PARONYAN Hakob was born on November 19, 1843 in Adrianapolis. Armenian writer, satirist, publicist, journalist. He studied at the Arshakunyan Gymnasium in Adrianapolis. In 1863 Paronyan moved to Constantinople and was engaged in literary-journalistic work. He worked at the periodicals “Morning Pipe”, “Euphrates” (editor from 1871), from 1872 he was the editor of “Bee” journal. He was also a teacher. Paronyan’s first works were comedies “Servant of Two Masters” (1865, published in 1911) and “The Eastern Dentist” (1868). His satirical-publicistic articles on the Armenian national social, family, moral life of the 19th century, journalism and theatre were published in the periodicals “Bee”, “Theatre”, “Experience”, “Masis” (“Here, there”, “Alafranka”, “Prediction of the theatre”, “National diary”, “Pinches”, “A Tour in Polis Neighborhoods”, “The Notebook of Hoshos”).

The novels “Paghtasar Aghbar”, "The Cost of Being Polite” “The Conversation of the Dead” were published in “Khikar” satirical magazine in 1886-87. In “The Conversation of the Dead” he touched upon such themes, as the truth alienated from life, conscience, compassion, Humanism. 

The characters of the novel "The Cost of Being Polite” are the victims of fraud deprived of individuality and will, repressed by the senseless rules of politeness. “Paghtasar Aghbar” is considered to be one of the greatest comedies in the Armenian classical dramaturgy and is singled out by witty solutions of the conflicts and by comic elements of speech and situation. 

In 1886 "Honorable Beggars" was published in separate issues (in one book in 1887). The main characters of the novel are the representatives of the Armenian intelligentsia who fell into the spiritual poverty because of the socio-political conditions and began to flatter the provincial, ignorant, wealthy Abisoghom agha. 

Paronyan wrote also many critical articles on art (theatre, music) and the issues of Literature. H. Paronyan died on May 27, 1891. 

 

Source - "Who is Who. The Armenians" Encyclopedia, Volume I, chief-editor Hovh. Ayvazyan, Yerevan, 2007.

 
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