Hagop Baronian

Hagop Baronian
File:Hagop Baronian.jpg
Born	19 November 1843 Adrianople, Ottoman Empire
Died	27 May 1891 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Occupation	Author, newspaper editor, educator
Nationality	Armenian
Genre	Satire
Subject	Society, politics

Hagop Baronian (pronounced in Eastern Armenian as Hakop Paronyan, TAO: Յակոբ Պարոնեան, RAO: Հակոբ Պարոնյան, 1843–1891) was an influential Ottoman Armenian writer, satirist, educator, and social figure in the 19th century. Born in Edirne, Baronian is widely acknowledged as the greatest Armenian satirist of all time, closely followed by Yervant Odian.

File:Metsapativ murackanner.djvu

Cover of Metsapativ Muratskanner

Baronian's most famous work was the book Medzabadiv Muratsganner ("Honorable Beggars"), which parodies the almost beggar-like state of writers and publishers in that period. Baronian was also known for his biting, sarcastic criticisms of leading figures in the Armenian social circles of Istanbul; some of these critical comments appear in his book Azkayin Chocher ("National Bigshots"). Unfortunately, he himself suffered the same fate as the characters in Medzabadiv Mouratsganner, and died penniless on the streets of Istanbul. He was buried in an Armenian cemetery in Istanbul, but the precise location of his grave has been lost.

Tributes

The Yerevan State Musical Comedy Theatre was named after Hagop Baronian (Armenian: Հակոբ Պարոնյանի անվան Պետական Երաժշտական Կոմեդիայի Թատրոն).

References

• Parlakian, Nishan (2001). Modern Armenian Drama: An Anthology. New York: Columbia University Press, p. 61.