Armenia is one of the oldest cultures in the world that still exists today and the length of their literary history reflects that.

The Armenian alphabet was created by Saint Msrop Mashtots in 405 AD and was a pivotal moment allowing Armenia’s rich oral tradition of story telling to be cemented by the written word. The earliest known writings of Armenia are from the th century, which is considered by many to be Armenia’s golden age of literature.

Some notable authors from Medieval Armenia were Movses Khorenatsi who is referred to as the “Father of Armenian History” with his most famous work being called, unsurprisingly History of Armenia. 

Another famous figure from this period is Saint Gregory of Narek who was a poet and a theologian. His writings in Book of Lamentations is considered one of the greatest works of Armenian literature. 

Armenian literature has such a storied history that the early modern period of Armenian literature started in the 16th century and the first Armenian printer, Hakob Meghapart, who developed his printing techniques in 1516 while living in Venice.

Another prominent work from that century was the History of Vartan and the Armenian War by Yegishe, which detailed battle against the Persians.

In the 19th Century, Armenia experienced a revival of nationalism, and with it a literary revival as well. This period gave rise to romanticism that was also flourishing in other parts of the world, and many of the works from that period reflected Armenia’s complicated relationship with the Ottomon Empire.

In 1841, Khachatur Abovian wrote Wounds of Armenia, establishing him as a pioneer of modern Armenian literature and making Wounds of Armenia one of the first known modern Armenian novels.

Fully bringing Armenian literature into the modern era was Hakob Melik Hakobian who went by the mononym “Raffi” as his penname. 20th century Armenian author Aa Baliozian has called Raffi Armenia’s “greatest novelist of the 19th century.”

In the early 20th Century, Armenia experienced a mass genocide at the hands of the Turks in 1915, where approximately 1-2 million Armenians were exiled or killed. This horrific event had a significant influence on Armenian authors moving forward. Atom Yarjanian, also known as Siamanto wrote “Bloody News from my Friend” which documented the unthinkable horrors of the genocide, while The Gardens of Silihdar depict life before and after the tragic events.

In 1991, Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union, which finally brings us to the true modern era of Armenian literature. Today Armenian literature is rich and diverse. due to Armenia’s fantastically long history, which can be traced back as far as the Bronze Age.

As such, readers have a wide range of books to choose from when selecting an Armenian author. This resilient nation likely has something for just about everyone.