YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Great Armenian poet of Constantinople Zahrat died at the midnight of February 20 in Turkey, at the age of 83. As Chairman of Union of Writers of Armenia, Levon Ananian characterized, Zahrat is the huge oak of the Diasporan poetry, whose literary heritage had a deep and stable influence upon modern poetry of not only Diaspora, but also Armenia. Literary critic Suren Danielian, Director of Spyurk Scientific-Educational Center, also in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent said that Zahrat's literary heritage has had a deep and stable influence on modern poetry of both Diaspora and Armenia. Zahrat's successors were such writers as Hovhannes Grigorian, Henrik Edoyan, Armen Martirosian, Artem Haroutiunian. "Today the Constantinople Armenian literature is the most efficient in the entire territory of Diaspora, in the person of Zahrat, Zareh Khrakhuni and Roper Hattechian. There is a huge literary potential in these three writers. And today Zahrat's fellow-writers will first of all feel Zahrat's loss," S. Danielian emphasized. Zahrat (Zareh Yaltchian) was born in Constantinople. In 1942 he graduated from Constantinople Mkhitarian Lyceum. Zahrat appeared on literary arena from the 1940-s. The poet's poems and articles were published in newspapers and magazizes in Turkey and Armenia. He edited Mkhitarian Sanuts Union's "San" periodical. As literary critics estimate, a poet with a new style was obviously seen in his collection "Big Town" published in 1960. On the other hand, this poet developed the social subjects in the modern period of Constantinople literature and on the other hand, wrote about human suffering. Poet's collection "Kind Heaven" was published in 1971, "Green Earth" in 1976 and collection "A Spring with One Stone" in 1989.

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