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

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, 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, as well as the Movses Khorenatsi medal.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sedrakyan, Lilit (2013-12-10). "Poet Sona Van awarded Movses Khorenatsi Medal". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Sona Van's 'Libretto for the Desert' is Now Available Online". Asbarez. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  6. 1 2 3 "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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