“Pakin” Literary Magazine organized a literary gathering to present the book An Anthology of a Variety of Writings by lawyer and former Lebanese Parliament Member Maitre Vartkes Shamlian. The meeting took place on the evening of Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at the K. and H. Armenian Hall in the Hamazkayin Levon Shant Cultural Center, in Bourj Hammoud.
Nazareth Kevorkian, the secretary of “Pakin,” welcomed the guests and explained the purpose of this event. He then presented Maitre Nazareth Kevorkian’s biography and works, shedding light on his career as a lawyer and on his literary works and published books.
Kevorkian said: “As a lawyer, Maitre Shamlian has been a member of the Bar Associations in Beirut and Quebec. From 1960 to 1964, he was a member of the Lebanese Parliament. He was also a member of the Central Committee of Hamazkayin when Simon Vratsian was its chairman. He taught ancient Armenian law at the Institute of Armenian Studies of Hamazkayin in Beirut. From 1952–1982, he was the lawyer and legal consultant of the Armenian Prelacy in Lebanon and all its affiliated councils, assemblies, schools, and compatriotic unions. He was the practicing lawyer of the Armenian Relief Cross of Lebanon, Hamazkayin, Homenetmen–Armenian General Athletic Union, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Tashnagtsoutioun), handling their affairs with state and judicial authorities.”
Afterwards, Maitre Puzant Bastajian, the event’s guest speaker, took the stage. He presented a brief overview of the book by reading excerpts. He first talked about the translations, explaining that Maitre Shamlian has translated works by various foreign authors. Then, Bastajian talked about the writings on legal topics, noting that in his book Maitre Shamlian has selected and used one-word terms that convey the complete meaning of legal matters.
The guest speaker then presented Maitre Shamlian’s writings on national and religious topics, such as “Simon Vratsian and the Establishment of Hamazkayin,” “Catholicosate of Cilicia and its Possible Discontinuation,” and “The Issue of Comic Illustrations of Prophet Mohammed.” Talking about the latter, Maitre Bastajian said that the author has underlined the limits of freedom of speech and expression, and has raised relevant questions.
Talking about the history section, Maitre Bastajian focused on three major topics: royal letters, slaves of ancient Armenia, and pre-Mashtots Armenian literature. First, the guest speaker explained how in his book Maitre Shamlian presents evidence for the existence of Armenian letters and literature before the Christianization of Armenia, and for the disappearance of that literary heritage as a result of Christianization. Talking about the royal letters, Maitre Bastajian said that they contain listings and directories of Armenian noble families. There are also army letters, which include information on Armenian regiments. The author has categorized these data in his book and, after studying the royal letters, has concluded that the Armenian army had started weakening in the 7th century, especially because of the bdeshkhs (rulers of Armenian border regions).
Finally, Maitre Bastajian talked about the slaves of ancient Armenia. According to Maitre Shamlian’s book, the practices of slavery and slave trade existed in ancient Armenia and in Cilicia. He has presented four types of slaves, who could also be women: housemaids, royal servants, temple slaves, and church slaves. The author has included quotes from the lawbook of Mkhitar Kosh, which makes reference to the royal slaves and how widespread were the practices of selling or offering them to others as gifts. The rights of these slaves varied according to their religion: a Christian slave enjoyed more rights than other slaves.
A Q & A session took place toward the end of the event.