...At present I am thinking about Quchak and Isahakian: they both have charmed me. I loved Isahakian gently.
…Isahakian is a premium poet, now however, there is not such a brilliant and ingenious talent all over Europe”

Alexander Blok

…There is something broken and cracked in Isahakian’s works that gives a special sharpness to his poetry …that is full of suffering and is worried and powerful. The literary treasury of Isahakian can be divided into two parts. The first part encloses his songs in which he came so close to the folk lyric poetry that most verses seem to be a new series of folk songs written by unknown singers. …The second part of Isahakian’s works embraces his meditative verses and his great poem “Abu-Lala-Mahari”. H. Hovhannisian, Hovh. Toumanian and Av. Isahakian comprise …the most brilliant trio-stars in the firmament of the Armenian literature and the historical ways of that literature pass through the activity of these three writers.

Valeri Bryusov

1948

…In the artistic structure of Isahakian’s verses, the soul of the real and great poetry lives. …His whole work is a song about the past, present and future of Armenia.
…All the verses by Isahakian have mild and warm light on them and are absorbed with that light. His sorrow is bright, and as Pushkin would say: ‘the world of his poetic sight is light, the sun does not set in that world, and no other contemporary has known such a caress of spiritual revelation and poetic frankness. Sorrow and fury inside him are never changed into dark and malice. …The eternal youth of his country speaks inside him, the eternal youth of the nature that has created the image of the country that we call Armenia.

Nikolay Tikhonov

       

Isahakian belongs to the number of poets that are born rarely. Any, even the richest literature would be proud with him. His rich poetry helped me to live in the duration of several decays.
I am sure he will live for long centuries.

Ilya Erenburg

Avetik Isahakian, Maxim Rilski. Dilijan, 1954

Avetik Isahakian is the respectable heir and continuer of the glorified traditions of the Armenian classical poetry. Meanwhile he is original: sincere in his feelings, contemplations and frankness. … The handsome poet, man and citizen enjoying the all-nation love and caress lives and creates in the rose-gardens and grape-gardens of New Armenia.

Maxim Rilski

I deeply love the works by Avetik Isahakian and consider him one of the greatest poets of our time. I have written music on the words of some of his verses.

Georgi Sviridov

…Thank you deeply for helping me to get acquainted with the works written by Isahakian, especially with his “Abu-Lala-Mahari” which is the pearl of the world poetry.

Desanka Maqsimovich

Isahakian’s poetry was a great discovery for me. He is one of the greatest poets living in the world. I was impressed by the strength and profundity of his talent.

S. S. Baura

Poet as a rule admires, but the tenderness and profundity of Isahakian’s mind amaze one.

Khesualdo Sosa

Avetik Isahakian is a great writer, a worldwide grandeur and superbly humane and his “Abu-Lala-Mahari” is undeniably an incomparable masterpiece. From the first day, I was attracted with his deep feelings. I am unreservedly and completely admired with his work. Isahakian’s personality is a beacon of radiating mind, spirit, bright light and warmth for me.

Khayreddin-El Asadi

1955

The works of a great poet belongs not only to his people. The sounds coming out of his burning heart charm everybody like a spring invitation. Isahakian’s poetry is like that. It has no bounds in time and distance.

Vatsis Reymaris

One of the first places among the best poets in the world, whose immortal works excite more and more new generations with the depth of mind and feelings, magnificent scenes of nature and brilliant love towards life, human being and freedom, belong to the great poet of Armenian people Avetik Isahakian.

Antanas Ventslova

True, real talents are magnets. The keys of loving any people are in their hands.
…The genius of the Armenian people gave birth to three eminent masters of literature: Hovh. Toumanian, Derenik Demirtchian and Avetik Isahakian.
…The latter was not only a poet, a flaming patriot of his country, but also one who sent the honest impulses of his heart to the hearts of other peoples. They have raised the national existence and folk mythology to a level of universal ideas and hence are considered the singer of the hearts of all the nations and their beloved:

Now where is the stone,
that will be a gravestone
standing in the soil?.
In my wandering life,
who knows, maybe
I have sat and grieved

On that stone?
With Isahakian’s physical death Armenia lost the father of the motherland and the world poetry lost a brilliant poet but we, his close people, lost an honest, crystal and close-hearted friend.

Konstantine Gamsakhurdia

One of the photos symbolically shows Avetik Isahakian leaning on the sacred ruins of Zvartnots.
The great singer of Armenia is resting on the capital in which he had found the centuries-old tragedy and heroic history of his people and had recognized the hidden mystery of its strange vitality.

  …His whole poetry radiates the shine of the seeking, invincible and huge spirit of the ingenious Armenian people.

Viktor Kochevski

The poetry of Isahakian until now has been unknown to me and was a great invention for me. He is one of the greatest poets alive in the world and the depth and power of his talent greatly impressed me.

S. M. Bauran /Professor at Oxford University/

Your songs with their special and picturesque beauty have their incomparable place in the …

V. Teryan

Avetik Isahakian, D. Demirtchian. Yerevan, 1955

Avetik Isahakian deepened and enlarged the culture of the folk song both in its external form and especially, in content.

D. Demirtchian

Avetik Isahakian, Stepan Zoryan. Zvartnotc, 1954

Isahakian is the translator of the pure feelings and the spokesman of the boundless contemplations of our people, and meanwhile is the national pride and glory of the people.

Stepan Zoryan

With Isahakian’s lyre, Armenian people sang about its love towards the land, grief and sorrow, dreams and failure.
…The nature of Armenia in Isahakian’s poetry is adorned with the theme of motherland: the lark - in the flood of morning light; snow-covered mountains; the song in the cavities of the native home.

Marieta Shahinian

…Isahakian’s “Willow” came to me the most easily. I do not know whose advantage it was: the translator’s, Alexander Block, or the Armenian poet’s?. However, the “Willow” is a marvellous piece of music, the melody is within the lines of the verse and I merely had to write the melody down.

Sergey Rakhmaninov