Arazi

(pseudonym of Movses Melikovich Arutiunian). Born Apr. 1,1878; died Dec. 21,1964, in Yerevan. Armenian Soviet writer. Born in the village of Shulaver, in Georgia. Studied at the St. Petersburg Technological Institute. Exiled to the Caucasus for his participation in the student movement of 1901–05.

Arazi’s short stories, imbued with the spirit of revolution, include “The Last Dream” (1912), “The Sun” (1913), “The Red Kiss” (1915), and “The Bloody Flower” (1916). He worked most productively in the Soviet era. In his short stories “Comrade Mukuch” (1924) and “Frightened Anes” he shows how the fate and nature of man change in the struggle to build socialism. His novel The Burning Horizon is autobiographical in nature. The historical novel Israel Ori (1959) depicts the liberation struggle of the Armenian people in the 17th and 18th centuries and the strengthening of Armenian-Russian political ties. Arazi was awarded the Order of Lenin, two other orders, and medals.