Spandaryan, Suren Spandarovich

Activist of Revolutionary movement in Russia, Armenian literature critic, publicist. Member of RSDRP (Russian Socialist Democratic Workers' Party) since 1901, Bolshevik.

Born December 3 (15), 1882, in Tiflis, in a family of a lawyer. Studied in Moscow University, led propaganda among the workers. Participant of the Revolution of 1905-1907 in Moscow and in the Caucasus, member of Caucasian union committee of RSDRP. Since 1907, was a member of Baku Committee of RSDRP; since 1910, led the work in Tbilisi. In 1911-1912, was a member of Russian organizational commission for the convocation of 6th all-Russian RSDRP Conference in Prague; was the conference's delegate, was elected the member of the Central Committee and the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of RSDRP. In 1906-1912, cooperated with the newspapers Kayts (Spark), Nor Khosk (New Word), Gudok (Siren), Bakinsky proletary (Baku's Proletarian), Bakinsky rabochy (Baku's Worker), Zvezda (Star), Social Democrat, and other. In March 1912, was arrested and sentenced to lifelong exile to Siberia, where he continued his revolutionary activities.

Deceased on September 11 (24), 1916, in Krasnoyarsk.

Spandaryan authored literary critical articles and works on aesthetics, M. Gorky's and A. Akopyan's work, etc. Supported Lenin's principle on the Party spirit and national character of the literature, criticized the theory of "art for art", opposed the decadent reactionary literature. Spandaryan highly appreciated the literary legacy left by V.G. Belinsky, A.I. Gertsen, N.G. Chernyshevsky, L.N. Tolstoy (article Honoring or Advertising?, 1911), A.P. Chekhov, T.G. Shevchenko, and A. Shirvanzade (articles Russian Index and Tiflis, January 13 - both 1910, From Armenian Press, 1911, and others). Spandaryan's activities played an important role in the development of Armenian Marxist aesthetic thought.