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Gomidas Institute Progress Report

Ara Melkonian's Presentation to GI Academic Board

STAFF WRITER

London, 9 April 2007. At the fourth academic board meeting of the Gomidas Institute, Ara Melkonian introduced his work carried out over the past 18 months as a Fellow of the Institute.  

In his presentation Ara covered three key aspects of his work: his background within Armenian Studies; his engagement with Gomidas Institute projects to date; and his projected work through the Institute in the next calendar year and beyond.

Ara explained that the turning point in his development in Armenian studies was his period of study at the Nichan Palandjian Djemaran (Armenian College of Beirut), where he not only learned his Armenian, but also gained invaluable insights into Armenian subjects. He specialised in Armenian history and language, publishing several monographs and articles. This training led him to explore Armenian issues over the years at close quarters, especially in relation to modern (19^th and 20^th century) Armenian history.

However, as Ara explained, the Armenian language has always been his passion, and he has always felt that there is a need to translate Armenian literary and historical works into English, so that the English-speaking public will have access to masterpieces of Armenian literature and history and thus be better able to understand Armenia and Armenians.

He began working with the Gomidas Institute in 2005, translating various texts into English, and working with Ara Sarafian on several projects, as well as assisting him in editorial matters.

Ara’s works to date include Vahram Dadrian’s Forsaken Love (2007), Raffi’s Tajkahayk (forthcoming, 2007), Yervant Odian’s Accursed Years (forthcoming, 2007), General Antranig Ozanian’s The Battle of Arakelots Monastery (forthcoming, 2007).

These translations have occasionally been somewhat difficult, as the original books were written in western, eastern and sometimes dialect Armenian, as well as utilising some Turkish (which Ara doesn’t speak); particular difficulties encountered were resolved with the kind assistance of translators in the United States and Armenia, with whom he has very cordial relations.

He has several more translations in progress, and is considering translating Raffi’s Davit Bek and Samvel by 2008.

He is also working with Ara Sarafian to develop and implement a new strategy to assist the Institute’s book and publications programme.

Ara Melkonian hopes that his visit to Armenia in June this year will help to cement the existing relations between the Institute and various educational bodies, libraries and museums there, as well as promoting and publicising the Institute and its publications among NGOs, intellectuals and the English-reading public.

Longer term, he is also amassing materials from original sources concerning the survivors of the 1915 genocide and is creating a database of them that will be a new page on the Institute’s website.

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Ara Melkonian is a Fellow at the Gomidas Institute, London, where he specializes in Armenian-English translations and works on other special projects. His recent work includes translations of Vahram Dadrian’s Forsaken Love (Taderon Press, 2006) and Raffi’s Tajkahayk, (Taderon Press, 2007), as well as “Memory Faultlines” which appeared in the July 2006 issue of Ancestors, the journal of the British National Archives.

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Last modified on 13 November 2007.