“Kind giant”: William Saroyan would become 105 today

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS: The pantheon of the park after Komitas in Yerevan today was full of people: they gathered incense for the memory of one of greatest sons of Armenian nation William Saroyan. Today he would be 105 years old. “There are people who play a great role for humanity with their existence, creations and life. One of such people was American-Armenian writer William Saroyan,” said head of contemporary arts department of Armenian ministry of culture, writer Seyranuhi Geghamyan. “Better characterization about Saroyan that once gave Vahagn Davtyan I can not remember. He called Saroyan kind giant. Really, he was a king giant, like a piece of rock torn from Armenian mountains. William Saroyan was a giant not only because of strong body and height but also spirit. Once I read an interview which Saroyan gave before his death. He said: “I know that death is a common phenomenon but I think that in my case it must be different”. I think that in his case it was really different as he is immortal and in his case death is exclusion,” said Seyranuhi Geghamyan, reports “Armenpress”.

Member of Writers’ Union of Armenia Petros Demirchyan remembers very well that in 1978 during his 70th anniversary Saroyan said in Yerevan that he is 70 years old and goes forward to 71. “For him years had other criteria, time was in another level. His minute, hour and year cost centuries,” he said.

He assured that due to all these Saroyan is immortal. He was considered as one of the five greatest stars of American literature. William Saroyan never forgot his national roots and as once said he wrote in English, lived in USA but always was Armenian in his heart. “He was one of lucky persons who saw his birthplace, left for Bitlis, found and saw the house where he were born and lived his grandfathers,” said Demirchyan. William Saroyan was in Moscow 1935, met Charents. Wrote his portrait and in 1976-1978 visited Armenia.

William Saroyan was born on August 31, 1908 inFresno, Californiato Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan,Armenianimmigrants fromBitlis,Ottoman Empire. His father came to New York in 1905 and started preaching in Armenian Apostolic Churches. Saroyan published essays and memoirs, in which he depicted the people he had met on travels in the Soviet Union and Europe, such as the playwrightGeorge Bernard Shaw, the Finnish composerJean Sibelius, andCharlie Chaplin. In 1952, Saroyan publishedThe Bicycle Rider in Beverly Hills, the first of several volumes ofmemoirs. Saroyan died in Fresno, ofprostate cancerat age 71 1/2. Half of his ashes were buried in California and the remainder in Armenia atKomitas Pantheonnear film directorSergei Parajanov.