Chair of Foreign Literature

The history of foreign literature has been included in the courses for students of the Faculty of History and Linguistics since the foundation of Yerevan State University. Since the 1920s, prominent literary experts such as Simeon Hakobyan, and Sargis Manukyan, a famous writer, and excellent expert of European languages and culture Zapel Yesayan, read these courses. Later, the famous literary critic Tsolak Khanzadyan started conducting the "Theoretical Foundations of Literary Studies" course at the university.

In 1929, by the requirements for the development of university education in Armenia, separate Chairs of literature were created, including the Chair of Foreign Literature. Professor Simeon Hakobyan headed the Chair for ten years. In those years, a number of textbooks were published: "The Main Pages of European Literature", A. Lunacharsky, P. Kazan, and F. Schiller's famous manuals, translated and published in Armenian. Since the 1930s, young scientists who had graduated from the Academy of Arts in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) H. Mamikonian and S. Soghomonyan, who later headed the Chair of Foreign Literature (H. Mamikonian - 1957-1970, S. Soghomonyan - 1970-1978) taught at the Chair.  H. Mamikonyan's "History of Foreign Literature: "Renaissance period" textbook, S. Soghomonyan's "Outlines of European Literature", and "From the History of European Realism" are also worth mentioning.

In 1956, the subjects of literary theory were separated from the Chair of Foreign Literature and given to other Chairs.

In 1982, The Chairs of Foreign Literature and Theory of Literature were united into a single Chair, which was headed by Academician Ed. Jrbashyan and in 1986 from January to May 2007 by Ph.D., Professor H. Edoyan.

From September 2007, the Chair of Foreign Literature, separated from the Chair of Literary Theory and Literary Criticism of the Faculty of Armenian Philology, continued to publish the scientific magazine "Context" (it was printed as early as 2002).

The Chair initiates joint work with embassies, consulates, and international organizations operating in Armenia to implement educational programs.

From 2009 to 2020 Ph.D., Professor Ara Arakelyan headed the Chair. During that time, the Chair of Foreign Literature organized international conferences, including the conference entitled "Friedrich Nietzsche in the Context of Culture" (2015). In 2016, a presentation dedicated to the creative activity of French existentialists was organized together with the teaching staff from France.

Since 2021, the head of the Chair of Foreign Literature is Ph.D. Anush Sedrakyan.

Chair Professors Henrik Edoyan, Ara Arakelyan, Vahe Arsenyan, and Anush Sedrakyan prepared and published translations from the originals, including also literary-philosophical works, in particular, the poetry of the Ancient East, the works of Franz Kafka, Dan Brown, Margaret Mitchell, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Laurence, Dylan Thomas, William Blake, Khaled Hosseini, and French poets of the 20th century. Professor A. Arakelyan's monograph "From "Song of the Nibelungen" to "The Glass Bead Game" is also worth mentioning, which covers the period from the beginning of German literature to the present day.

The scientific work of the Chair develops in the following main directions:

• The problems of Anglo-American literature (from the Renaissance to the 21st century), the aesthetic norms of modernism and their application in various fields of art,

• Problems of French literature (from the Renaissance to the 21st century),

• Problems of Spanish and Latin American literature (from the Renaissance to the 21st century), manifestations of magical realism in Latin American literature,

• Problems of German literature (from the Renaissance to the 21st century),

• Problems of Italian literature (from the Renaissance to the 21st century),

• Comparative literature,

• Socio-political and psychological interpretations of literature in the literature of the 16th-21st centuries,

• Western European literary and aesthetic teachings,

• Western European literary trends of 17-19th century,

• Western European literary trends of the 20th century.