We were deeply saddened by the news about the death of renowned writer and prose writer Movses Bchakchian, who died on October 17. He was 76 years old.
French-Armenian writer Movses Bchakchian was born in 1940 in Aleppo. He received his primary education at the Krtasirats School and went on to study at the Karen Eppe Armenian College. He studied English and English literature at Damascus State University and taught Armenian and English at the University for seven years.
In 1970, the writer moved to Beirut. In 1976, he settled in Paris. He has been a correspondent for Syrian-Armenian and Lebanese-Armenian newspapers, especially Aleppo’s Orient Daily and Beirut’s Aig Daily, publishing social and political articles and other works. In the 1970s, he was a correspondent for Bagin literary magazine, and after settling in Paris, he became a correspondent for Haratch. He has translated Eric Segal’s novel “Love Story” (1972). In 1973, he published the play “The Possible that is Impossible”, and in 1975-the volume “Hello, Armenia!” He has written the novels “Swallows Should Not Be Horrified by Scarecrows” (Haikashen Uzunyan Award), “Stranger with Luminescent Eyes” and “The Transient and the Timeless”. Recently, he had started publishing his “Full Collection of Works” with consecutive volumes.
On November 3, 2015, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan awarded French-Armenian writer and translator Movses Bchakchian with the William Saroyan Medal of the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia for developing the Armenia-Diaspora partnership, carrying out activities promoting the dissemination of Armenian culture and literature abroad and for his outstanding successes and achievements in that sphere.
The RA Ministry of Diaspora expresses condolences to the writer’s family, friends and relatives. The importance of the literary heritage of Bchakchian and his praiseworthy activities for the preservation of the Armenian identity are unforgettable.
