Yervant_Odian
Yervant Odian (Armenian: Երուանդ Օտեան or Երվանդ Օտյան; 19 September 1869 – 1926)[1] was an Ottoman Armenian satirist, journalist and playwright. He is regarded as one of the most influential Armenian satirists, along with his contemporary Hagop Baronian. He is best known for his work Comrade Panchooni ("Panchooni" being a pun on the Armenian words for "has nothing"), a satire mocking the Armenian revolutionary parties (such as Dashnaks and Hunchaks) of the time.
Born into a wealthy family in Constantinople, Odian left the city during the Hamidian massacres of 1894–1896 and traveled throughout Europe before returning to Constantinople in 1909. Odian was deported to the Syrian desert during the Armenian genocide and survived; he published his memoirs about his experiences during the genocide in 1919.[2]
Odian's writings, which include novels and short stories, often humorously point out humanity's vices. Odian's works also dealt with Armenian-Turkish relations and Muslim-Christian relations.[3] In a 2013 piece written by Eddie Arnavoudian, he proclaimed "Even if elsewhere equaled in modern Armenian literature, Odian's exposure of the establishment's putrid core has certainly not been bettered".[4] Odian's writing styles are often described as extroverted, as if his is removing his persona from the piece in order to best portray the truth.[5]