[2][3] He began his education at a local school run by a priest, Father Teodik, whom he would later depict in his novel Kaytser ("Sparks").

[2] In 1857–58, he traveled extensively throughout the Armenian-populated provinces of Iran and the Ottoman Empire, collecting information about the conditions of life in Armenian villages, the geography of the region, and the historical memory of the population.

[2] He journeyed to Taron, Van, Aghtamar, and Varagavank, where he met the future Catholicos of All Armenians Mkrtich Khrimian.

[3] Raffi was frequently in a dire financial situation and wrote constantly to support his wife and two children, as well as his mother and many sisters.

[1][3] Raffi's situation somewhat improved after 1872, when he was invited by Grigor Artsruni to join the staff of the newspaper Mshak ("Tiller"), where his novels were first serialized.

[5][3] He soon became the most popular and active writer for Mshak, gaining widespread recognition for his fresh ideas, his addressal of the pressing issues of contemporary Armenian life, his refined language and his vivid style.

[3][6] Raffi also worked for a few years as a teacher at Armenian schools in Tabriz (1875–77) and Agulis (1877–79), but was unable to continue in this role due to opposition from conservatives to his novel Harem, where he criticized traditional eastern society.

[2][4] Like his predecessor Khachatur Abovian, Raffi desired the unity of the Armenians of Iran, Russia and the Ottoman Empire in a struggle against foreign domination.

[9] In a dream seen by the protagonist of his novel The Fool, he envisions a future Armenia as a united, peaceful, independent country with a representative government and socialization of key industries, where the Armenians' neighbors, the Kurds, have been "civilized and assimilated.

"[16] Although Raffi called for self-defense rather than armed revolution, his works, like those of Mikayel Nalbandian, Raphael Patkanian and others, served as inspiration for the Armenian revolutionary parties.