Tag: Armenian genocide

 

Every man’s memory is his private literature.- Aldous Huxley

There was a timeliness to selecting a title about the Armenian genocide for a book group I work with. April, 24 2015 was the date selected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of this horrible period. I suggested Chris Bohjalian’s, The Sandcastle Girls (see post Part 1) or Aline Ohanesian’s, Orhan’s Inheritance. To prepare to lead the conversation, I chose to read them both and came away with a far richer understanding of the multifaceted aspects of this tragedy than I would have if I’d only read one. Whichever you choose, your view of history will be changed.

IN A NUTSHELL

• Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian (Algonquin Books, 2015)
• In 40 words or less: Dialog and detailed descriptions provide personal views of the Armenian genocide and war against the British through the eyes of a young girl and a conscripted Turkish boy whose families long-lived side by side.
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Locale: Ottoman Empire, California
• Time: 1915-23 and 1990
• Read this to gain an understanding of the complexities of life when neighbors were pitted against neighbor. Using her grandmother’s recollections as a starting point for her novel, Ohanesian writes of love, loss, inhumanity and compassion.

Continue reading Armenian Genocide Remembered in Fiction (Part 2)

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History is written by the victors. – attributed to Winston Churchill, author unknown

Once I realized that for 100 years a key objective of the government of Turkey has been to hide from the world knowledge of a systematic campaign to rid the Ottoman Empire of its Armenian citizens, I was less embarrassed by my ignorance and far more angry. From 1915 – 1923 between a million and 1.5 million citizens of Armenian descent were systematically forced out of their homes, subjected to death marches, crammed into railway cars, raped, tortured, starved and placed in concentration camps.  Sound familiar? While it isn’t clear which nation came up with the techniques, among those aligned with the Turks and serving alongside them throughout WWI were the Germans.

Sometime within the last decade I first realized I knew next to nothing about what is now called the first genocide of the modern era. I’ve been learning, bit by bit, but I didn’t started with history books. An unexpected encounter at a B&B in Harpers Ferry, WV, was the beginning. But it’s Chris Bohjalian’s The Sandcastle Girls and Aline Ohanesian’s Orhan’s Inheritance (see post Part 2) that set me on the path to understanding.

IN A NUTSHELL

• The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday, 2012)
• In 40 words or less: A young woman travels to the Ottoman Republic in 1915 to aid Armenian refugees. Her experiences with all those she meets change the course of her life.  Strong historical underpinnings provide critical insights.
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Locale: Ottoman Empire, Aleppo, USA
• Time: 1915-16 and 2012
• Read this if you have limited knowledge of the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Turks from 1915-23. Fans of Bohjalian will be thrilled with the balance between storytelling and history.

Continue reading Armenian Genocide Remembered in Fiction (Part 1)

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