Nar-Dos


Michael Hovhannisyan, known by the pen name Nar-Dos, was an Armenian writer.

Biography

Nar-Dos was born to a wool seller's family in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1867. He started his education in a parochial school of Saint Karapet Church, and he continued it in Nicolaev Municipal School. He later entered Khon Seminary, Kutaisi, which he did not finish because of scarcity of living, and returned to Tbilisi. He was engaged in the profession of a locksmith at Michaelian craft school where he met Armenian poet Alexander Tsaturyan.
A year later Nar-Dos left Michaelyan craft school and started practicing journalism. In 1890–1906 he was the responsible secretary of the periodical Nor dar. He worked as a secretary and proofreader at the journal Aghbyur-Taraz in 1903, and in the newspaper Surhandak from 1913–1918.
Nar-Dos began writing in the 1880s starting with poems, some of which were published in Araks in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, and "Sokhak Hayastani" poetry collections. He also wrote stories, satirical articles and plays. Under the influence of Gabriel Sundukian, Nar-Dos created the plays "Mayin's Complaint", “Honey and flies” , and “Brother” .
Under the pen name of Mikho-Ohan he published “Tchshmarit barekamy”, “Nune”, ,
“Knkush larer” , and “Zazunyan” in the newspaper Nor dar.
In the stories and novels of his first period he mainly describes the urban life focusing on certain social groups, "Hopop", "Hogun vra hasav" , "Anna Saroyan" ). One of the famous stories of this period is “Me and Him”, written in 1889.
After 1890 a new period began in Nar-Dos' creative life, in which deep psychological analysis was typical. Famous works of this period are “The Killed Dove” , in which the author depicts the tragedy of an Armenian woman,
“Struggle” , and “The Death” .
Nar-Dos developed the psychological trend of Armenian critical realism displaying refined Armenian language.
Nar-Dos died in 1933 in Tbilisi. He is buried in Khojivank Armenian cemetery.