Mkrtich Janan – dedicated to the stage
Mkrtich Mihran Janan was one of the Armenian intelligentsia representatives who were invited to Soviet Armenia due to the persistent efforts of Alexander Myasnikyan in 1921-1925. Others among the invited people were Hrachya Acharyan, Hakob Kodjoyan, Alexander Tamanyan, Martiros Saryan, Alexander Spendaryan, Vahram Papazyan, Hrachya Nersisyan and Arus Voskanyan.
Mkrtich Janan was born in 1892 Constantinople’s Samatia district, where many Armenians lived. His father was a blacksmith; he played the Saz and Tar, national string musical instruments, and told eastern tales to his children. His uncle and elder brother, Torgom, were actors. He received his primary education at the local Sahakian and Karapetian lyceums, and continued his education in a law school, but was not able to graduate. In 1911-1914 he sang in Gusan music band in Constantinople. In 1914 he played in the theatre of actor and director Avetis Azyan. In that theatre he met his future wife, Atrine Derdzakyan. Atrine’s sister, Hrachuhi Derdzakyan, who was an actress, was Vahram Papazyan’s wife.
In 1918 he participated in works for creation of the local dramatic theatre. In 1919 he was granted admission to the Sorbonne University of Paris as a freelance student, was the student of Paul Mounet an organized performances.
In January 1921 he took a vow trip together with Levon Harut and Arshaluys Terlemezyan, actors from Constantinople, to Stratford, England, the birth place of William Shakespeare. They took a photo near Shakespeare’s cemetery as a memory. Hovhannes Abelyan was the first Armenian actor to take a vow trip to Shakespeare’s cemetery.
After returning from England he continued played in French theatre. In 1921-1922 he was with the dramatic theatre of his birthplace. He was 30 years old when he moved to Yerevan with his wife, Vahram Papazyan, Hrachya Nersisyan and a dozen of other serious actors in 1922. Newly established Soviet Armenia was developing both from the economic and cultural points of view. By an interesting coincidence during the same year, in 1922, the Soviet Armenian government issued an order to establish the first Armenian state theatre, which is named after Sundukyan now. The theatre and culture of theatre started to develop and establish itself in Armenia due to Mkrtich Janan and other outstanding artists such as Levon Kalantar, Arshak Burjalyan, Armen Gulakyan, Vahram Papazyan, Hrachya Nersisyan, Arus Voskanyan, Hasmik, Avet Avetisyan and others.
Due to his impressive voice and artistic appearance Mkrtich Janan was able to gain the ovation of people.
Mkrtich Janan was directly connected with the first steps of the Armenian movie production. In 1927 film director Hamo Beknazaryan made a movie called ‘Khaspush,’ which was about the people’s movement against the Persian British colony in 1891 and was shot in Hayfilm studio established by him in 1923. This was the first historical and revolutionary epic movie in the Armenian film production, in which Mkrtich Janan played the role of Seid. He also had roles in ‘Kurds and Yezidis’ and ‘Two Nights’ movies. He worked on the staging of ‘Highly Esteemed Beggars’ with Hakob Paronyan. In 1932 Mkrtich Janan’s ‘Loving is art’ play was performed.
Mkrtich Janan wrote stories, dramatic and other works. In 1924-1925 some of his stories were published in Nor-Agos literature and arts picture magazine in Yerevan.
In Yerevan he had friendly relations with Hrachya Acharyan, Ara Sargsyan and Martiros Saryan. Saryan painted Janan’s portrait. In 1928 due to joint efforts by Janan and Y. Nuri, an actor from Azerbaijan, an Azeri theatre was organized in Yerevan (since 1935 was named after Jafar Jabarli). The producer of the theatre staged in 1934, M. Huseynov wrote the following: “We cannot forget the efforts and contribution of Mr. Janan to staging Turkish theatre.”
In 1935 Janan’s theatre peace named Shahmare was staged, which won the second prize in the Soviet Union and was staged in Yerevan and many other places of the Union in Russian and other languages.
It seemed that in the creating life of Janan there would be newer achievements but the destiny predetermined a different route for him, for Aghasi Khanjyan, Charents, Bakunts, Totovents and others. From the beginning of 1937 Mkrtich Janan has become very concerned and solitary. The moment didn’t linger…
On July 27, 1937 at the end of one of the regular performances in Yerevan’s Sundukyan theater, the renowned artist member of the USSR Writer’s Union Mkrtich Janan was arrested. After some time, Janan’s second wife was also arrested – Janna Baghramyan. Later Janna was saved by miracle… Janan was tortured in a Yerevan prison for almost a year for the crimes he had never committed.
But he never signed a testimony. On July 18, 1938 he was executed. In 1955 a people’s artist of USSR Vagharsh Vagharshyan wrote, “Janan was a talented novelist. His Shahname drama received a pan-Soviet second prize. I heard he was accused of being a Turkish spy. That’s absurd. As far as I know and to the information I have Janan’s execution was a result of provocation. He had become a victim of that…” In 1955 Janan was posthumously justified.
By Asatur Pashayan
