Hagop Baronian

Who was Hagop Baronian?

Hagop Baronian was an influential Ottoman Armenian writer, satirist, educator, and social figure in the 19th century. Born in Edirne, Baronian is widely acknowledged as the greatest Armenian satirist of all time, closely followed by Yervant Odian.

Baronian's most famous work was the book Medzabadiv Muratsganner, which parodies the almost beggar-like state of writers and publishers in that period. Baronian was also known for his biting, sarcastic criticisms of leading figures in the Armenian social circles of Istanbul; some of these critical comments appear in his book Azkayin Chocher. Unfortunately, he himself suffered the same fate as the characters in Medzabadiv Mouratsganner, and died penniless on the streets of Istanbul. He was buried in an Armenian cemetery in Istanbul, but the precise location of his grave has been lost.

The Yerevan State Musical Comedy Theatre was named after Hagop Baronian.