Paronian, Hakob

(Akop Ovanesovich Paronian). Born Nov. 19, 1843, in Adrianople (now Edirne), Turkey; died May 27, 1891, in Istanbul. Armenian writer, journalist, and comic playwright.

Paronian graduated from a local Armenian school. In 1863 he moved to Istanbul. Beginning in 1871 he edited a number of newspapers and journals important in the development of Armenian satirical literature, among them Megu (Bee), Tatron (Theater), and Khikar (The Sage). He was persecuted by Turkish reactionary circles.

Paronian’s first literary work was the comedy Servant of Two Masters (1865). Later comedies, The Oriental Dentist (1868), The Flatterer (1872), Uncle Balthazar (1886), and The Dowry (1887), ridiculed the vices of bourgeois society. Paronian also wrote the satirical novella Highly Respected Beggars (1880). His feuilletons, satirical short stories, essays, and other works were collected in Pinches (1875), A Stroll Through the Streets of Istanbul (1880), Laughter (1883), and Victims of Tact (1886). His collection of satirical portraits Pillars of the Nation (vols. 1–3, 1874–80) is an outstanding example of Armenian satire. Paronian’s works have been translated into many languages. They were important in the development of critical realism in Armenian literature and in establishing the genre of political satire.