Muse of Sheerak, The

Avetik Issahakian, one of the most popular of Armenian poets, was born in 1875 in Alexandropol (now Leninakan) in the District of Sheerak, dominated by the four-peaked Mount Aragats, in the north-west of Soviet Armenia. His name is closely associated with his native Sheerak, which has been the source of inspiration for many of his works.

Issahakian started writing poetry at an early age, and he gained immediate popularity with the publication of his very first book of verses, when he was barely twenty-three. The present volume consists mainly of his long poem, 'Abou Lala Mahari’, which is considered to be his masterpiece. Written in 1909, it is an outburst against the injustice of society at that time. It takes the form of an imaginary flight into the immensity of the desert by the hero, imbued with hatred against Mankind, which he can no longer tolerate. Included in this volume are also a few of Issahakian’s popular short poems.