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Այրվող այգեստաններ
Ընթերցողին է ներկայացւում Մեծ եղեռնին նուիրուած՝ XX դարի հայ գրականութեան մեծագոյն վէպերից մէկի գիտական հրատարակութիւնը՝ բնագրերի հետ համեմատուած, ծանօթագրութիւններով և նախկին հրատարակութիւնների քննական մեկնութիւններով:
784 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2004
18 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Gurgen Mahari
17 books13 followersGurgen Mahari (Gurgen Grigori Ajemian) was an Armenian writer and poet.
In 1915 during the Armenian genocide Gurgen's family emigrated to Russia. His first book, Titanic was published in 1924. Then he wrote his autobiographical trilogy which tells his story of survivor and the tragedy experienced by Armenians in Western Armenia.
He was arrested by Soviet secret police at the period of Stalinism and released after Joseph Stalin's death (Mahari was sentenced to 10 years' confinement in 1937, returned in 1947 and one year later exiled again).
In 1915 during the Armenian genocide Gurgen's family emigrated to Russia. His first book, Titanic was published in 1924. Then he wrote his autobiographical trilogy which tells his story of survivor and the tragedy experienced by Armenians in Western Armenia.
He was arrested by Soviet secret police at the period of Stalinism and released after Joseph Stalin's death (Mahari was sentenced to 10 years' confinement in 1937, returned in 1947 and one year later exiled again).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 22, 2016
«Ու թող առաջին խնձորը աշխարհի բոլոր կողմերում դեռ ապրող ու Վանին կարոտող վանեցիներին լինի, նրանց որդիներին ու թոռներին» ու նաև արդեն ծոռներին :/
March 15, 2020
Is a classic really only a novel still read 100 years after its publication? And is it true that history only chooses the works of literature that will stand the test of time from the ‘winners’? From those novels that reverberated upon the lips of contemporary intelligentsia? Because if so this does not bode well for Gurgen Mahari’s novel “Burning Orchards”.
And that is a tragedy.
For Mahari was a master, one of Armenia’s great novelists from the genius cluster of writers born around the turn of the 20th century and writing during the ‘Armenian Boom’ around the 1920s and 1930s (Yegishe Charents, Aksel Bakunts, Gevorg Emin, etc.). But, alas, Mahari is not one of history’s winners. Born in Van, modern-day Turkey (but that area of land called western Armenia), he fled to “Soviet Armenia” (the modern-day national boundaries) in 1915 during the Ottomans’ first assault on that ancient, fabled city. He became an orphan, living in homes in Etchmiadzin, Dilijan, and then Yerevan. He found his mother only after he became an adult in Tbilisi.
“Burning Orchards” is an extraordinarily beautiful book; a work of such genius that it would certainly have joined it peers – Feast of the Goat; One Hundred Years of Solitude; For Whom the Bell Tolls; Lord of the Flies – and so many others in the oft-read works of our modern literary tradition, except that history did not shine upon Mahari. In fact it is likely you have never even heard of Gurgen Mahari. A young writer behind the Iron Curtain, Mahari, like so many others who sympathized with the Soviets found himself betrayed. In 1936 during what has become known as the “Great Purge” when Joseph Stalin’s paranoia waxed full Mahari was sent to Siberia. He only returned in 1954 to Yerevan, with his wife Antonina Mahari, a Latvian dissident also exiled to Siberia where the two met and married (Antonina lived in Yerevan for the rest of her life).
Gurgen Mahari, for the intervening years, became a pig farmer.
Even upon return home, Mahari’s was not to be an easy fate. In 1966, despite doubts, the ‘softened’ soviet censors allowed the publication of “Burning Orchards”, Mahari’s account of the 1915 “Siege of Van”. The book was met with wide-scale rejection in Yerevan, controversial as it was. The book’s description says it best, “Burning Orchards offers a version of events leading up to the siege of Van different from the received, politically charged accounts, even daring to reflect something of the loyalty many Ottoman Armenians had felt towards the former Empire.” For this reason, the 1966 edition was banned by the authorities in Yerevan and copies were collected and burned in front of the author’s house (I managed to find a single un-burned copy in an outside used-book stall). Against the wishes of the fiery Antonina, and surrendering to popular pressure, Mahari attempted a rewrite to polish over the “offending” parts, but died before it could be finished. According to his wife, he died of a broken heart. This book is one of the few to be found in English. You can find “Barbwire in Bloom”, a short novel based upon his experiences in Siberia (much like “Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”) only in French. The rest – Titanic or his autobiographical trilogy – are unavailable in anything but their native Armenian; much to my dismay, and that of anybody who loves canonical literature.
The novel “Burning Orchards” is written with the Armenian sense of and passion for their land and traditions; of the high mountains and clear blue lakes, the cold stone monasteries, the hearty food eaten in family and the timelessness of the traditions of a people who have lived clinging ferociously to their small patch of earth since Noah walked down from his mountain. If for this reason alone you, if you consider yourselves scholars (or simply love a compelling story) must read this book.
And that is a tragedy.
For Mahari was a master, one of Armenia’s great novelists from the genius cluster of writers born around the turn of the 20th century and writing during the ‘Armenian Boom’ around the 1920s and 1930s (Yegishe Charents, Aksel Bakunts, Gevorg Emin, etc.). But, alas, Mahari is not one of history’s winners. Born in Van, modern-day Turkey (but that area of land called western Armenia), he fled to “Soviet Armenia” (the modern-day national boundaries) in 1915 during the Ottomans’ first assault on that ancient, fabled city. He became an orphan, living in homes in Etchmiadzin, Dilijan, and then Yerevan. He found his mother only after he became an adult in Tbilisi.
“Burning Orchards” is an extraordinarily beautiful book; a work of such genius that it would certainly have joined it peers – Feast of the Goat; One Hundred Years of Solitude; For Whom the Bell Tolls; Lord of the Flies – and so many others in the oft-read works of our modern literary tradition, except that history did not shine upon Mahari. In fact it is likely you have never even heard of Gurgen Mahari. A young writer behind the Iron Curtain, Mahari, like so many others who sympathized with the Soviets found himself betrayed. In 1936 during what has become known as the “Great Purge” when Joseph Stalin’s paranoia waxed full Mahari was sent to Siberia. He only returned in 1954 to Yerevan, with his wife Antonina Mahari, a Latvian dissident also exiled to Siberia where the two met and married (Antonina lived in Yerevan for the rest of her life).
Gurgen Mahari, for the intervening years, became a pig farmer.
Even upon return home, Mahari’s was not to be an easy fate. In 1966, despite doubts, the ‘softened’ soviet censors allowed the publication of “Burning Orchards”, Mahari’s account of the 1915 “Siege of Van”. The book was met with wide-scale rejection in Yerevan, controversial as it was. The book’s description says it best, “Burning Orchards offers a version of events leading up to the siege of Van different from the received, politically charged accounts, even daring to reflect something of the loyalty many Ottoman Armenians had felt towards the former Empire.” For this reason, the 1966 edition was banned by the authorities in Yerevan and copies were collected and burned in front of the author’s house (I managed to find a single un-burned copy in an outside used-book stall). Against the wishes of the fiery Antonina, and surrendering to popular pressure, Mahari attempted a rewrite to polish over the “offending” parts, but died before it could be finished. According to his wife, he died of a broken heart. This book is one of the few to be found in English. You can find “Barbwire in Bloom”, a short novel based upon his experiences in Siberia (much like “Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”) only in French. The rest – Titanic or his autobiographical trilogy – are unavailable in anything but their native Armenian; much to my dismay, and that of anybody who loves canonical literature.
The novel “Burning Orchards” is written with the Armenian sense of and passion for their land and traditions; of the high mountains and clear blue lakes, the cold stone monasteries, the hearty food eaten in family and the timelessness of the traditions of a people who have lived clinging ferociously to their small patch of earth since Noah walked down from his mountain. If for this reason alone you, if you consider yourselves scholars (or simply love a compelling story) must read this book.
May 13, 2021
What a book. I’d give it six stars if I could. So sad that so few people have read it/will read it. So sprawling in its scope but so personal at the same time - it feels very 19th Century Russian in that way.
In a novel like this, with such a focus on history, conflict, war and change you would think that there would be less focus on characters but instead the many, many characters are so well developed and complex. None more so than Ohannes, who is described as “the deep and bottomless sea”, but so many of the other characters as well. Two favourites of mine were Mihran, and one of the most painful scenes I’ve ever read occurred when he wandered through his war-torn monastery, seeing things like “the skull of a small child” which makes him realise that “they had burnt a child in the stove”. He is almost apathetic to it, though, just being described as having a “heavy heart”, and taking “a deep breath - it was a sigh”. Hagop Kandoyan was also very interesting and more entertaining, funny but immensely sad at the same time.
I cannot stress enough how everyone has to read this - it covers just about everything that a book can cover - life, death, relationships, war, greed, religion, race, happiness, fulfilment - the list goes on. Amazing.
In a novel like this, with such a focus on history, conflict, war and change you would think that there would be less focus on characters but instead the many, many characters are so well developed and complex. None more so than Ohannes, who is described as “the deep and bottomless sea”, but so many of the other characters as well. Two favourites of mine were Mihran, and one of the most painful scenes I’ve ever read occurred when he wandered through his war-torn monastery, seeing things like “the skull of a small child” which makes him realise that “they had burnt a child in the stove”. He is almost apathetic to it, though, just being described as having a “heavy heart”, and taking “a deep breath - it was a sigh”. Hagop Kandoyan was also very interesting and more entertaining, funny but immensely sad at the same time.
I cannot stress enough how everyone has to read this - it covers just about everything that a book can cover - life, death, relationships, war, greed, religion, race, happiness, fulfilment - the list goes on. Amazing.
April 6, 2020
...Էս, որ կասեն ծովեր, օվկիանոսներ, քո կարծիքով մեր Վանա ծովից մե՞ծ են: Էս, որ կասեն Մասիս սար, մեր Վարագա սարից պա՞նցր ի... Էս,որ կասեն պոլիս-մոլիս, փարիզ-մարիզ, մեր Էգեստանից սիրու՞ն են... Ասենք թե Մասիս մի քանի կանգուն ավելի պանցր ի Վարագա սարից, կամ ասենք թե` օվկիանոսի մեջ քիչ մը ավել ջուր կհոսի, քան Վանա ծովի մեջ... Կարևոր կարճ-երկարի, շատի, քչի, մեծ ու միջնակի մեջ չի, կարևոր նշանակության, իմաստի մեջ է... Կուզես` հա ասա, կուզես` չէ, Վանի նշանակություն շատ մեծ է... Մեր Վանի կենաց, թող ապրի մեր Վան, աշխարհն էլ նրա հետ...
August 29, 2017
Շատ հետաքրքիր գրելաձև ունի Մահարին. մի քիչ խառը, բայց կտրուկ, նուրբ, մանրուքներին վարպետորեն անդրադարձող, սարկազմային: Գիրքը կարդալը ուղղակի բավականություն պատճառեց. Վանը տեսա վանեցու աչքերով, զգացի ղավուրմայի, թալած ձկան, մառանից հանած սուջուխ-բաստուրմայի հոտն ու համը:
Մի խոսքով հրաշք գործ:
Ինչևիցե ...
Մի խոսքով հրաշք գործ:
Ինչևիցե ...
June 22, 2025
Այրվող այգեստաններ
Թվային տարբերակ
https://online.fliphtml5.com/nfycf/ocjy/
Թվային տարբերակ
https://online.fliphtml5.com/nfycf/ocjy/
September 21, 2020
My choice for Armenia's book for my around the world challenge. I didn't know anything about the armenian genocide besides "it happened" and I thought the book was very explanatory while still being interesting. Most of the book deals a lot more with politics than with war itself, but despite not being a subject I usually like reading about I really liked the way it was written, how humor was often used to break the tension and density of information. I felt the characters were realistic and didn't fall in a black and white mentality, there were different point of views about the situation and they were all presented as equally valid.
The only thing that did bother me was the lack of female characters, not that they didn't exist but they were just... there, in the background, either serving food or being desired. But it wasn't unexpected for this kind of book so I didn't care so much, just wish we could have seen a little more of their POV as well.
I will say that the actual physical conflict part was very heavy - as it was to be expected because, duh, it's part of a genocide - but it was shocking the change of pace between scenes. The characters will be singing and drinking coffee in the main character's house and then the very next scene is describing a lot of corpses.
The only thing that did bother me was the lack of female characters, not that they didn't exist but they were just... there, in the background, either serving food or being desired. But it wasn't unexpected for this kind of book so I didn't care so much, just wish we could have seen a little more of their POV as well.
I will say that the actual physical conflict part was very heavy - as it was to be expected because, duh, it's part of a genocide - but it was shocking the change of pace between scenes. The characters will be singing and drinking coffee in the main character's house and then the very next scene is describing a lot of corpses.
January 25, 2024
Հունական ողբերգության հայկական աղյուսակ. Էլ ի՞նչ ասեմ այս անհումոր տրագիկոմեդիայի մասին։ Մահարին մեծ աղետից առաջ նկարում է հայկական կյանքի մի ամբողջ տիեզերք Վանում և չի զլանում ներառել բնական ամենափոքր մանրամասները՝ մինչև հայկական թաղամասի հոտը և գաղտնի սիրահարների թափանցող հայացքները։ Ես այլ կերպ չեմ նկարագրի վեպի իրադարձությունները, քան ասեմ, որ դրանք համընդհանուրացված և հետո տեղայնացված ողբերգություն են, որպեսզի մեզ պարուրեն հայկական ժպիտների, արցունքների, ցանկության և կատաղության աշխարհում: Ես ստիպված էի շատ անգամ կանգ առնել և նշել արտահայտությունների կոնկրետ շրջադարձեր, որոնք Մահարին համբույրի պես (կամ երբեմն դանակի նման) նետում է ընթերցողի վրա, երբ նա բացում է հայ հեղափոխական սիրո և բռնության հանգույցը Հայկի հայրենիքում: Մահարին 20-րդ դարի քաղաքի գլխավոր մոտիվների մի տեսակ նախատիպն է՝ որպես գլխավոր հերոս, մի բան, որը նրան կապում է Ջոյսի, Վարգաս Լյոսայի և Ֆոլքների ավանդույթների հետ: Բացառությամբ այն, ինչը Մահարին վեր է դասում մնացածից, իմ կարծիքով, փիլիսոփայական խորությունն է, որով նա ուսումնասիրում է Վանի կենդանի և մահացած հոգիները պատմության շրջադարձային կետում: Նա չի թողնում էթիկական ենթադրություններն ընթերցողին, որպեսզի իրենք կարողանան պարզել, նա ուժով ՈՒՍՈՒՑՆՈՒՄ Է յուրաքանչյուր կերպարի և զրույցի միջոցով՝ միևնույն ժամանակ պահելով նկարչի վրձինը ձեռքին, անատոլիական լանդշաֆտի նկարագրություններով, որոնք ես համարձակվում եմ ասել, որ մրցակից են Յաշարի նմաններին: Քեմալ. Եթե այս ակնարկը ձեզ համար իմաստ չունի, մեղադրեք google translate-ին, ոչ թե ինձ:
October 11, 2017
Very ironic, very moving, very true!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews