A large statue of Avetik Isahakyan (1875–1957), the Armenian poet and novelist who was born in Gyumri — then Alexandrapol — and is considered alongside Hovhannes Shiraz as the city's greatest literary figure. Isahakyan's poetry, mostly love lyrics and philosophical meditations, influenced generations of Armenian writers. He spent much of his life in exile in Europe and the Middle East, only returning to Soviet Armenia late in life.
The statue stands in a small park and is a meeting point for locals in the evenings. The inscription in Armenian is from one of his most famous poems. Gyumri's pride in its literary tradition is unusual for a city this size, and the presence of multiple monuments to poets in the city — while ordinary statues of generals and politicians are few — says something about what the city values.