PERSIAN-SPEAKING SON OF ARMENIANS
Iran Book News Agency
Sept 5 2012
It is a fact acknowledged by the literati and linguistic experts
that gaining mastery over many aspects of a foreign language and its
creative usage is like simultaneously thinking, living and creating in
two bodies. The significance of knowing a foreign language and gaining
mastery over close and original translation of books and texts from
a foreign language is a valuable and multidimensional cultural service.
Meanwhile a person who has spent his whole life on learning a
non-global language limited to a small geographical area- such as
Armenian Language and Literature - has attained a unique and admirable
position. Ahamd Nourizadeh is one of them.
IBNA - Farshad Shirazi: Ahmad Nourizadeh is poet, translator,
researcher, and founder of the School of Persian Armenian Studies,
has been active in a vast realm of Armenian history and culture and
has travelled to many countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Canada and
America. He was born in October 1951 in Ghazian district of Bandar
Anzali. His father was a firefighter of the Fisheries Organization
who passed away in 1984. His mother was a hardworking woman that had
to work in the houses of other families to maintain her poor family
with seven sons and a daughter.
Recalling his memories of the past, Ahmad remembers how he wept and
pressed his father for New Year clothes, and how his father had to
borrow money from the acquaintances to buy new clothes for him, as well
as for all other kids. That time in Ghazian district, there was a man
named Sharbatuqli, a Turk who walked around with new suits and clothes
on his shoulder and the kids chose the suits and took their fathers to
buy them. Later at high school age, Ahmad and his brothers realize that
they should not press their father for new clothes and had to suffice
with a single suit for years as mother mended them to last longer.
Ahmad has travelled around the world, is awarded by the President
of Armenia and even received an honor's degree from the University
of Erevan.
We have talked with him about everything, from poetry and translation
to all other things in life and Nourizadeh has responded to all
questions with a smile on his face.
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What is your main specialty - poetry or translation?
My main specialty is translation of Armenian culture and literature -
both poetry and prose. I have got an anthology titled 'A Hundred Years
of Armenian Poetry' that includes the works of more than 74 Armenian
poets. You know that translating is not easy. In order to compose a
poem you may focus on a mental background and compose your poem based
on that motivation. But translating a poem also includes a matter of
choice. You should consider the time and place of the audiences and see
what the artistic interests of a Persian-speaking audience are, and
then try to translate from that kind of art. As I said, I am working
on literary realism and other poets can pick other works and subjects.
How did you begin learning Armenian language?
Somehow I started this cultural activity in 1969. I had learnt the
colloquial and conversational Armenian at age 5 with the help of
a dear lady called Arshi Babayan - 'Arshalous Babayan'. She taught
me the alphabet. I began translation by working on a few new books
by Armenian poets, like 'Galost Khaniyan' nicknamed 'Khanness' -
the books were 'The Miraculous Power' and 'Greetings to You, Oh
Man'. Then I went to Isfahan University.
The university had an 'Armenian Studies' department and there I learnt
the written language of Armenian well. Then I improved in translation,
went to Armenia and kept on studying Armenian Language and Literature
to professorship degree at the Northern University of Armenia. At the
moment I have got about 30 books all of which are either translations
or compilations. Some of them have reached third print that is an
achievement for any author in the present printing situations.
I have read somewhere that the Armenian languages are rooted in
Iranian ones. Please elaborate on this.
The old Armenian language that is known as Õ£O~@Õ¡Õ¢Õ¡O~@ (grabar)
is highly influenced by Pahlavi Ashkani language. Let me bring
an example. In Persian you have 'poshtibaani' for the word
'support' and they say 'baasht-banel'. Well there are similar
origins. 'Expensiveness' is 'geraani' in Persian while they say
'taang' that is similar to Iranian expression 'tang amadan' (hard
economic pressure). These interactions are common between all neighbor
countries and are also common between Armenian and Persian due to
long history of relations and cultural affinities.
Tell us about your relationship with Armenians. How did it officially
begin?
I started my cooperation in 1973 with the translation of 'The
Miraculous Power'. At the moment I have 30 books of about 7000 pages
the most outstanding of which is the book 'History and Culture of
Armenia'. This is a compilation, that is, I have spent many years of
sleeplessness on writing it down.
And what is the content of this book?
It is the history of Armenia from pre-Christian millennia to 1990
that coincides with the downfall of the Soviet Regime. Another book
of mine titled 'Apple Garden, Rain and other stories' is a collection
of prose by well-known Armenian writers.
And how did you find connections in the embassy and important figures
in the country?
I have had no connection with the embassy except for the time the
Armenian Embassy sent invitations to my address to speech gatherings.
Yet recently Mr. Michaelian Armenian ambassador in Iran awarded me
a golden medal that very few artists in the world have been given.
Don't the Armenians try to tighten the relationship with you?
No, they just issue visas or invite me to their country when necessary.
You have travelled to many countries for the promotion of Armenian
culture and arts. Which countries?
Syria, Lebanon, Canada, Austria, and some other countries. I have
made speeches in Damascus and Aleppo that are important cities of
this country, as well as in Lebanon. Moreover I have made a speech
in Toronto, Canada.
How much do you make use of Armenian poetry?
I have only translated them, and do not take them as intellectual
help. I have translated the poems of more than 89 Armenian poets mostly
from the second decade of the 19th century to the second decade of the
twentieth century. For instance 'A Hundred Years of Armenian Poetry'
focuses on the last 19th to the late 20th centuries. The book was
well received by Iranian critics.
What do contemporary Armenian poets have to tell us? How do you assess
their poems?
Contemporary Armenian poetry is inspired by the poets' lives. And as
citizens they are inspired by everyday phenomena. And of course this
is not limited to a particular school. But since I am interested in
social realism I prefer to translate such poems.
To what degree are the Armenians aware of your cultural activities
and precious services to them?
They are fully aware of this and have often praised me in the Armenian
media and other places from Armenia to Lebanon, Syria, Austria, Canada
and the U.S. In these countries they respect my works and know me
well and have written a lot on me as well. The Armenian nation has
been appreciative.
Tell us about your poems in Armenian as some of them are put in
Armenian schoolbooks.
Some of my verses are included in Armenian schoolbooks both in Iran
ad in Armenia. It is called 'Masis Sar Che', that means, Masis is not
a Mountain. The Armenians praise Masis to the state of divinity. It
is interesting that no Armenian book has ever reached second print
except for this one.
Do Armenians of Iran know you as well?
Yes, they do. Some Armenians migrated to Iran after the genocide from
Ottoman Turkey. They reside in Iran now. Some others have migrated
in the years between 1887 and 1895 from Armenia.
How do you define your relationship with Armenian culture and arts
in a framework?
Let me show you a magazine...This is the most valid Armenian monthly
magazine that is published in Iran. They call me a Persian-speaking
son of Armenian nation. They have admitted this.
I know that you have converted the works of many Armenian writers to
Persian. How well do you know them?
I have translated verse and prose from Armenian literature. The verse
literature I have included in 'A Hundred Years of Armenian Poetry'
and the prose literature are published in some volumes including
'Apple Garden, Rain and other stories'.
Have you translated works by avant-garde writers to Persian, too?
Yes in the same book. If you take a look, I have chosen works by
well-known Armenian writers.
I do not mean well-known writers. I mean contemporary writers.
Contemporary writers of Armenia feel a historical bereavement.
What do you mean by historical bereavement?
I mean the Great Massacre of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey.
You mean that all contemporary writers just focus on this?
No, but all writers are affected by this historical bereavement,
and yet focus on the everyday lfie in front of them.
So the contemporary Armenian writers talk about today's Armenian life -
the social, political and cultural life?
In my collection, there are works by such writers. For instance,
Estepan Zoriyan is an authentic writer in this regard, as well as
Ghostan Zariyan, or George Mahary.
What is the gist of their works? What do they have to offer apart
from the genocide? I mean the events that take place today in 2012.
These writers reflect the common life with their own viewpoints
whether it is surrealism or modernism. They try to show the real
social life and great pains of the Armenian man. Of course they do
not insist that this man is necessarily Armenian.
What is this great pain in their opinion?
Unemployment in many countries.
How about unemployment in their own lives?
They have a thousand other pains. For a long time they were under the
dominance of the soviet regime and when they set free and established
the independent Republic of Armenia, they have suffered from many
pains and unemployment as well. An artist should express the social
problems of his time.
How difficult was translating these works?
With no exaggeration intended, I should confess that in know Armenian
better that Armenians and I am even familiar with Old Armenian known
as Grabar. It has a long history and is originated in Pahlavi Ashkani,
this helps me a lot when translating these works.
How did the audiences face the translations of 'Peter I', 'Apple
Garden...' and other works?
'Peter I' of course does not relate to the Armenians. I have just
translated it from Armenian language and the writer is Aleksey
Tolstoy. This is a historical novel penned by a Russian. I have added
footnotes to make the text more clear for Iranian readers.
Is Armenian - like Persian - moving towards more simplicity?
No, of course there are new emerging schools of Armenian literature
especially in poetry by poets who have no historical background, and
as today's poets speak of things under the title of postmodernism that
has nothing to do with the real lives of the mass. I say this because
I have travelled there for speech and know them in person. The life
of Armenians after the Soviet regime is even harder than before. They
are living a difficult life.
Economically?
Yes, but they are free now.
Among all your translations, which one is your own choice?
The book that took seven years of my life and makes a survey of the
Armenian verse including over a hundred poets, 'A Hundred Years of
Armenian Poetry'. All these poems are included in this anthology. They
could be introduced to Iranian poets of the time, but more than that
I like 'The History and Cultrue of Armenia'.
What else are planning to publish on Armenian culture and arts?
At the moment I am translating some collections of poetry by eminent
poets 'Vahagan Davetiyan' and 'Baro Serag'.
Have you ever translated a work by an Iranian poet?
Yes, 'Vera Rand' is an Armenian-speaking Iranian poet. I have
translated Rand's "Flying Fall".
I read somewhere that you believe that poetry can be 'meaning-fugal'.
With the emergence of postmodern poetry in recent years, the postmodern
poetry is getting more attention. How do you find their poetry?
The only school that I fully trust in is the literary realism. As
a poet and translator I only work on realist works and believe that
this school can truly express the needs and spiritual tensions of the
poet-self. In order to succeed in the cultural sphere, I advise poets
to pay attention to literary realism. Read such books and learn from
this school.
So do you acknowledge the works of postmodern poets as true poetry?
I respect all poets of my country Iran and I am interested in many
of them. I have long acquaintances with some of them and translated
their works to Armenian.
Mohammad Hoquqi believed that poetry occurs in language. And a foreign
poet says poetry is making the impossible possible. What is your
definition of poetry?
In my opinion, poetry is to discover the reality of life and
expressing it to the best in a poem. When you discover a reality,
you should present it in the best form of art in order to satisfy
your reader. The expression should also be tangible for them.
What place does poetry hold in your life?
Poetry is the whole of my life. I was born with poetry, lived with
it and hope to leave the world with it. For poetry is the only truth
discovered in life. Poetry is the most beautiful art given to human
beings. Painting is also another kind of art and the painters can claim
it to be the most beautiful. But I prefer poetry as the most beautiful.
You have been acquainted with a cycle of poets from Nosrat Rahmani
to Nader Naderpoor. How did you get familiar with them?
Since 1973 that I started translation, I have made friends with many
poets of the country because of my personal interest in Persian poetry,
including Nosrat Rahmani, Nader Naderpoor, and Esmail Shahroodi. I used
to live in the house of Nosrat Rahmani - with his mother and brother.
Tell us a little of your memories with Nosrat Rahmani.
I have many memories with Nosrat that I have related here and there
- even with poets like Esmail Raha and others. My best friend was
Nader Naderpoor. He had a house on South Amirabad Street and I used
to sleep there.
When did you first publish your poems? And where?
My first poem was published in a local newspaper titled 'Setareh
Soheil' in Bandar Anzali.
Do your poems belong to the past or the present?
I have never written a poem that has nothing to do with the present. I
am a realist poet and my works are realistic, but sometimes I have
also added the spice of love to them. In my books of poetry such as
"Let Jasmines Spray Perfume", "At Lonely Night and World Winter" and
the last that I will publish under the title of "When I Recall You"
I have actually made use of my mental memories, and address someone
that is alive in memories. I have a collection of poems on this that
will be soon released.
Do you believe in Blank Verse?
The White Verse of Iran was pioneered by figures like Shamlou and
others. I even respect the advocates of New Poetry but personally I
prefer the realist poetry over others.
A poet used to say that all happenings happen in form. What do
you think?
They are the formalists. I accept form as an ornament for poetry but
do not accept that form is all a poem is.
The lyrical poetry has always had its own fans with a large number
of audiences. The lyrical poetry in Iran is rooted in the fifth and
6th centuries and the Iraqi School. What place does this hold in the
present Iran?
We have many schools of poetry and arts in our country, from formalism
to realism and other schools. But I would rather stick to the realist
school.
Do not end it here, please! Lyrical poetry is a dominant part of
your poems.
I have many lyrical poems but still I prefer the realistic ones where
human being is the center of poetry - that is, one should accept the
human reality and expand it.
And one of your poems you like most?
There are many poems in 'At Lonely Night and World Winter'. But there
is one that I like more than others:
At Lonely Night When the world was ruined to the most sorrowful memory
My heart went astray as far as your blues And I knew nothing Where
to settle my moments down At lonely night everywhere Was ripe with
memories And all memories were your blues At lonely night I grappled
with your fancy And it was beautiful
How many hours a day do you read?
I read for a few hours. But these days most of my time is spent
on writing down my novel. The novel I am writing is titled 'In the
Passageway of Suffering". This is a three-volume-to-be novel that is
in fact my autobiography. The first volume includes my life since I
was six years old.
Apart from literature, what else do you study?
I have a large interest in contemporary sciences, including cybernetics
and bionics. Bionics is the science of nature. But I mostly study
in human sciences and sociology. As I believe that human being is a
social animal. It means that if you remove human from his society,
you will face an animal society.
What do you plan to do in 2012?
I hope to complete the third volume of the novel in 2012 and then
pick up other novels!
What paintings do you like?
I am interested in the works of Shishkin , 19th century Russian
painter.
And your favorite music?
I have some cassettes by Haji Beigov, an Azerbaijani musician. Also
I like Azeri music, especially the Layli and Majnun.
What is your favorite sports if you ever decided to do sports?
At them oment I prefer hiking.
In the past?
I was a footballer and had many footballer friends, like Ghafoor
Jahani or Aziz Espandar in Anzali. A well-known footballer known as
Akbar Kargar Jam - then the captain of Taj and right Half-back of
the national team - was my friend.
What books would you suggest to people?
I suggest scientific books and would like to advise the youth to learn
more about human sciences, because this will play a key role in their
future. Many phenomena happen in our lives without which we may lead a
futile life. Many sciences: one is computer sciences and the internet.
Anyone not familiar with the internet and contemporary sciences should
begin to worry for himself. Contemporary sciences are in fact hacking
us now.
You wife is an artist. Have you ever sought her opinion when composing
poems or writing books?
I make use of the opinions of many including my wife. We are in
mental harmony.
How about your make a living? Are you satisfied?
I the last decades of my cultural life I have worked in many newspapers
including the Ettelaat - that is the most valid newspaper in the
country. I have been the chief editor of provinces and then I decided
to quit. I hope that the media conditions in the country change for
better so that the journalists can made a better living. I regard a
journalist as a worker who earns money by efforts of his pen.
And hope that one day all cultural figures can be well-off by means
of cultural activities.
Works - "A Hundred Years of Armenian Poetry" - translation & research -
"Apple Garden, Rain, and other stories" - collection and translation -
"Peter I" - Aleksey Tolstoy - "Let Jasmines Spray Perfume" poetry - "At
Lonely Night and World Winter", poetry - "Greetings to You Armenians",
poetry in Armenian - "At Lonely Night and Dreams" poetry in Armenian -
"Flying Fall"- Vera Rand, translation - "Amalia"- Nar Dess, translation
- "Hunchbacked White Poplars", poetry - "The Miraculous Power" - Galos
Khaniyan, translation - "Greetings to You, Oh Man" - Galos Khaniyan,
translation - "Blue Lullabies", Mahagan Davetiyan, translation
http://www.ibna.ir/v...h8eoi.1kbj.html
