Yaldizciyan, Zareh

Zareh Yaldizciyan (1924-2007), better known by his pen-name Zahrad, was a native of Istanbul. He acted as the creator of modern Armenian poetry with his simple and spare work, with the natural rhythms of spoken Armenian. He is widely known among Armenians throughout the world as the foremost contemporary poet of the Western Armenian dialect.

A TRANSLATION FROM ARMENIAN INTO ENGLISH OF THE POEMS OF ZAHRAD, 1960-2004

2012 0-7734-2557-8
A first time translation from Armenian into English of the works by Zahrad, a renowned Armenian poet. The translations have been chosen by translator Sosi Antikacioglu from Zahrad’s eight volume collection which was published between 1960 and 2004. The poems demonstrate Zahrad’s optimistic style and how he takes an ironic look at the absurdity of human existence. The embattled common-man, or the weight of being an Armenian in Istanbul are but a few of his themes that are presented in a lighthearted manner, but which hold hidden meanings. Because his poetry is universal but concise, the translations in this book appeal to the English speaking reader. At the same time they show the unique culture of Armenians living in Istanbul today.