Yervant Odian

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Yervant Odian (Armenian: Երվանդ Օտյան or Երուանդ Օտեան) (1869-1926) is considered to be the one of the most influential Armenian satirists, along with the roughly contemporary Hagop Baronian. Odian's writings, which include novels and short stories, often humorously point out humanity's vices. He had the unique ability to conceive of and write stories at any given instant.

In 1915, Yervant Odian was expelled from Istanbul due to the Armenian Genocide. He was able to avoid falling victim to the genocide by becoming a translator for German officials in the Ottoman Empire since he knew many languages such as Turkish, German and French. In 1918, after World War I, he took up the responsibility of collecting orphans left over from deportations in the deserts of Syria and placing them in orphanages. His only real source of income was through his writing.

Odian spent the last days of his life in Cairo, Egypt where he was buried.

Odian's most famous works include «Ընկեր Բանչունի» (Comrade Clueless) and «Տասներկու Տարի Պոլսեն Դուրս» (Twelve Years Out of Istanbul).