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 Hovhannes Tumanyan (Armenian: Հովհաննես Թումանյան) was born in Dsegh village (now in Lori region of RA) on February 19 (7), 1869. Armenian great poet, writer, literary and public figure. Tumanyan went to primary school in his native village, then attended Djalaloghli (now Stapanavan) parochial school. 1883-87 Tumanyan studied at Nersisyan School of Tiflis. He started to compose from the half of 1880s. 

Tumnayan’s works are highly associated with the folklore («David of sasun», 1902, poem). Armenian and oriental legends served as a base for Tumanyan’s  ballads:(“Akhtamar”, 1892, “Parvana”, 1903, “The Capture of Tmkaberb”, 1902, “The Giant”, 1908, “A Drop of Honey”, 1909, “The Pigeon’s monastery”,  1913, “The Shah and the Peddler”, 1917). At the beginning of the 20th century Tumanyan processed more than two dozens Armenian folk tales [“The Master and the Servant” (1908), “The Pot of Gold”  (1908), “Nazar the Brave” (1912)], translated the fairy-tales by the Brothers Grimm, as well as Russian, Indian, Japanese, Italian folk tales, etc. 

Novels by Tumanyan are unique in the Armenian prose, “Gikor”(1895, published in 1907, film of the same name, 1934, 1982) is among them. “The Dog and the Cat” (1886, published in 1892), “Unlucky merchants” (1886, published in  1899), etc. are the best literary works in the children’s literature. In the last years of his life Tumanyan wrote many quatrains. 

The literary cycle “Vernatun” was organized by the initiative of Tumanyan in Tiflis in 1899. Tumanyan was also the author of articles in which the issues concerning the social life, literature, folklore and development of the Armenian language were discussed.  He pursued  research on works of Nahapet Kuchak, Naghash Hovnatan, Sayat-Nova. He also translated works of A. Pushkin, G. Bayron, M. Lermontov. 

Tumanyan was actively involved in social life. 1905-1907 he made great efforts to stop Armenian-Tatar clashes instigated by Tsarist authorities, for which he was arrested twice (1908-09, 1911-12).  

During World War I he cooperated with General Andranik, was twice in Western Armenia, was personally (with daughter) involved in the organization of aid to Western Armenian refugees, particularly orphans gathered in Echmiatsin. In 1918 he founded the Union of the Armenian Patriotic Associations for organizing self-defense of people on- site.  After World War in the frame of the Union of Armenian Patriotic Associations a commission headed by Tumanyan was established to prepare a document on the war damages suffered by Armenians to present it at the upcoming Congress in Paris. 

H. Tumanyan died on March 23, 1923 in Moscow, was buried in Khojivank Pantheon of Tbilisi and the heart was buried in Dsegh village.

Tumanyan’s  Museum is in Yerevan and the home-museum is in Dsegh. Yerevan State Puppet Theatre, schools, streets, libraries in Yerevan and other cities are named after him.  In 1980 Writer’s Union of Armenia established annual Tumanyan literary award.