Siamanto

Atom Yarjanian (Armenian: Ատոմ Եարճանեան), better known by his pen name Siamanto (Սիամանթօ) (15 August 1878 – August 1915), was an influential Armenian writer, poet and national figure from the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was killed by the Ottoman authorities during the Armenian Genocide.

He was born in 1878, in the town of Agn (Armenian: Ակն) on the shores of the river Euphrates. He lived in his native town until the age of 14. He studied at the Nersesian institute as a youth, where he developed an interest in poetry. The school’s director encouraged him to continue developing his poetic talents. The director gave him his nickname Siamanto, and Atom would use this name for the rest of his days.

Siamanto came from a middle-upper-class family. They moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1891 where he continued his studies at the Berberian institute. He graduated in 1896, the year of the bloody Hamidian massacres. Like many other Armenian intellectuals, he fled the country for fear of persecution. He ended up in Egypt where he became depressed because of the butchery that his fellow Armenians had to endure.

In 1897, he moved to Paris and enrolled in literature at the prestigious Sorbonne University. He was captivated by philosophy and Middle Eastern literature. He had to work various jobs while pursuing his studies because of his difficult financial situation. He developed many ties with well-known Armenian personalities in and outside Paris. He enjoyed reading in French and in Armenian, and read many of the best works of his time.

From Paris he moved to Geneva in Switzerland, and contributed to the newspaper Droshak, the organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. His first poetic works were published in this newspaper under the headlines of Heroically (Armenian: Դիւցազնօրէն) and The Knight’s Song (Armenian: Ասպետին Երգը). The paper was highly critical of the Ottoman government and demanded equal rights for Armenians and more autonomy. Siamanto joined the cause and truly believed in an Armenia free of Turkish oppression. Henceforth, many of his works and poems were highly nationalistic.

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Wikipedia