Sona Van

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Sona Van
The Armenian American poet Sona Van
BornSona Ter-Hovhannisyan
1952
Yerevan, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
OccupationPoet
Notable worksLibretto for the Desert

Sona Ter-Hovhannisyan (born 1952), best known by the pen name Sona Van, is an Armenian American poet. She is recognized for her work addressing the Armenian genocide.

Biography[edit]

Sona Van was born Sona Ter-Hovhannisyan in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1952.[1][2][3][4] Her grandparents and parents had at one point been forced to leave Armenia due to the Armenian Genocide.[1][5] Van formally trained as a doctor at Yerevan State Medical University, and she also holds a master's degree in psychology.[4][6]

In 1978, she moved to the United States, settling in California.[1] In the United States, she worked as a doctor and psychologist while also pursuing a poetry career. Her first collection, Rays of Light, was published in 1996.[6] In 2006, she founded the literary journal Narcissus with the poet and playwright Vahan Vardanyan [hy], and she has served as editor in chief of the publication since 2013.[1][4][6]

Her work frequently discusses the violence of the Armenian Genocide, aiming to raise awareness of the genocide in the English-speaking world.[4][5]

Van has published at least four poetry collections, including Parallel Sleeplessness (2010).[1][4][7] Libretto for the Desert, a poetry collection that deals specifically with the genocide, is her best-known work, and it has been translated into 23 languages.[5][8][9] Her work was also included in the 2017 anthology of 25 contemporary Armenian poets Armenia’s Heart: Poems … and Nothing More.[10]

She has been the recipient of HOMER - The European Medal of Poetry and Art. In 2019, she received the International Maria Konopnicka Prize alongside Beata Poźniak, an actress who has produced recordings of Van's work.[5] She has also received a gold medal from the Ministry of Culture of Armenia [hy], as well as the Movses Khorenatsi medal.[1][4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Sona Van: The Art of Poetry". Diversions LA. 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  2. ^ Van, Sona; Pozniak, Beata (2019-12-21). Libretto for the Desert. Discordia Global Media. ISBN 978-1-951234-03-4.
  3. ^ Mkrtchyan, Samvel (2013). The Anthology of Armenian Poets (2 ed.). S&H Project.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sedrakyan, Lilit (2013-12-10). "Poet Sona Van awarded Movses Khorenatsi Medal". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  5. ^ a b c d "Sona Van's 'Libretto for the Desert' is Now Available Online". Asbarez. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  6. ^ a b c "Սոնա Վան". AV Production (in Armenian). Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  7. ^ "Minister Hranush Hakobyan Awards Certificate of RA Diaspora Ministry to Sona Van". Armenpress. 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  8. ^ "LIBRETTO FOR THE DESERT by Sona Van Shushan Avagyan Trans Read by Beata Pozniak | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  9. ^ "Woman against War: Sona Van translated in Russian". 1 News. 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  10. ^ Mirak-Weissbach, Muriel (2017-05-18). "Armenia's Heart: Poems … and Nothing More". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
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