Rupen Sevag

Dr. Anahid Aramouni-Keshishian spoke of Rupen Sevag (1885-1915) the man, the physician, the poet. Her presentation concentrated on one work, namely, Chartin Khente (The Madman of the Massacre), which reflects Sevag's horrified reaction to the massacre of Adana (1909). The madman in the poem roams through a sea of dead bodies carrying his father's corpse on his shoulders. "Through the character of a madman" said Keshishian, "Sevag presents his intense feelings about the political, racial, and social injustices of his time." In the prose work Pages Torn from the Doctor's Book "we see the very dark side of human society. It is as if Sevag feels a strong urge and obligation to give voice to the most voiceless..."