
ArmInfo. Several museums in Armenia will host events commemorating the birthday of the great Armenian poet, writer, and translator Hovhannes Tumanyan, as well as Book Giving Day.
In particular, the series of events at the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum will begin on February 19 at 3:00 PM with the program "Book - Storyteller." At 4:00 PM, a significant event will take place: the ceremonial presentation of a website featuring digitized books from Hovhannes Tumanyan's personal library. At 5:00 PM, a meeting entitled "Life Among Books: Books and Reading Through the Eyes of Ruben Yesayan" will take place. The day will conclude with an exclusive exhibition (scheduled for 6:00 PM), featuring the book "Songs," published in 1852 and featuring works by the great ashugh Sayat-Nova.
On February 19, the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art (MLI) will organize a packed program of events under the general title "Stylish Books of the MLI Library." Visitors can look forward to a temporary exhibition featuring remarkable books from the museum's library collection, focusing not only on the book's content but also on its artistic design. The exhibition aims to demonstrate how a book becomes an object of art through its cover, typography, and design. An educational program dedicated to book binding will also be held. Participants will be introduced to the traditional marbling technique, revealing the secrets of hand-decorating. On the same day at 2:00 PM, the Derenik Demirchyan House- Museum (a branch of the MLI) will host a meeting titled "Book - Hero of the Day" with writer and publicist Vova Arzumanyan. During the meeting, the author's book "I Forgot Myself at Home" will be presented. The event promises to be a platform for an open dialogue between readers and the author. Special events are also planned for February 19 at the Silva Kaputikyan House-Museum (a branch of the MLI). At 2:00 PM, the exhibition "Giving a Book" will open, featuring Kaputikyan's publications from various years. The exhibition will trace the author's creative path, from her early works to her mature publications. At 4:00 PM, the event "Hovhannes Tumanyan's Birthday at the Kaputikyan House" will take place there, including a staged reading with the participation of schoolchildren.
The book-giving festival is also widely celebrated in the poet's native village of Dsegh in the Lori region. Specifically, the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum (a branch of the MLI) will host the event "Tumanyan Book Festival in Dsegh" at 12:00 PM, featuring collections of Tumanyan's fairy tales published over the years. At 2:00 PM, Dsegh schoolchildren will stage a dramatization of "A Drop of Honey" at the poet's monument.
In Goris, the Aksel Bakunts House-Museum (a branch of the MLI) will host a literary and musical evening, "Giving a Book," at 1:00 PM, and a literary matinee, "Tumanyan and the Armenian," featuring Goris schoolchildren, at 3:00 PM. At 4:00 PM, the Perch Proshyan House-Museum (a branch of the MLI) in Ashtarak will host a "Book Giving Day" event, which will include the opening of the "Tumanyan - Proshyan" exhibition, showcasing the creative connections and ideological parallels between the two prominent Armenian writers. A reading competition will also be held, aimed at encouraging active participation among young people and developing their verbal and analytical skills.
Book Giving Day promises to be especially eventful at the Khachatur Abovyan House-Museum. On February 19, at 3:00 PM, the presentation of the great writer's books, "Travel Notes" and "Prose Works," will take place. For the first time in a long time, the collection "Travel Notes" includes both translated and original travel notes, while "Prose Works" contains his philosophical reflections. The presentation will be accompanied by discussions and musical performances dedicated to Abovyan, featuring opera singer and tenor Hayk Vardanyan and pianist Katarina Hovsepyan. On February 19 at 2:00 PM, as part of the collaboration between the museum and the library, the Avetik Isahakyan House-Museum will host a presentation of the English-Armenian illustrated edition of "Avetik Isahakyan," published for the writer's 150th anniversary with the support of a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport. The album features photographs, documents, and archival materials from the museum's collections, accompanied by brief text commentaries in Armenian and English. Book presentations will also take place for the following books: Avik Isahakyan, "Avetik Isahakyan. Scientific Biography" (Part 2), and "Avetik Isahakyan. Selected Works." The museum's new publications will be donated to libraries to expand their collections.
On February 19 at 3:00 PM, the Alexander Spendiaryan House-Museum will host a meeting with young writers Levon Bezhanyan and Misha Manukyan. Events will also be held in other museums.