Diana Der Hovanessian does not need to be introduced. This dynamic Armenian lady has been active in American literature for more than half a century continuing writing and translating poetry. Year 2011 was very productive for her: three volumes by her have been published, both her writings and translations. Artsvi Bakhchinyan interviewed Diana at her home in Cambridge, full of literature, arts and Armenian-ness…

Q. – This year you added three new books to your publications. How many does that make?

DDH: Fifteen of my own books and ten volumes of translations.

Q. – The new translations are called Armenian Poetry of Our Time. And the book starts with Twentieth Century greats such as Daniel Varoujan, Siamanto, Tekeyan and goes on to young contemporary poets such as Vahe Arsen. You’ve been working on this book a long time?

DDH: Yes, very long.

Q. – Do you think of translating as part of your own work? Or do you consider it an obligation? Or is it a way of being part of great poetry you admire?

DDH: I’ll answer yes to all those questions. Translating isn’t as much fun as creating something new. And it has a lot of responsibilities attached. But I started because there was no contemporary anthology of Armenian poetry in English.

Some individual poems had been translated by past poets, even Henry Longfellow. But in 1896 working from literal prose translations from Armenian scholars and friends Alice Stone Blackwell produced the first edition in English of Armenian Poems. Then in 1917 for Near East Relief, and to call attention to the murder of Armenian poets in 1915 and the genocide, she added more poems and published another edition. Read more.

See: The Armenian Reporter