Moushegh Ishkhan (1914-1990)

Moushegh Ishkhan (1914-1990)

Moushegh Ishkhan (Jenderejian) was born in Sivri Hisar in 1914. In 1915, together with the Armenian population of Sivri Hisar, he was exiled and in 1924 reached Damascus. There, until 1928, he attended the Armenian National School, after which he moved to Cyprus. He studied for two years at the Melkonian College, where Hagop Oshagan was one of his teachers. In the summer of 1930, he went to Beirut and became a student of the boarding school of the then newly opened Djemaran of Hamazkayin. Five years later, he graduated from the Armenian Djemaran and became a teacher there. In 1938, he went to Belgium, where he studied child education and literature for two years. In 1940, he returned to Beirut. He dedicated himself to education, teaching Armenian language, Armenian literature, education and psychology. The school, his lessons, his books, and literature became his whole world. Since publishing his poetry in “Hayrenik” for the first time in 1932, he remained faithful to his writing vocation, and published several volumes of poetry and prose. The inner drive behind the literature of Moushegh Ishkhan is the struggle of the immigrant Armenian against annihilation and for the preservation of his own identity. Among his poetry volumes are “The songs of the homes” (1936,) “Armenia,” (1946,) “Life and dream” (1949,) “Golden autumn” (1963,) and “Agony” (1968,) to mention a few. “For bread and for life” (1951,) “For life and for bread” (1956,) “Farewell childhood” (1974) are his novels. Besides volumes of his own literary work, Moushegh Ishkhan also wrote the three volumes of the textbook, “Armenian Literature.” From 1941 to 1951 he was the editor-in-chief of “Aztag Daily.” Besides his literary work, he also published articles on educational and national issues. During the academic year of 1951-1952, he functioned as an educational supervisor alongside Simon Vratsian. He died June 12, 1990.