Armenian Literature or Literature on Armenia

Mesrop Mashtoz
Sayat Nova
Nahapet Khutschak
Eghishe Charents
Ossip Mandelstam
Andrei Bitov
Armenian Electronic Library



Mesrop Mashtoz invented the armenian alphabet to translate the bible into Armenian. He also developed a caucasus-albanian and a georgian alphabet. His poems are lyrical and faithful.
Illustration from a Matanaderan manuscript

Sayat Nova is the armenian gussan, the poet of love, the last troubadour. His poems are sung and recited by Armenians all over the world.

Nahapet Koutchak is the poet of hairen, poems which consist of four verses by 15 syllabs each. His poetry is pure renaissance: live the life intensively and enjoy the beauty of the world. So he writes about love, love which gets its rules only from the heart.

Eghische Charents, painted by Martiros Sarjan
Eghishe Charents is the armenian poet of the 20th century. His work mirrors the history and misery of Armenia of the first half of the twentieth century: from the times of sultan Abdul Hamid II to the 1915 genocid to Bolshevism and Stalinism. His life was full of greatness and tragic, very armenian.

Egishe Charents: I love the sun sweet taste of Armenia
More poems by Charents are published at the webpages of the Armenian Youth Federation, Eastern USA

Ossip Mandelstam
In 1930, Ossip Mandelstam travelled to Armenia and found a short spiritual exile there before the stalinistic orcus swallowed him.

Andrei Bitov

Andrei Bitov published his Lessons from Armenia in 1969, that time in a censored version.
Now this book is in print again, in the original version: Lessons of Armenia, journey out of Russia as part of A Captive of the Caucasus.

one short lesson


The Armenian Electronic Library: Armeniahouse offers a rich choice of armenian literature, books in history and religion in armenian, russian and english language. An invaluable Service for all readers, who are interested in Armenia.


excuse me for this short selection of armenian literature, it is just my personal selection and I am just starting with my knowledge on Armenia...

If you have difficulties to find armenian music or literature in your local shops, try


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