Shushanik Kurghinian facts for kids
Shushanik Kurghinian (Armenian: Շուշանիկ Կուրղինյան) was an Armenian writer. She was born in 1876 and passed away in 1927. Shushanik became very important in creating socialist and feminist poetry. People said she "gave a voice to those who had none." She believed her role as a poet was deeply connected to politics.
Her first poem was published in 1899. In 1900, her first short story appeared. Shushanik started the first women's political group in Alexandropol. She then had to move to Rostov on Don to avoid being arrested by the government. Her first book of poems, Ringing of the Dawn, came out in 1907. One of her poems was even translated into English.
After the Russian Revolution, she returned to Soviet Armenia in 1921. She lived there until she died. Shushanik knew many famous Armenian artists and writers of her time. These included Vrtanes Papazian, Avetik Isahakian, and Hovhannes Toumanian.
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Early Life and Education
Shushanik Popoljian was born in Alexandropol (now Gyumri), Armenia. Her family worked as artisans. Shushanik was lucky because education was becoming more open to working-class people. She went to an all-girls' school at a local monastery. Later, she attended the Alexandropol Arghutian Girls' School.
In 1895, she studied at a Russian high school. These schools were set up by Tsar Alexander III. He wanted to make the Caucasus region more Russian and expand the Russian Empire. At school, Shushanik's talent for writing was noticed and encouraged by her teachers.
Life as a Writer and Activist
When she was 21, Shushanik married Arshak Kurghinian. He was part of a secret socialist group in the Caucasus. In 1903, she moved to Rostov on Don with her two children. Arshak stayed in Alexandropol. Shushanik faced many difficulties and was very poor.
She became deeply involved with the Russian revolutionary movement. Some of her most powerful poems were written between 1907 and 1909. These were the years she was connected to the working-class revolutionary groups in Rostov.
Her first book of poetry, Arshaluysi ghoghanjner (Ringing of the Dawn), was published in Nor Nakhijevan in 1907. This book was written after the failed Russian Revolution of 1905. A person named Aleksandr Myasnikyan helped her publish it. Her second book was heavily criticized and not allowed to be published by the government.
From the late 1910s until the October Revolution, she kept writing. She also took part in social projects. However, her poor health limited what she could do. In 1921, after Armenia became part of the Soviet Union, she moved back to her hometown, Alexandropol.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1925, Shushanik traveled to Kharkov and Moscow for medical treatment. She returned home feeling disappointed. In 1926, after an earthquake in Leninakan (Alexandropol), she moved to Yerevan. There, writers welcomed her with great excitement.
Because of her health problems, Kurghinian passed away at age 51 in Yerevan on November 24, 1927. She was buried in the Komitas Pantheon. Shushanik Kurghinian is seen as one of the people who started feminist and working-class literature in the Armenian language.
Images for kids
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Shushanik Kurghinian's memorial at the Komitas Pantheon-Park
See also
In Spanish: Shushanik Kurghinian para niños
