... We are lucky that never before published homoerotic poetry by Armenia’s cultural icon Yeghishe Charents did not reach Soviet style 'Charents specialists', and thanks to James Russell and some others we now have Charents unzipped. (For more background info, read Yeghishe Charents unzipped – nation’s favourite gay poet)There were stormy discussions in Armenian literary circles following a publication by Inknagir magazine of gay-themed poems by Charents. In response to this ‘controversy’, with the kind permission of the author, I posted on Unzipped: Gay Armenia a copy of James Russell’s letter to the readers of Inknagir magazine. James Russell is a professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of number of Armenia related works, covering history, religion and literature. He has a special interest in the great Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents.
Read it here.
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