Zohrab, Grigor

Grigor Zohrab was born on June 26, 1861 in the Besiktas district of Constantinople ^[3] . Received primary education in the district Makruyansk lyceum. When Grigor's father died, his mother married a famous lawyer for the second time. The family moved to Ortagyukh , where Grigor continued his studies at the Targmanchats Lyceum. During this period, he first began to write poetry and essays ^[4] .

In 1876, he entered the only higher educational institution in Turkey of that period - the Galatasaray Lyceum ^[5] . Here he mastered geometry and law practice ^[6] . In 1880, he got a job as a scribe in the law office of his stepfather, and at the same time attended a law course at the Galatasaray Lyceum ^[5] . Soon this lyceum closed. A year later, Zohrab moved to another educational institution "Hugog", where he left two years later, without receiving a certificate. In 1884, he passed the exam in the city of Edirne and received a lawyer's certificate ^[5] .

In the early 1880s, Zohrab engaged in social activities, and also became a prominent and promising figure in the literary movement. As early as 17 years old, being an employee of the newspaper “Lraber”, in his articles he showed interest about the future of his nation ^[5] . He was promoted to professor and taught criminal law at the University of Constantinople ^[6] . In 1883, with the help of Hakob Paronyan, he began publishing the Yerkragund magazine. Subsequently, this magazine began to publish Zohrab's first novel, The Lost Generation. In 1887, the novel was published as a separate book ^[7] .

In 1888, Zohrab married Klara Yazindzhyan. She was from a wealthy family of the Armenian bourgeoisie . In this marriage four children were born - Levon, Dolores, Aram and Yermine ^[6] . In 1892, Masis magazine was published under his leadership, which existed for only one year. In “Masis” and in “Arevelk” magazine his first works were published ^[5] . This period was the heyday of his work. Then he wrote his second, unfinished novel, Nardik. In addition, he wrote novels and public articles on political topics that brought him universal acclaim ^[7] .

During the massacres of Armenians in 1894-1896, Zohrab temporarily moved away from literature and was engaged mainly in advocacy ^[5] . During these years, he defended the courts of Armenian political accused, saved many of their lives. In 1906, by order of the Minister of Justice, Zohrab was forbidden to take part in trials in Turkey. The reason for this was the trial of one Bulgarian revolutionary. Zohrab showed too much political activity, which was not to the liking of the Turkish authorities ^[3] .

After that, he went to Paris ^[5] . He was fluent in French, and in Europe he managed to publish his legal works. There, great prospects opened up before him, and in the future he planned to move with his family from Europe to Egypt. However, after the Young Turkish coup, Zohrab returned to Constantinople ^[4] .

In 1908, he was elected to the Armenian National Assembly and the Ottoman Parliament ^[3] . In parliament, 3hrab launched energetic activities, demanding recognition of the political and national rights of all the peoples of the country. In 1909, during the massacre of Armenians in Adan , he repeatedly opposed the rioters and demanded to stop pursuing the policy of the former Sultan Abdul-Hamid II against the Armenians. In 1911, he turned to the Turkish Prime Minister on these issues ^[7] .

In January 1914, an agreement was signed between Turkey and Russia related to the Armenian reforms, which guaranteed a safe life for residents of Western Armenia . Zohrab himself expressed hope for Russia's help, was in talks about the Armenian issue with the embassies of large countries ^[8] . However, the First World War began very soon, which gave the Turkish authorities a good reason to carry out the Armenian Genocide . The signed agreement was no longer put in anything ^[9] .

On April 24, 1915, the whole Armenian intelligentsia of Constantinople was arrested and deported in one night ^[10] . Zohrab did everything to free some of his friends. He turned to statesmen, even to Talaat Pasha , the Minister of the Interior of the Ottoman Empire, with whom he was well acquainted. Those made empty promises ^[11] . The same fate awaited him.

He was arrested in May. Together with another arrested MP, Zohrab was expelled to Diyarbakir to face a military court. Accompanied by a gendarme, they spent several weeks in Aleppo . Some sources claim that Jemal Pasha himself tried to free Zohrab, but Talaat Pasha insisted on a court martial. Two deputies were sent to Urfa , where they remained for some time. Later they were taken into custody and sent to Diyarbakir by car. Grigor Zohrab was killed in the districts of Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir on July 19. There is a version that he became a victim of famous robbers led by Circassian Ahmet, Khalil and Nazim. According to some reports, Turkish rioters crushed his head with stones ^[12] . It is known that the killers were convicted and executed in September of the same year, by order of Jemal Pasha ^[13] .

Grigor Zohrab left a rich literary heritage. His contribution to Western Armenian literature is valuable. His works are still included in the school curriculum of Armenia. Some of his works have been translated into foreign languages, published in almost thirty languages. He is the author of novels, poems, various articles, but his novels are more popular ^[8] .

From a young age, Zohrab tried to compose poetry, but his poetry was not widely known. In 1883, he published his novel “The Lost Generation”, describing the life of the youth of Constantinople. His short stories were published in three collections: Voices of Conscience, Life as It Is, and Silent Pain. With the help of a dynamic style of narration, grace of language, simplicity, the author was able to create psychological, soul-taking images. He developed the traditions of realism in Armenian literature . In his novels, Zohrab examined the social problems of working people, their concerns, state of mind in various unjust situations. In his work, there are also romantic and satirical stories ^[4] .

In the short story “Father's Duty” (1892), he explored human tragedy, social inequality. The main character, Usep Agha, after bankruptcy becomes a simple seller. After the death of his beloved wife, he is unable to provide for the daily needs of his daughters. Real estate is for sale, all accumulations disappear. A needy man wanders the streets, demanding alms, but receives nothing. To hide his grief from his daughters, at night he asks for help from a portrait of his late wife. In the end, unable to withstand the blows of fate, the main character commits suicide ^[14] .

In the short stories “Magdalen” (1902), “Widow”, “Fasted” (1901), the main characters are poor, abandoned women who find themselves in harsh life circumstances. In The Widow, the author talks about a woman named Zardar, whose husband is sent to Constantinople from his native village. Due to poverty and high taxes in the village, Zardar's husband is forced to earn money in the city. His father also worked in a foreign land, and now returns to the village, since his son replaced him. However, soon her husband Zardar, losing conscience and shame, marries one servant who owned little money. All worries fall on Zardar's shoulders, and she does everything to feed the children and parents of her ex-husband. Ungrateful old people, in turn, accuse the sacrificial Zardar of betraying his son ^[15] .

Novels of Zohrab: “Happy death”, “Ainka”, “Zabuho”, “Nerses”, “Storm”, “Forgive me, Lord” tell about the tragedy of “ little people ”, greed of capitalists and money-lenders, mores of noble and bourgeois families ^[4] .

• Kévorkian, Raymond H. RP Yervant P‛erdahdjian: événements et faits observés à constantinople par le vicariat (patriarcal) (1914-1916) . - Revue d'histoire arménienne contemporaine 1, 1995 .-- S. 254.