Grigor Artsruni
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Grigor Artsruni (also spelled as Krikor Ardzruni, Armenian: Գրիգոր Արծրունի; 27 February 1845 – 19 December 1892) was an Armenian journalist, critic, writer and public activist. In 1872, he began publishing the newspaper Mshak and remained its editor and manager until his death.
He studied at the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, then studied Armenian at the Mekhitarists' centers in Europe (Vienna and San Lazzaro, Venice). He graduated from Heidelberg University in 1869, receiving the degree of Doctor of Political Economy and Philosophy. In 1872, he established and edited Mshak ('Cultivator' or 'Toiler'), the basis of Armenian liberalism. Artsruni believed in the necessity of development of capitalism in Armenia and supported the idea of armed resistance as a solution for the Armenian question. Artsruni was a mentor to the Armenian writer Raffi (1835–1888).
Grigor Artsruni was born in Moscow on 27 February 1845.[1] His father Yeremia was an officer in the Russian army who later served as mayor of Tiflis.[2] Grigor's paternal ancestors, the Yeran-Artsrunis, were a notable family in Van in Ottoman Armenia who claimed descent from the ancient noble house of Artsruni. Grigor's paternal grandfather, Gevorg Agha Yeran-Artsruni, migrated to Tiflis in the Russian Empire in 1813.[3] Grigor attended the Russian gymnasium in Tiflis from 1858 to 1863.[1] He spoke only Russian and French until his early teenage years and only began to study Armenian when he when he entered the Tiflis gymnasium.[4] After graduating from the gymnasium, he studied at the universities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In 1867, he was accepted to Heidelberg University. He graduated in 1869, receiving the degree of Doctor of Political Economy and Philosophy.[1] After this, he spent some time traveling around Europe and visited the seminaries of the Mekhitarist Order in Venice and Vienna. He moved back to Tiflis in 1871 and worked as a teacher. He spent the rest of his life in Tiflis, except for another one-year trip to Europe in 1885.[4]
Career
Artsruni's journalistic career began in his student years, when he sent reports from Europe to various Armenian journals in Tiflis. Most of his writings dealt with the issue of the modernization of Armenian society and culture. He also wrote on philosophical subjects and life in Europe.[5] In 1872, he established the newspaper Mshak ('Cultivator' or 'Toiler'), which, as Lisa Khachaturian notes, he intended to be "a central unifying organ that would enlighten, entertain, and coordinate the concerns of Armenians and other ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus, while also covering Europe and the Russian Empire." The newspaper reflected Artsruni's liberal and pro-Russian views. Mshak's low price allowed it to reach a broader audience, and it had higher circulation numbers and a much longer lifespan than most other Armenian publications. It continued publication after Artsruni's death and lasted until 1921, a total of forty-nine years.[5] Besides his journalistic and publishing activities, Artsruni also wrote memoirs, a novel (Evelina, 1891), short stories, essays, feuilletons, and other kinds of works. He was also an active literary critic.[1]
