ARMENIAN POETRY TRANSLATED BY AN IRANIAN WRITER

“If you want to describe a country and its people, you must start recognizing their feelings, daily life, history and literature,” Ahmad Nurizade, expert in Armenian literature and history and an Iranian poet, told a news conference today. Nurizade is in Armenia at the invitation of Chairman of the Writers’ Union Levon Ananyan. He took part in the conference titled “Armenian foreign language writers.” He also participated in the Day of Translators.

The expert divides the Armenian literature into three parts. First, according to him, is the patriotic literature that the Iranians are not interested very much. The second is the literature of the Soviet era and the third part presents humanistic values, which attracts Nurizade and is in the interest of the Iranians.

The Iranian writer has published 30 books with more than 6 thousand pages. He has published writing “Armenian poem in the course of 100 years.” He has also translated from Zaryan, Mahari, Demirchyan and other Armenian writers. He is the author of some other pieces of writings on the Armenia history and literature. “Thanks to my translations, Armenian literature is valued, recognized more in Iran than the Chinese. I make my selection while translating. No one can force me to translate this or that book if I do not like it,” he said.

Nurizade has also been a political reporter and has participated in the political life of Iran and has been sentenced for three years. He has learnt Armenia since childhood from an Armenian woman living next door.