RAFFI (Melik-Hakobyan Hakob) was born in the village of Payajouk, in 1835 (Salmas province of Persia) . The Armenian writer, publicist, public figure. He was born in the noble family. In 1847 Raffi studied at the school of Karapet Belakhyants in Tiflis, 1852-56 in the Russian State Gymnasium. 1857-58 he travelled through the Armenian provinces of Iran and Turkey and recorded the everyday life of the people, their customs and traditions. In the verses, poems and novels written in 50-70s of the 19th century (“The hirelings of the Hell”, “Ara in the field of battle", “Sarah” 1874, “Salpi” (published in 1911), “Harem”) he depicted the life of the Persian Armenians having the ideas of Enlightenment as a starting point. In the frame of the Enlightenment ideology, Raffi referred to the social significance of Literature. See more...