Armenian Golgotha (Armenian: Հայ Գողգոթան) is a memoir written by Grigoris Balakian about his eyewitness account of the Armenian genocide. The memoir was released in two volumes.[1] Volume 1, about his life prior to and during the Armenian genocide, was released in 1922. Volume 2, about his life as a fugitive after the Genocide, was released in 1959. Originally published in Armenian, the memoir was later published in various languages including an English translation by Peter Balakian, Balakian's great-nephew, with Aris Sevag.[2]
 | |
| Author | Grigoris Balakian |
|---|---|
| Language | Armenian |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
Publication date | 1922 & 1959 |
| Publication place | Germany (1922), France (1959) |
Published in English | 2009 |
| Pages | 509 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4000-9677-0 |
Reception
editUpon the release of the English translation in 2009, many publications reviewed the account. The New Yorker referred to the account as "a fascinating first-hand testimony to a monumental crime."[3] Elie Wiesel, the author best known for the memoir Night, referred to the account as "heartbreaking" because he believes that the memory presented by Balakian "must remain a lesson for more than one generation".[4] The New Republic praised the account as "a powerful and important book" because "it takes place as one of the key first-hand sources for understanding the Armenian genocide".[5] Writing for The Washington Post, Chris Bohjalian (a second-generation Armenian American) felt personally connected by understanding what happened to his great-grandparents. Bohjalian opined that Balakian's account was "rich with evidence of the Turkish government's complicity and its leaders' premeditation." Bohjalian also hoped that the account would be widely read.[6]
References
edit- ^ Whittemore, Katharine (25 September 2015). "Seven books on the Armenian genocide - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Romano, Carlin (12 April 2010). ""Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of the Armenian genocide, 1915-18" by Grigoris Balakian". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Davidson, Amy (4 May 2009). "Armenian Golgotha". The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ "Early Praise From Elie Wiesel and Others for Grigoris Balakian's Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of The Armenian Genocide". Asbarez.com. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Mazower, Mark (1 July 2009). "The Evil That Men Do". The New Republic. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ Bohjalian, Chris (5 April 2009). "A Deadly Time Brought to Life". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
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