Raphael Patkanian (also known as Kamar Katiba; November 8, 1830 - August 22, 1892) was one of the most popular Armenian poets. Patkanian was born in Nor Nakhichevan, Russia in 1830, his father and grandfather had been known for their poetic gifts. While at the University of Moscow, he created a literary club for his Armenian students, and from initials of their names formed his own pen-name of Kamar Katiba. Many of his poems were written during the Turco-Russian war, when the Russian Armenians had high hopes for the deliverance of Turkish Armenia from the Ottoman yoke. Patkahian died in 1892, after forty-two years of his continuous activity, as a teacher, author, and editor. "I Was Spoken For" is one of the Patkanian's most popular short novels, loved by Armenian readers.