front of the future generations. Writers are those who raise the voice of collective thinkers. I am concerned about those leaving the Homeland. The Homeland is the sacred of everything sacred. One Armenian writer once said: “We have a home at the foot of Ararat that we won’t lose…” Eastern Armenians say “patuhan” (patits hanats) (“window”, taken out of the wall), while Western Armenians use the word “lusamut” (“window”, light coming in)…We have a lot of “patuhans”, but have few “lusamuts”. Let us increase the number of “lusamuts” so that every “patuhan” becomes a “lusamut”.

…This story about the interesting and substantial life and literary career of author of dozens of books, active and longstanding public and cultural figure, journalist and publicist Aram Sepetjian is truly one of the, as he says, the “lusamuts” of the lives of Armenians.

Karine Avagyan