Arman Kotikian, a poet and translator, was mainly known as an actor with a half-century on Armenian stages.
He was born Arakel Kotikian in Trabzon (Trebisonda) on September 27, 1896. After elementary studies in the nearby village of Elevi, where his family lived, he moved to Trabzon to live with his brother and continued his studies at the local Armenian school. Only him, his brother and sister, out of their huge family, survived the Armenian Genocide.
After the occupation of Trabzon by Russian forces in 1916, Arman Kotikian was devoted to the gathering of orphans, participated in the creation of an orphanage-school in the building of the Girls’ School in Trabzon, and taught Armenian language and history at the local Mekhitarist school. He was also a member of the local Armenian Committee. He moved to Sukhumi (Georgia) in 1917 to live with his sister, and published articles about Trabzon, as well as recollections from survivors in the Armenian press of Tiflis (Tbilisi).