Philosopher, literary critic, professor, public figure
Gyulikevkhyan was born on January 7, 1886. in Shushi. He graduated from the local school and in 1906 went to Germany, where until 1913, he studied philosophy at the University of Jena, and then at the Universities of Leipzig, Zurich, and Heidelberg. During the First World War, as a Russian citizen, he was isolated in a prisoner-of-war camp, from where he was released in 1918. During his years in Germany, Gyulikevkhyan participated in the activities of the "Spartak Bunde" organization. Returning to his homeland, he held a number of party and administrative positions. Gyulikevkhyan was the editor of the "Communist" newspaper (Russian), head of the department of the Party State Committee of Alexandrapol (now Gyumri), and in 1924 was elected a member of the party’s regional committee, was appointed head of the department and editor of "Communist" and "Verelk" magazines. In the 1920s and 30s, he frequently published articles and speeches about the relationship between classical and modern literature.
In 1923, H. Gyulikevkhyan was invited to YSU, where he worked for about 10 years. From 1924-1927, he was vice-rector for academic affairs. In 1929, he became professor.
In 1932, Gyulikevkhyan was appointed the director of the newly created research institute of Marxism-Leninism, and later the director of the Institute of History and Literature of Armenia. From 1939-1943, he was a senior researcher at the Armenian branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, from 1943-1947 at the Institute of Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the ASSR, and in the last years of his life, he taught at the Russian Pedagogical Institute.
H. Gulikevkhyan's scientific interests include many issues of philosophy, aesthetics, literature, dramaturgy, theater theory, and history.
He left many literary articles, among which "The Idea of Patriotism" by Kh. Abovyan", Raffi "Sparks", about "I. Chavchavadze's works", "Classical Heritage and Soviet Armenian Literature", "Remarks on Soviet Dramaturgy", "Shakespeare in pre-Soviet Armenian Criticism", etc.
On September 27, 1937, Gyulikevkhyan was arrested, being accused of being a member of a counter-revolutionary, right-wing Trotskyist, and actively fighting against the USSR. On April 1, 1938, he was removed from the ranks of the party. On May 7, 1939, Gyulikevkhyan was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment in a correctional labor colony, being deprived of political rights for 3 years. On September 29, due to lack of evidence, the criminal case against him was dismissed and he was released.
Gyulikevkhyan passed away on September 29, 1951, in Yerevan.
A commemorative plaque is attached to his memory on the wall of building No. 9 on Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan devoted to Gyulikevkhyan.
