Paruyr Rafaeli Ghazaryan (better known as Paruyr Sevak; in Armenian: ??????? ???? (????????); January 26, 1924 - June 17, 1971) was an Armenian poet. He is considered one of the greatest Armenian poets of all time.
Sevak was born in Sovetashen (now Zangakatun) village, Soviet Armenia to Rafael and Anahit Soghomonyan. He studied at Yerevan State University and Moscow's Gorky Institute of Literature. A doctor of philology, Sevak was one of the senior researchers of the M. Abeghyan Yerevan Institute of Literature.
Sevak died on June 17, 1971 in an automobile accident while on a drive back to Yerevan. In previous years, he had been voicing out his criticism of the corruption of the Soviet establishment and for this, many Armenians believe, he was murdered by the Soviet KGB. His wife, Nelly Menagharishvili, also died in the accident. He was buried in the backyard of his home, in Zangakatun, which later became a museum.
