THE DIARY OF THE LAST YEARS OF LIFE – 2017-2

Summary

Margarita M. Khachatryan

Key words – Hamastegh, Hakob Khashmanyan, Aram Haykaz, concerns of Diaspora Armenians, faith in the future, nostalgia for the homeland, special message to the Armenians around the world.

Hamastegh is one of the prominent figures of Armenian literature in the Diaspora. His rich literary heritage after a whole century makes the reader happy with new ideas. Fortunately, the archive and most part of the books in Armenian of the writer’s library are kept in the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art,, Thanks to that it is possible to reach a better understanding of the writer’s inner world through his letters, and to see the origin of his nostalgia that is hard to translate into other languages. Aram Haykaz and Hakob Khashmanyan were friends of Hamastegh. Hamastegh and Hakob Khashmanyan were members of ARF Dashnaktsutyun, and Aram Haykaz was an active supporter, but they skilfully avoided party political barriers, and noted with satisfaction the positive changes that took place in the Soviet Union. However, Hamastegh could not fulfill his dream and he never saw his country in the shadow of Mount Ararat, which is part of the homeland of Armenians, but he was always writing and speakng with pride about the efforts of the Armenian people to preserve and enrich their identity and culture.

In the autumn of 1966, the 70th anniversary of Hamastegh and the 70th anniversary of his literary activities were celebrated. Hamastegh participated in three jubilee events. At this time, the writer was concerned about the guests who came from Soviet Armenia to visit him. The letters will help the reader to understand the problems and disappointments of Armenians living in the United States, as well as their faith in the future of the Armenians.

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