ARAM, 21 (2009) 107-115. doi: 10.2143/ARAM.21.0.

2047088

THE EVOLUTION OF THE SHORT STORY IN

MODERN ASSYRIAN LITERATURE

Mr. YOUEL A. BAABA

(California)

BACKGROUND

Modern Assyrian literature dates back to 1840 when the American mission-
ary, Rev. Justin Perkins brought the first printing press to Urmia.1 It was the first
time that Assyrians saw their vernacular language reduced to writing and in
print. Until that time Syriac was the accepted language in church, in literature
and in correspondence among the few learned people.
Books in the Syriac language were printed in many European cities but noth-
ing in the vernacular before this date. Assyrians will always be grateful to the
American and other European missions who supported the development of their
modern literature through education and printing facilities. The achievements of
this early missionary enterprise were to be the foundation for all subsequent
literary developments.2
Unfortunately, the American mission reduced the vernacular to a written
form without much regard to spelling and grammar. In my opinion this was
due to the fact that the early missionaries were not well versed in the classical
Syriac language and those Assyrians who worked with them and were instru-
mental in this task also lacked the same knowledge. Fortunately, most of today’s
writers have made a conscious effort to correct spelling and grammar and
purge most of the foreign words from their writings. It should be noted that
there is still not a universally accepted spelling system in the vernacular.
In addition to the American mission there were other European missions
in Urmia: French Lazarist, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Mission, Russian
Orthodox and others. All these missions established schools and printing facil-
ities to promote their church among the new converts. Only the Archbishop’s
of Canterbury’s Mission refrained from converting Assyrian Christians to their
own church, but contributed a great deal to the publications of many significant
church books.

1
Rev. Justin Perkins, A Residence of Eight Years in Persia among the Nestorian Christians.
(New York 1843)
2
Benyamin, Yoab David, Assyrian Journalism: 140-Year Experience, Mall Publishing Co.,
Niles, IL. 2002

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 108 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SHORT STORY

Initially what were printed by the American mission were religious tracks
followed by printing of the bible, hymns, and educational books for their
schools. Other missions printed a number of significant church service books
and other works in different fields.

Literary Developments

As Assyrians progressed in their education the number of people who could

read the printed material increased by many folds. This increased readership
gave rise to a number of significant literary developments.
The first literary development was the publication of magazines and news-
papers in the last half of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. In 1849,
Rev. Justin Perkins founded Zahrire d’Bahra (Rays of Light); the first news-
paper published in Urmia which lasted nearly to the end of World War I.
In 1897, the Lazarist Mission published Qala d’Shrara (Voice of the Truth).
Some Assyrian writers consider it the premier literary achievement of its time.
In the early twentieth century, the Russian Orthodox Mission published Urmi
Orthodekseta (Orthodox Urmia). Its Russian editor, Archimandrit Pimen was
assisted by Mr. Shlemon d’Salamas, a notable Assyrian writer. In 1906, a pop-
ular monthly magazine named Kokhwa (The Star) founded by Yokhanan
Mooshie began its publication. Mr. Mooshie, an Assyrian writer and graduate
of Colgate University was the first to call for the separation of church and
nation and persistently championed the development of a broad secular educa-
tion. Even after the expulsion of Assyrians from their ancestral homelands,
journalism continues to flourish among Assyrians in Diaspora.
Sadly, the majority of modern Assyrian magazines of today are written in
English, Arabic, Persian and Turkish. There are only two quality magazines
written in the Assyrian language that continue to flourish.3
The second significant development in modern literature has been the dra-
matic plays. A number of plays that were translated or originally written by
Assyrians have been staged as early as 19094. This interest in drama continued
among many Assyrian communities in Iraq, Iran and even in the United States.
Both Rabi Yacoub Yacoub and Rabi Jibrael Babilla presented a number of
plays in Habbania and Kirkuk respectively. To my knowledge none of these
translated plays or those written by Assyrian writers have been published.
Except for one play, we have no information on who were the translators or
writers of these plays presented in Urmia.

3
Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies published in the United States and “Alap-u-Tav”
published in Tehran, Iran.
4
Ishaya, Arianne Dr., “From Contributions to Diaspora: Assyrians in the History of Urmia,
Iran”, Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, Vol.XVI, No 1, 2002

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 Y.A. BAABA 109

After the exodus of 1918 some of the well known translators and writers of
plays are Rabi Benyamin Arsanis, Rabi Yacoub Yacoub, Jibrael Babilla, Mirza
David Malick, Mishael Lazar Essa, etc. Over the years, I have searched to find
the original manuscripts of these plays and have found only one.

Short Story

Syriac is still the official church language of Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syrians

and Maronites. However, except for Assyrians the other three groups generally
use Arabic as their vernacular language. In northern Iraq, there are Chaldean
villages that still speak the vernacular; however, it is much infused with Arabic
and Kurdish words. Also in Eastern Turkey and Syria there are some Syrians
(Assyrians) who continue the use of Toroyo as a vernacular language. To my
knowledge, these groups have not written and published many books in the
vernacular language. In regard to the development of modern literature in the
vernacular, we can consider the other three groups as non contributors. So far
Assyrians have retained their spoken language, have written and published
books on a variety of topics but what the future holds for this modern literature
is unknown for now.
While written fictional stories are rare in the Syriac literature, the spoken
stories in the vernacular were both common and appreciated by Assyrians. It
was not uncommon for family, relatives and neighbors to gather around the
village story teller who would entertain them with his stories, often accompa-
nied by songs. These stories were passed on from generation to generation by
word of mouth.
Two Assyrians have written the history of modern literature. Dr. Pera Sarmas
published three volumes covering the history of Assyrian literature.5 Volume
one covers the Akkadian and Aramaic literature, volume two covers the Ara-
maic literature during the Christian period, and volume three published in 1970
covers the modern literature.
Rev. Shmoel Dinkha published two volumes in 1991 on history of modern
literature.6 In his book, he gives a list of books printed from 1840 to 1991.
He lists the number of books printed in each year and identified by the country
in which it was printed. Total printed books listed in his book in this period are
502 and Iran leads the list. He mentions the names of 132 writers giving a brief
biographical sketch of each and lists the published books, poems, and articles
in various magazines. Of this total of writers only 11 have either translated
and/or have written short stories. Based on my own research and acquisition of
5
Sarmas, Pera Dr., History of the Assyrian Literature, 3 volumes, Tehran, Iran. 1962, 1969,
1970
6
Dinkha, Shmoel Rev., Condensed History of Modern Assyrian Literature, 2 volumes, Babylon
Press, Milpitas, California 1991.

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 110 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SHORT STORY

many manuscripts of Assyrian writers, I would say that the number of pub-
lished books is less than fifty percent of what has been written. Many Assyrian
writers prior to the advent of computers found it financially very difficult to
print their writings. This specific discovery has led me to publish books of
certain deceased writers or the living writers who are not financially able to
publish their writings.
From these two sources, I have prepared two tables: the first displays the
number of published books and the second the number of short stories written
and published by each story writer.

Total Books Published

Period Iran Iraq USA India Others Total Avg/year

1840-1899 98 6 5 0 15 124 2.0
1900-1949 31 31 38 3 9 112 2.2
1950-1990 100 62 55 28 21 266 6.6
Total 229 99 98 31 45 502 3.3

Short Stories by Writers

Writer Short Stories

Written Published
Mishael Essa 29 8
Youel Baaba 18 18
Nimrod Simono 8 8
John Alkhas 5 5
Aprim Yosip 3 3
Rev. Shmoel Kulya 3 3
Lily Timorazi 4 4
Youarash Ibrahim 2 2
Others 8 8

The earliest short story that I have come across is one written by a certain
Mr. Oraham Yauvre and published in Kokhwa magazine in the November 10,
1913 issue. Searching through a few copies in my possession of three Assyrian
magazines published in the United States in the first half of the 20th century,
I have come across three short stories. Unfortunately, since the copies that I
have are not consecutive, it has not been possible for me to identify either the
titles of these stories or their writers. All these four stories are very sterile and
do not possess any dialogue; they are simple narration of the writers.

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 Y.A. BAABA 111

I consider Mishael Lazar Essa as the father of Assyrian short story. His writ-
ing displayed a prodigious productivity. He wrote twenty-nine shorts stories,
eleven plays and two philosophical essays. One of his plays, (The Source of
Error), was staged in three different cities for the Assyrian communities in Iraq.
I had the honor of playing the leading role in this play. Additionally, he wrote
a number of patriotic and love songs.
Both his stories and plays are reflections of the difficult conditions of Assyr-
ians. He resented being treated as a second class citizen in his own country. He
does not blame the misfortunes of his people on outsiders but on the failed
leadership of his nation. He portrayed the various characteristics of Assyrian
national and social life. His stories cover humor, tragedy, love, romance, betrayal,
arrogance, and disappointment.
Mr. Essa had no formal education; he finished the fourth grade of an Assyrian
grammar school. On his own, he improved his knowledge of the vernacular
and also learned to read and write both English and Arabic.
He had a very fertile imagination and a good sense of humor. All his works
are hand written with a fountain pen which was in common use in those days.
He never edited his writing or asked others to do that. Once a story was fin-
ished he gave it to his brother to read it to his brothers and sisters. Then it was
passed on to other relatives and friends. Unfortunately, this practice was the
reason why five of his manuscripts have been lost.
Mr. Essa was also an alcoholic who wrote most of his novels when he was
drunk. Between holding a full time job, getting drunk almost every night and
writing two or three hours after he got home, he still managed to father eight
girls and one boy. Alcoholism was the cause of his premature death at the age
forty four. In 1950 he presented me a hand written manuscript of one of his
stories.7 I was so touched by it that I published it. This was not only his first
story but the first Assyrian story ever published in modern literature in Iraq.
After he passed away his manuscripts were left to one of his daughters who
understandably considers him the best Assyrian novelist. However, she does not
acknowledge her father’s limited knowledge of Assyrian grammar and spelling.
In 1991, I published six of his stories in one volume8 and with the help of my
friend Daniel Benjamin we corrected his spelling errors and some of his gram-
matical mistakes. This editing upset his daughter and she withdrew her permis-
sion to allow me to publish the balance of his works. One of his stories, “Our
Locked Door”, was made into a movie in 1992. It was produced and directed by
Nenos Kako and a large portion of the movie was filmed in Armenia.9

7
Essa, Mishael Lazar, Marganyate d’Kam Khzore, Baghdad, Iraq 1950
8
Essa, Mishael Lazar, Toonaye d’Mishael Lazar Essa, Youel A Baaba Library, El Sobrante,
California 1991
9
Essa, Mishael Lazar, O Tar’an Khlika, published in Baghdad, Iraq

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 112 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SHORT STORY

Of the eleven writers of short stories, five have translated stories from Eng-
lish and Russian literature.
Nimrod Simono, the distinguished Assyrian scholar wrote eight short stories,
two of which were translated, one from Anton Chekov and another from Hans
Christian Andersen. All of these appeared in the Gilgamesh magazine10 in the
period of 1952-1959. Simono’s writing is devoid of spelling and grammatical
mistakes. His expressions are rich and have a smooth, easy to follow style and
the reader is soon absorbed in the story.
John Alkhas, dubbed the prince of Assyrian poetry,11 wrote five short stories,
one of which is translated from Victor Hugo. All stories were published in
Gelgamesh between 1952-1955.
Lily Timorazi has published four short stories, two of which are translated
from Anton Chekov.
Eshaya Eshoo wrote a single story entitled ‘The Pharo’s Treasure’ which
was published in Gilgamesh magazine.
Youarash Kasha Ibrahim Beth Kelaita was born in Urmia and educated at
the Episcopal mission school. He was well versed in Assyrian and English. He
has written two novelettes, ‘Shabi and Shaban’ and ‘Mourasa Babilla’ both
published in the United States.
Baba Ashuri translated Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ which was
published in Tehran in 1970.
Yacoub Eyawi wrote a single story which was also published in Gilgamesh.
Aprim Yosip who is married to Mishael Essa’s oldest daughter has written
a number of stories, three of which have been published.
Aprim Benyamin translated and published Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of
Venice’ and Tolstoy’s ‘The Prisoner’.
Rev. Shmoel Bet Kulya has written three stories; one published in Gil-
gamesh and the other two published individually. His story “The Journey of
Kasha Sliwoo to Heaven”12 is a unique story both in subject and style. Kasha
Sliwoo a priest of the Church of the East is the main character of the story and
is determined to enter Heaven. Just like prophet Mohammad, he rides his don-
key aiming to reach the door of heaven. He finds out that heaven has twelve
gates; the first ten are guarded by the patriarchs of the Old Testament and the
last two by Jesus Christ and Simon Peter. At each gate, he demands to be
admitted but he is refused entry. Except for Christ, a debate ensues between
Kasha Sliwoo and the gate keepers. There is no question that bet Kulya is a

10
Gilgamesh, An Assyrian Literary Magazine printed in Tehran, Iran from 1952 to 1961.
All issues were reprinted in one volume published by Youel A Baaba Library in 1991.
11
Simono, Nimrod, John Alkhas, From Memory of the Exiled, Youel A Baaba Library,
California 1991.
12
Bet Kulya, Kasha Shmoel, Sapar d’Kashisha Sliwoo l’Shmaya, Assyrian Youth Cultural
Society Press, Tehran, Iran, 1980

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 Y.A. BAABA 113

well versed individual in Bible as he piles quotation after quotation to denounce

most of the gate keepers and question how they could be appointed keepers
when they committed so many sins while on earth.
This is truly a very interesting and important book not only in modern Assyr-
ian literature but in Christian religion. The style and logic in which the writer
presents his story are captivating. By the force of his arguments and revelations,
the reader is enticed to find out the outcome of the debates. Hopefully, this
story will soon be translated into English or other European languages as it
will provide a fresh look at the various important personalities in the Christian
religion.
William Goriel published two stories in Gilgamesh, one translated from
Maxim Gorky and the second, a Chinese story translated from Persian lan-
guage.
Odisho Malko is a gifted and prolific Assyrian writer. So far he has published
fourteen books on a variety of interesting topics, from his Assyrian-Arabic
dictionary, translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, poetry, the Rogation of the
Ninevites, etc.
In 2006, he published his first novelette which I personally consider one of
the best that has been written in modern literature. In this historical novel,
Gorgor,13 he has not only managed to portray the tragic story of Eliya and
his wife Shirene, but of the entire Assyrian nation in the first quarter of the
20th century. The oppression, massacres, kidnapping, assassinations, and the
ultimate forcible expulsion of the entire Assyrian nation from its ancestral
homeland by their neighbors are fully documented in a very sensitive manner
which does not interfere with the flow of the main story. Assyrian leaders and
the church prelates do not escape the wrath of the author for their failure to
govern wisely and lead the nation in the time of its crisis. Along side of Eliya
and Shirene, a loving and hard working couple dedicated to their nation and its
values and traditions, there is Ghazale, a victim of a backward practice of par-
ents giving their daughters into marriage without their consent and knowledge.
Suffering for many years being married to an impotent husband, she finally
gives her virginity to a man who can love her and make her happy. This is a
must read novel and hopefully it will soon be translated into other languages
so that all people will enjoy this engaging story.
Youel Baaba has so far written and published eighteen short stories. These
were individually published in the Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies. He
also published these stories in two volumes, Volume one contains nine stories
that are collectively called ‘Memories of the Exiled”14. These stories are about
Assyrians who were exiled from Iraq and found refuge under French protection

13
Ashita, Odisho Malco, Gorgor d’Le Bashil, Baghdad, Iraq 2006
14
Baaba, Youel A, Tonaye min d’Khara d’Tride, Youel A Baaba Library, California, 1997

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 114 THE EVOLUTION OF THE SHORT STORY

in Syria, where they were settled in several villages. Assyrians of the ‘Tel
Shamiram’ village are the subject of these stories. The first volume was reviewed
by Dr. Arianne Ishaya15 who wrote her review in English and published it in
the Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies. Following are two quotations from
her review of this book.
“The stories are narrated from the perspective of a nine-year old boy with a
keen sense of observation and a strong memory. As a visitor, the reader is led
from family to family and from episode to episode to become fully acquainted
with dynamics of the village. But this is not a children’s story. The reader is
aware of the adult writer who is reviving and remolding childhood memories.
Sometimes it is hard to tell which of the characters are historical, and which
are fictional as the narrator skillfully presents history and fiction and weaves
the lives of the fictional characters upon actual historical events. Rooted in the
post-WWI history of the Assyrians, this is a skillful ethnographic description
of the culture, society, and political realities of these Assyrian settlements on
the Khabur River.”
“The failure of the Khabur experiment is also evident in that the same men,
who were driven out of Iraq after the Simel massacre, are ready to re-enter the
country illegally, prepared for humiliation of living among their persecutors.
Benyamin, the father of the narrator, is among those with no farming experience.
His situation is of particular interest. He is not among the victims of the Simel
massacre. In fact he is an Assyrian-Iranian émigré. He has a comfortable life
and a secure job in Kirkuk. But he chooses to join the exodus to Syria out of
indignation towards the British for the betrayal of the Assyrians in their strug-
gle for their national rights after World War I. He also finds it unbearable to
live among the Kurds, Turkomans, and Arabs of Iraq after the Simel massacre
and other atrocities. Yet this very person who self-exiles himself, soon realizes
that he cannot feed his family for long if he stays in ‘Tel Shamiram’. So he
re-enters Iraq illegally.”
Volume two “Memories of Bet Nahrain”16 covers the period of 1942-1952
when the writer lived in the well know Assyrian ghetto, better known as
Gailani Camp, in Baghdad. The conditions here are different. These Assyrians
are not farmers, they are skilled craftsmen, office workers, a few merchants,
etc. The stories have no relation to each other; each is about a specific event.
While the stories are fiction, they have roots in actual events. We will wait for
another reviewer to pass judgment on this collection

15
Ishaya, Arianne Dr., Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, Volume XV, No. 1, 2001.
16
Baaba, Youel A., Tonaye min d’Khara d’Bet Nahrain, Youel A Baaba Library, Alamo,
California 2006.

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 Y.A. BAABA 115

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, modern Assyrian literature and specifically the short story

does not have a promising future. Many Assyrians believe that with the advent
of the computer and the availability of different software programs both writing
and publishing will progress with time. There is no question that these tools
should facilitate both writing and publication of Assyrian books; however,
the problem that hampers the progress of this literature is not lack of writers or
printing facilities, it is the readership. This condition puts writers in a predica-
ment. As Dr. Ishaya put it, “They know the wealth of their heritage and refuse
to let go of it. At the same time they are aware of the ineffectiveness of pursu-
ing it.” Every year the number of Assyrians capable of reading and writing
their language diminishes.
Since the majority of Assyrian schools in Iraq, Iran and Syria have been
shut down by order of the government, students gain their knowledge using
other languages such as Arabic, Persian and English. Without Assyrian schools,
where the students are taught their language, literature, and an appreciation of
their heritage, soon most of Assyrians in the Middle East will have no knowl-
edge of their mother language. Admittedly, there are a few who have the moti-
vation to learn their language privately or in some church organizations; this
by itself does not solve the problem of diminishing readership.
The proof for my statement is based on evaluating the number of readers of
three major Assyrian magazines17 and the sale of published books. The Journal
of the Assyrian Academic Studies, which is considered by most Assyrians as
the best magazine today, has a readership of less than five hundreds worldwide.
So far I have published three books of my own and seven of other writers and
have not been able to sell 500 copies of each. Thus, in my opinion, in another
fifty years the modern Assyrian language will survive only as a subject for the
scholars and researches in the academic world.

17
Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, The Assyrian Star, Nineveh Magazine.

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