Vahan Totovents

Vahan Hovhannesi Totovents (; September 1, 1889 - July 18, 1938) was an Armenian writer, poet and public activist.

Biography
Vahan Totovents was born in Mezire, Western ArmeniaTotovents in Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian) (modern Turkey). He studied in Armenia and Istanbul, then at Wisconsin University which he finished in 1915.

He was a volunteer in the Caucasian front during World War I, and served as the bodyguard and translator for the secretary of General Andranik Ozanian, about whom he wrote memoires and published them in 1920. In Tbilisi Totovents edited the "Hayastan" paper, the official organ of Andranik.

Since 1922 he lived in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia. In 1938 he became a victim of Stalinism.The list of victims of stalinism (in Russian)

Works
The works of Totovents were published from 1907. He is the author of "Doctor Burbonian" (1918), "Death battalion" (1923), "New York" (1927), "Baku" (v. 1-3, 1930-34), "Jonathan, Son of Jeremiah" novels, stories and dramas. He influenced to Armenian literature especially by his "Life on the Old Roman Road" autobiographical novel (1930, "A piece of sky" film by Henrik Malian) which "reflect the society, culture, and mores not only of the Armenians of his childhood but also of their neighbors in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire".A World of Books 2002: International Multiculturalism

Other websites
Vahan Totovents (1893-1938)  Présentation de ses mémoires sur le Général Antranik (in French)
Totovents at Amazon.com

References

Category:Armenian writers
Category:Armenian poets
Category:1893 births
Category:1938 deaths
Category:Armenian activists