09/02/2026
Zabel Yessayan and Yervan Odian Focus of Fascinating Presentation by Dr Nanor Kebranian (University of Vienna)
London, 06.02.2026. Report by Nora Vosbigian
The London Armenian community had the privilege of hosting a foremost expert on Ottoman Armenian literature, Nanor Kebranian (University of Vienna), who delivered a talk entitled “Empire, Exile and Literature: Zabel Yessayan and Yervant Odian.” The event was held on 5 February 2026 and organised by the Gomidas Institute (London) and the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (Acton, London). The presentation took place at CAIA’s Monte Melkonian Hall.
Dr Kebranian’s illustrated presentation began with an outline of the privileged backgrounds of Zabel Yessayan and Yervant Odian, emphasising their education and exposure to European culture. While Odian fled the Ottoman Empire in 1896, fearing arrest, Yessayan had left a year earlier to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. Both returned to Constantinople following the Ottoman Constitutional Revolution of 1908. Their life in Europe was formative in their development as writers.
However, Yessayan and Odian differed markedly as authors. Odian was a well-liked satirist known for his wry humour, while Yessayan’s work was more serious in tone and literary content. Both were enormously popular and socially—and politically—subversive. Their work challenged the rigid norms of both Ottoman and Armenian society.
Although both writers experienced exile, their displacement should be carefully contextualised. They were not fish out of water. While they left their native shores, they were not entirely alienated from their roots while in Europe (or, in Odian’s case, in Egypt as well). Both authors spoke French, were familiar with European society, and maintained contact with other Ottoman Armenians while in exile, alongside other writers, artists, intellectuals, merchants, students, revolutionaries, and so forth. In many respects, they remained within an Ottoman-Armenian milieu, even while residing in the heartlands of Europe.
However, Odian, in particular, endured material hardship during his exile as he struggled to make a living, yet he managed to survive. His Twelve Years Away from Constantinople reflects this experience through his life, encounters, and observations over a twelve-year period. His experiences are of immense historical interest.
Dr Kebranian’s presentation was well received by the audience and was followed by a serious question-and-answer session. The Gomidas Institute thanked the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice for co-sponsoring the event. Copies of Dr Kebranian’s publications were available for purchase afterwards.
