On July 2, 2023, the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, as part of its 95th anniversary celebration, held a book launch at the Shirvanyan Youth Center in Gyumri. The event celebrated Requiem, by the renowned author Razmik Davoyan. Members of Davoyan’s family were in attendance, as were his friends and members of the public.
The celebration began with a performance by soprano Leonara of Grung by Gomidas.
Greetings were offered by Artashes Shahbazian, a member of the Hamazkayin Central Executive Board; Ruzan Arakelyan, director of the Hamazkayin Yerevan Office; and Armenuhi Davoyan, who compiled and published this edition of the book.
The scholar Karine Martirosyan provided a literary analysis of the poem Requiem. The poet Andranik Karapetyan, chairperson of the Shirak Provincial Division of the Writers’ Union of Armenia, the poets Roza Hovhannisyan and Lusine Aghajanyan, the writer-warrior Rafik Ghazinyan, and the philologist Lusine Ginosyan also spoke about the book.
One of the guests, Gohar Hovhannisyan, was so moved by the event as to read a passage of the book aloud.
In addition, planned recitals were offered by Ruzanna Majunhyan of the Gyumri Youth Palace, by Veronika Beglaryan, and by Gyumri pupil Mariam Hovhannisyan.
Davoyan had worked hard to establish Hamazkayin in Armenia. For thirty years, he was not only an active presence in the organization but also expended its footprint to Gyumri. On this day, the air of Gyumri reverberated with his poesy.
See the video at https://youtu.be/kVFRiLtL6-A
Ara Nakhshkaryan
