He was a lifelong member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and is the namesake of the ARF's Shant Student Association.

He returned to Constantinople to teach and write; his first literary work was accepted by the daily Hairenik of that city in 1891.

He departed to Germany in 1893 for six years to study science, child psychology, education, literature and history in the universities of Leipzig, Jena and Munich.

As an author, he was most renowned for his plays: Hin Astvadsner ('Ancient Gods', 1908), Kaisre ('The Emperor', 1914), Inkads Berdi Ishkhanuhin ('The Princess of the Fallen Castle', 1921), Oshin Payl (1929).

He was one of the vice-presidents of the Armenian Parliament during the Republic and led a delegation to Moscow in April 1920 to negotiate with the communist regime.