Hovhannes Shiraz - Poetry And Poems

Hovhannes Shiraz - Poetry And Poems

Hovhannes Shiraz - Poetry And Poems


Hovhannes Shiraz (April 27, 1915 – March 14, 1984) was a notable Armenian poet.
He was born Hovhannes (Onik) Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Armenia). His mother, Astghik, was widowed by the Armenian Genocide shortly before his birth. Shiraz grew up in a considerable poverty. His first work called Beginning of Spring was published in 1935. Novelist Atrpet gave the talented poet the epithet Shiraz, because "this youth's poems have the fragrance of roses, fresh and covered with dew, like the roses of Shiraz" (Shiraz being one of Iran's major cities, famous for its roses and poets). Another version of his pen name is "Shirak azn" - a child of Shirak, the region he was from.