Michael Hovhannisyan known by his pen name Nar-Dos, began his career as a writer in the 1880s starting with his poems, some of which were published in Araks (Saint-Petersburg) and "Sokhak Hayastani" collection. He also wrote stories, feuilletons and plays. Under the influence of Gabriel Sundukyan, Nar-Dos created the plays "Mayini gangaty" , "Honey and flies" in 1886 and "Brother" in 1887.

Under the pen name Mikho-Ohan he published "Tchshmarit barekamy" (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿), "Nune" (¿¿¿¿¿) (1886), "Barerar ev vordegir" (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) (1888), "Knkush larer" (¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿)(1887), "Zazunyan" (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)(1890) in "Nor dar" newspaper. In the stories and novels of his first period he mainly describes the urban life focusing on certain social groups ("Our District" (¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿), "Hopop" (1890), "Hogun vra hasav" (¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿) (1889), "Anna Saroyan" (¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)(1888)). One of the famous stories of this period is "She and I" (¿¿ ¿ ¿¿) written in 1889.

After 1890 a new period begins in Nar-Dos' creative life of which deep psychological analysis is typical. Famous works of this period are "The Killed Dove" (¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿)(1898) in which the author depicts the tragedy of an Armenian woman , "Struggle" (¿¿¿¿¿¿)(1911) and "The Death" (¿¿¿¿).

Nar-Dos developed the psychological trend of Armenian critical realism displaying refined Armenian language.