Dr. Krikor Beledian

Saturday, January 31, 6 pm
Sunday, February 1, 6 pm

Glendale Public Library Auditorium
222 East Harvard Street, Glendale
(818) 548-2042

Photo by
George Grigorian

The Library will host a two-day literary event with Krikor Beledian, one
of the most important 20th century Armenian literary figures. The events
will be cosponsored by Hamazgayin Cultural Society.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr. Krikor Beledian is a leading
French-Armenian poet, novelist and critic whose work has been published
in Armenia, France, Lebanon, and by Abril Books in Glendale. Dr.
Beledian lives in Paris and teaches at the Institut Catholique in Lyons
as well as at the Paris Institut National de Langues et Civilisations
Orientales. His extensive work revolves around questions of Armenian
identity; but is most powerful in the way he uses the language to
express his thoughts.

"The Artist and His Model" – On January 31, Dr. Beledian will discuss
Levon Shant’s literary work. Levon Seghposian or Levon Shant was born on
April 6, 1869 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire and died on November 29,
1951 in Beirut; Lebanon. He was an Armenian playwright, novelist, poet,
and founder of the Hamazkayin National Cultural Foundation.

On February 1, Dr. Beledian will discuss his newly published book
Dialogue Avec Narekasti, that analyzes the literary work of Grigor
Narekatsi.

Grigor Narekatsi (951-1003) was an Armenian monk, poet, mystical
philosopher and theologian, born into a family of writers. Narekatsi’s
poetry is deeply biblical and is penetrated with images, themes and
realities of sacred history, distinguished with intimate, personal
character. The mystical poem "Book of Lamentations" (published in 1673
in Marseille) has been translated into many languages and has played a
significant role in the development of the Armenian literary language.