Category: Zohrab Center Updates

Dr. Jesse Arlen’s Medieval Armenian Poetry Lecture Series on YouTube

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Zohrab postdoctoral fellow and director Dr. Jesse Arlen’s medieval Armenian poetry lectures, offered through the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Fall public lecture series, are available to stream on YouTube.

Part 1 consisted of six lectures, and included material on sharagans (hymns), taghs (odes), and other genres of sacred liturgical song, biblical epic, penitential poetry, and laments over the capture of cities.

A bibliography accompanying the series is available here.

The videos are available below:

Lecture 1 – The Lay of the Land
Lecture 2: The Sharakan and the Origin of Sacred Poetry
Lecture 3 – Sacred Song at Narek Monastery: Gandz, Tagh, and Meghedi
Lecture 4 – Penitential Poetry: Narek and its Heirs
Lecture 5 – Biblical Epic: Grigor Magistros, Nersēs Shnorhali, and Aṛakʿel of Siwnik
Lecture 6 – Laments for the Fall of Cities and Other Calamities

Part 2 of this lecture series will continue as part of the St. Nersess Spring Public Lecture series.

Check their website for upcoming dates, details, and a Zoom link: https://stnersess.edu/global-classroom/live-presentations/

This Giving Tuesday Buy a Book for the Zohrab Center’s Library

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Updates6 Comments

Today on “Giving Tuesday” purchase a book for the Zohrab Information Center’s research library.

The Zohrab Information Center is a research and teaching facility and cultural center that promotes the full range of Armenian studies and assists students, scholars, the Armenian community, and general public in deepening their appreciation for Armenian history, civilization, and culture, especially within their overwhelmingly Christian ambit. 

At the core of this mission stands the vast collection of Armenian printed material in our library, which is one of the best in the Western hemisphere thanks to generous support and donations.

Help us expand our holdings of recent books published in Armenian studies by buying a book (or two or three!) to add to our library. We have compiled a wish list of books on Amazon.

Ship to:
Jesse Arlen
Zohrab Information Center
630 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10016

Let us know how you would like your donation to be noted on the book and in our catalog:

option 1: “Donated by NAME”
option 2: “Donated by NAME in memory of NAME”

Note: After you purchase the book it will automatically be removed from the list, so as to avoid duplicate purchases from multiple donors.

For questions, email: zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org

Dr. Jesse Arlen’s Zoom lecture series on Medieval Armenian Poetry Begins Tonight

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Tonight at 7:00pm ET by Zoom Zohrab Center director Dr. Jesse Arlen will deliver the first lecture in a two-semester series offered through St. Nersess Armenian Seminary’s Public Lecture Series, entitled, “An Introduction to Medieval Armenian Poetry.”

Part I of this series will consist of six lectures delivered on the following dates: Oct 20, Nov 3, Nov 10, Nov 17, Dec 1, Dec 8.

Register for the Zoom meetings here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoc-mtqT0jEtV7-sBO9Pp1p21bqCFrJTYR

Series Description

After the invention of the Armenian alphabet in the fifth century, the early centuries of Armenian literature are dominated by prose: theological and philosophical treatises, histories, hagiographies, commentaries, and the like. Nevertheless, the premodern Armenian literary tradition also boasts a vast and dazzling array of poetic texts, which are generally less well known to scholars and novices alike. This two-semester public lecture series will introduce the medieval Armenian poetic tradition, including sharagans, odes, lyrics, laments, poetic prayers, as well as love and wisdom poetry. This vast array of material spanning over ten centuries was composed both in the classical literary idiom as well as a form of the language closer to the vernacular, known as middle Armenian. Attention will also be paid to interchange and contact with neighboring literary and poetic traditions, such as Greek, Persian, and Arabic.

NEW DATE! St. Gregory of Narek roundtable moved to Monday, Sept. 12th

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The roundtable discussion around Prof. Abraham Terian’s new translation of St. Gregory of Narek’s Prayer Book has been moved to Monday, September 12th.

Please see the updated information below:

terian-roundtable-flyer-e28093-sept-12Download

RSVP at the following link: https://bit.ly/depth-of-the-heart

To watch on YouTube, click on https://bit.ly/StLeonEvents at the beginning of the program

A Roundtable Discussion on St. Gregory of Narek’s Prayer Book with Dr. Abraham Terian, Bp. Daniel Findikyan, and Dr. Jesse Arlen

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Events, Zohrab Center Updates2 Comments

The Zohrab Information Center, St. Leon Armenian Church, and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary are proud co-sponsors of a roundtable discussion around St. Gregory of Narek’s Prayer Book, with Dr. Abraham Terian, His Grace Bishop Daniel Findikyan, and Dr. Jesse Arlen, that will take place on Monday, September 12th at 7:00pm at St. Leon Armenian Church (Abajian Hall), 12-61 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410.

Join scholars of Armenian Christianity to explore St. Gregory of Narek’s magnum opus and celebrate its recent translation into English by Abraham Terian: From the Depths of the Heart: Annotated Translation of the Prayers of St. Gregory of Narek (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press Academic, 2021).

RSVP at the following link: https://bit.ly/depth-of-the-heart

To watch on YouTube, click on https://bit.ly/StLeonEvents at the beginning of the program

terian-roundtable-flyer-e28093-sept-12-1Download

Tomorrow: A Literary Evening in New York!

On By zohrabcenterIn Zohrab Center Updates1 Comment

Join the Zohrab Information Center and the International Armenian Literary Alliance for an in-person literary evening tomorrow on August 23, 2022 at 7:00 pm ET, to hear Armenian writers read from their short stories, novels, poetry and nonfiction.

Readers include Aida Zilelian, Alan Semerdjian, Garen Torikian, Jesse Arlen, Lola Koundakjian, Nadia Owusu, Nancy Agabian, Nancy Kricorian, and Olivia Katrandjian. A wine and cheese reception will follow. 

We’ll convene on the Plaza (in front of the Cathedral), weather permitting
630 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10016

A Literary Evening: Armenian Writers in New York

On By zohrabcenterIn Events in New York, Zohrab Center Events, Zohrab Center Updates2 Comments

Join the Zohrab Information Center and the International Armenian Literary Alliance for an in-person literary evening on August 23, 2022 at 7:00 pm ET, to hear Armenian writers read from their short stories, novels, poetry and nonfiction.

Readers include Aida Zilelian, Alan Semerdjian, Garen Torikian, Jesse Arlen, Lola Koundakjian, Nadia Owusu, Nancy Agabian, Nancy Kricorian, and Olivia Katrandjian. A wine and cheese reception will follow. 

At Guild Hall of the Armenian Diocese, 630 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10016

Week 3 Readings for Tenny Arlen poetry reading group

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The third session of the 5-week reading group around Tenny Arlen’s book of poetry To Say with Passion: Why Am I Here? (Կիրքով ըսելու՝ ինչո՞ւ հոս եմ) meets tonight by Zoom.

ZOOM REGISTRATION

In the first week, UCLA Western Armenian professor Dr. Hagop Kouloujian discussed Tenny Arlen’s linguistic and creative journey, from growing up with no Armenian knowledge until the age of 20 when she began an intensive study of Armenian language and literature at UCLA and soon after began composing original poetry of her own. The poems discussed in the first session touched on themes of creativity, language, the power of speech, and poetics. 

Last week the discussion was led by Dr. Jesse Arlen around a series of poems relating to themes such as solitude, speech and silence, the individual vs. the crowd, isolation and connection.

The discussion of this week’s readings will be led by Dr. Christopher Sheklian, a postdoctoral research fellow at Radboud University and the former director of the Zohrab Information Center.

Tonight’s readings:

Հայ լեզուի խնդիրը (էջ 19) | The Problem of the Armenian Language (p. 8)
Տեղատուութիւն եւ մակընթացութիւն (էջ 22–23) | Ebb and Flow (p. 10)
Մտմտալով (էջ 38–39) | Musing (p. 18)
Հին ու նոր (էջ 48–49) | Old and New (p. 24)
Լոյս (էջ 58–59) | Light (p. 29)
Յուշագրութիւններ (էջ 71–79) | Memoirs (p. 36–40)
Մեռելածին (էջ 82–88) | Stillborn (p. 43–46)

PDFs of the book are available in Armenian and English.

The book is available for purchase here or from Abril Bookstore.
Or, be in touch directly with Jesse Arlen to arrange payment and shipping (zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org)