Onnik Chifte-Saraf was born Hovhannes Abisoghomian Aspet in the Istanbul suburb of Üsküdar . He received his education at the Armenian school in Kadıköy , then continued at the Getronagan Armenian High School , but financial constraints forced him to quit school and work as a clerk to a merchant . His first articles appeared in the daily Surhantak ( Messenger ) in 1900 . The following year he was invited by Arpiar Arpiarian ( 1852-1907 ) and Krikor Zohrab ( 1861-1915 ) to contribute to the Massis newspaper , where his first short stories were published . In 1902-03 he traveled through Italy , Switzerland , France , and England , acquainting himself with the literary trends of the region , and returned home with new impressions . There followed a fertile creative period . He became a regular contributor to a number of periodicals in addition to Massis such as '' Tsaghig '' ( Flower ) , '' Arevelyan Mamul '' ( Eastern Press ) , '' Shirak '' , '' Hay Kraganutyun '' ( Armenian Literature ) , '' Byuzantium '' , Teotig 's '' Amenuyn Daretyutsi '' ( Everyone 's Almanac ) , and others . He also served as an elected member of the Armenian National Assembly . At the start of the First World War he was drafted into the Turkish army and thus spared the horrible fate met by most of his writer colleagues during the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Onnik Chifte-Saraf