SHAHAZIZ (Shahazizyants, Shahazizyan) Smbat was born on September 5, 1840 in Ashtarak. An Armenian poet, pedagogue, publicist. Uncle of Y. Shahaziz. Candidate in Oriental Languages (1867). He graduated from the Moscow Lazarian Seminary (1860) and adjacent Lyceum, in 1873-97 he was the lecturer of the same seminary. From 1861 he worked at the journal “Hyusisapayl”. The first collection of Shahaziz’s poems "Freedom hours" in classical and modern Armenian was published in Moscow in 1860. The collection “The grief of Levon” (1865) summarizes the poem of the same name (the author called it " Modern Novels") and verses where the author is against the social oppression (“National Situation), against tyranny (“Tyrant Sultan"), glorified the battle of Zeytun (“Jesuit and Zeytun”), praised the nature of the motherland (“Night”). 

Shahaziz’s the most famous poem is "Dream" which was turned into a song. The speeches, articles and seven verses were published in the collection “Celebration of the Anniversary” (1893) dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Shahaziz’s literary-pedagogical activities. He established “Abovyan-Nazaryan” foundation with the money obtained from it. 

In 1898-99 Shahaziz headed the care and education of the Armenian orphans saved from the Hamid massacres. Journalism has a significant place in the literary heritage of Shahaziz. He attached importance to the Modern Armenian (“Publicist voice”, 1881), criticized the old system of teaching and education (“The Summer letters”, 1897), condemned the Russian authorities' anti-Armenian policy, dictatorship (“Memories on the Occasion of Vartanants  Feast”, 1901), European and Turkish policy (“Few words to my Readers”, 1903”). 

Source - "Who is Who. The Armenians" Encyclopedia, Volume I, chief-editor Hovh. Ayvazyan, Yerevan, 2007.

 
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