The Armenian community and students from Ruse jointly celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of the city-born writer Michael Arlen

Monday, 13 October 2025

On October 22 /Wednesday/ at 6 p.m., an exhibition will be opened in the courtyard of the Armenian House, marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of the world-famous writer Michael Arlen, born in Ruse. The event marks the end of the activities under the project "Michael Arlen and Armenian History", implemented by the "Angela Chakaryan" Public Foundation with the financial support of the "Culture" Program.

From October 13 to 22, students from the "Prof. Veselin Stoyanov" National Institute of Education and children from the Armenian Language Club at the community center will have the opportunity to create their own painting projects dedicated to the famous writer. In the second stage of the workshop, the thematic drawings will be transferred to the walls of the inner courtyard of the community center, and they will be scaled using a projector. In the third stage, the final results of their work will be presented at an exhibition in the writer's birthplace: the paintings will form an exhibition in the salon, and the murals will be available to the audience in the courtyard of the building. Music from the era is planned, a presentation of curious facts from Arlen's biography, as well as a screening of the film "The Green Hat" based on his novel. A member of the writer's family is expected to attend the event, who will tell memories of the family and the house.

Michael Arlen's birth name is Dikran Kuyumjian. He was born on November 16, 1895 in Ruse in the home of the wealthy merchant Sarkis Kuyumjian, whose family arrived in Bulgaria in 1892 after a series of Turkish atrocities against the Armenians in Constantinople. At the age of 15, he left with his family for Manchester, where he also graduated from an elite college. When he was 25 years old, he published his first novel, which was warmly received by English critics. In 1924, his most famous work of fiction, the novel "The Green Beret", was published, a real bestseller with multiple editions in large circulation. His career was going brilliantly, but in the 1940s he emigrated to the United States due to the growing hostility towards foreigners. He settled in New York, where he stopped serious literature and decided to live quietly with his family. He signed a contract with "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" as a screenwriter and wrote 26 screenplays, six of which were based on his novels.

Print

view all >