PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
Email: hq@naasr.org

LECTURE ON THE SASUN EPIC AT NAASR BY VISITING SCHOLAR FROM ARMENIA

Prof. Azat Yeghiazaryan, Director of the Manuk Abeghyan Institute of
Literature at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, will give a
lecture entitled "Daredevils of Sasun: The Poetics of the Armenian
National Epic," on Wednesday, October 22, at 8:00 p.m., at the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.

Daredevils of Sasun (also known as David of Sasun) was passed down for
centuries before being written down in the late 19th century. The epic
presents a rich legacy of accumulated folk wisdom and creative insight
on the human condition.

Evolving from ancient mythic roots through folkloric antecedents up to
its main period of gestation (8th-12th centuries A.D.), it tells the
tale of the life, loves, and heroic struggles of four generations of the
House of Sasun to establish their patrimony and uphold the weal of their
community against the onslaught of imperialist invaders. Water-born and
fiery-eyed, they embody their society’s ideals of freedom and guileless
nobility, empathy toward the stranger, and a spiritual affinity with all
living things. Vividly sketched with not a little humor, these hardy
mountaineers evolved imperceptibly with the community that transmitted
them, bridging the heroic era and the present day.

Prof. Yeghiazaryan has authored several monographs including Literary
Narrative: A Theoretical Review (1986) and T’umanyan’s Poetics and its
Popular Roots (1990). He has organized two international conferences on
the Armenian epic tradition and edited their collected papers. He is
also founder-editor of the institute’s official journal Handes.

The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next
to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building
and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing hq@naasr.org, or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.