Hovhannes Tumanyan's house in Tbilisi will be razed to the ground

PanARMENIAN.Net - Great Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan's Tbilisi house, better known as Vernatun, was sold to a Georgian businessman for $25 000.



Tumanyan's granddaughter Alena, who lived the house, was forced to vacate the premises. Since 1991 enormous efforts have been exerted to preserve the building that sheltered the writer's family and served as a place of meeting to Vernatun, the literary and political group. The house was turned into a library named after Hovhannes Tumanyan after his death in 1923.



The house itself needed capital repair and Tbilisi city administration requested private individuals for credit, and paid it off with a part of the house.



Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian community in Tbilisi and Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia Revaz Gachechiladze, the sale of rooms was suspended, reported Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.



Even more surprising is the position of the Armenian authorities, who failed to redeem the house.



Vernatun will probably share the fate Sergey Paradganov's house, sold by his son for $6000.



Hovhannes Tumanyan (1869-1923), is truly considered to be one of the greatest Armenian poets and writers. His work was mostly written in tragic form, often centering on the harsh lives of villagers.



He was a prominent public figure, who rendered assistance to survivors of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.



Tumanyan's 140th birthday celebrations are due in Armenia on Mar. 23.