Contents

Samuel (novel)

1886 Armenian historical novel by Raffi

Samuel

Cover of the 2010 French edition
Author	Raffi
Language	Armenian
Genre	Historical novel
Publication date	1886; separate edition 1888
Media type	Print
Pages	749 (1888 edition)
Original text	Samuel at Armenian Wikisource

Samuel (Armenian: Սամվել, romanized: Samvel, pre-reform orthography: Սամուէլ) is an 1886 Armenian-language historical novel by the novelist Raffi. Considered by some critics his most successful work, the plot centres on the killing of the fourth-century prince Vahan Mamikonian and his wife by their son Samuel.^[1][2][3] It was first published in parts in the Tiflis newspaper Ardzagank’ in 1886–87 and released as a separate edition in 1888.^[4]

Background[edit]

Raffi wrote Samuel as a response to the closing of Armenian schools in the Russian Empire in 1885.^[3][4] He saw this move as an attack against the Armenian language and therefore "an attack on the very essence of the Armenian ethos and the sole bond of unity for a nation in dispersion". Raffi drew parallels between the current situation and the invasion of Armenia by Sasanian Iran in the fourth century, depicting an attempt to destroy Armenian culture and language by a foreign invader.^[3] He based his story on the historical figure of Samuel Mamikonian, who is mentioned in a few brief lines in the old Armenian histories of Faustus of Byzantium and Movses Khorenatsi.^[1][3] Samuel killed his father, Vahan Mamikonian, and his mother for apostasy.^[1][3] In order to depict fourth-century Armenia, Raffi relied on Armenian sources, his imagination, and his impressions from his travels to remote parts of Armenia, where, he supposed, less change would have occurred over the centuries.^[3]

Translations[edit]

• English: Translated by Tashjian, J. The Armenian Review, Winter, 1948, 131–39; Spring, 1948, 144–58; Summer, 1948, 143–58; Autumn, 1948, 143–57; Spring, 1949, 142– 57; Summer, 1949, 142–55; Autumn, 1949, 142–5; Winter, 1949–50, 136–51; Spring, 1950, 135–54; Summer, 1950, 139–56; Autumn, 1950, 140–55; Winter, 1950–51, 131–55. Spring, 1951, 146–55; Summer, 1951, 138–55; Autumn, 1951, 146–58; Winter, 1951, 142–55.^[3]
• French:
  • Samouël. 2 vols. Translated by Altiar and Kibarian. Paris: Editions de La vraie France. 1924.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)^[5]
  • Samuel. Translated by Kibarian, Haïg-Aram; Avédissian, Jean-Jacques. Editions Thaddée. 2010.^[6] (Reprinted in 2014.)^[7]
• Russian:
  • Samuėl: Istoricheskiĭ roman Самуэл: Исторический роман. Translated by Ter-Karapetova, A; Revant͡si͡an, I. V. Moskva: Goslitizdat. 1946.
  • Samvel: Istoricheskiĭ roman 364-400 Самвел: Исторический роман 364-400. Translated by Dubrovina, A. N.; Kusikʹi͡an, I. K. Erevan: Armi͡anskoe gosudarstvennoe izdatelʹstvo. 1958. (Reprinted in 1959 and 1960.)
  • Samvel: Istoricheskiĭ roman 364-400 Самвел: Исторический роман 364-400. Translation and notes by N. Khachaturi͡an. Erevan: Sovetakan grokh. 1982.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)^[3]
• Bulgarian: Samvel: Istoricheski roman 364-400 Самвел: Истoрически роман 364-400. Translated by Ormandzhii͡an, Agop. Sofia: Narodna kultura. 1982.^[8]
• Estonian: Samuel: ajalooline romaan. Translated from the 1946 Russian edition by E. Hange. Talinn: Ilukirjandus ja Kunst. 1948.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)^[9]
• Ukrainian: Samvel. Istorychnyǐ roman (364-400 rr.) Самвел. Історичний роман (364-400 рр.). Translated by Boz͡hko, Oleksandr. Kyïv: Veselka. 1989.^[10]
• Latvian: Samvels: Vēsturisks romāns 364-400. Translated by Talce, Nora. Riga: Liesma. 1974.^[11]
• Romanian: Samvel: roman istoric 364-400. Translated by Poladian Ghenea, Meliné. Bucureşti: RAO. 2000.^[12]

References[edit]

This Armenia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about a historical novel of the 1880s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.