How words came to life for a people
10/02/2005 12:00:00 AM
Daily News
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
GLENDALE - The Armenian alphabet was created 1,600 years ago by Mesrop Mashtots, a monk, theologian and linguist who was interested in translating the Bible into his native tongue.
The alphabet strengthened Armenia's church and its kingdom and started a national literature that continues today.
The Glendale Central Library opened Saturday a month-long display on the development of the Armenian alphabet, one of several planned for this month in the Glendale area.
"What it's made me realize is the significance of the book and the significance of writing to the Armenian culture," said Nancy Hunt-Coffey, Glendale's director of libraries.
"Writing and the manuscripts are valued in the same way that we value priceless works of art. The writing is sort of inextricably tied to (Armenian) cultural development in the same way that the great artists are tied to western development."
[...]
The display, which runs through Oct. 31, also highlights the Glendale Public Library's acquisition nearly a year ago of 12,500 Armenian books donated by the now-defunct American Armenian International College in La Verne.
Librarians are still going through the collection and have begun putting some of the books on shelves. Some of the more academic books will go to local universities. The library had 4,000 Armenian books before the donation.
"It's a tremendous infusion of resources that are in high demand," Hunt-Coffey said.
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Daily News
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
GLENDALE - The Armenian alphabet was created 1,600 years ago by Mesrop Mashtots, a monk, theologian and linguist who was interested in translating the Bible into his native tongue.
The alphabet strengthened Armenia's church and its kingdom and started a national literature that continues today.
The Glendale Central Library opened Saturday a month-long display on the development of the Armenian alphabet, one of several planned for this month in the Glendale area.
"What it's made me realize is the significance of the book and the significance of writing to the Armenian culture," said Nancy Hunt-Coffey, Glendale's director of libraries.
"Writing and the manuscripts are valued in the same way that we value priceless works of art. The writing is sort of inextricably tied to (Armenian) cultural development in the same way that the great artists are tied to western development."
[...]
The display, which runs through Oct. 31, also highlights the Glendale Public Library's acquisition nearly a year ago of 12,500 Armenian books donated by the now-defunct American Armenian International College in La Verne.
Librarians are still going through the collection and have begun putting some of the books on shelves. Some of the more academic books will go to local universities. The library had 4,000 Armenian books before the donation.
"It's a tremendous infusion of resources that are in high demand," Hunt-Coffey said.
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 6:21 AM
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