Portraits of Hope: Armenians in the Contemporary World

Published by Berghahn Books 2007

Portraits of Hope

Armenians in the Contemporary World

Edited by: Huberta v. Voss

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781782389415

Overview
Contents

About this book

Elie Wiesel called the genocide of the Armenians during the First World War ‘the Holocaust before the Holocaust’. Around one and a half million Armenians - men, women and children – were slaughtered at the time of the First World War. This book outlines some of the historical facts and consequences of the massacres but sees it as its main objective to present the Armenians to the foreign reader, their history but also their lives and achievements in the present that finds most Armenians dispersed throughout the world. 3000 years after their appearance in history, 1700 years after adopting Christianity and almost 90 years after the greatest catastrophe in their history, these 50 ‘biographical sketches of intellectuals, artists, journalists, and others…produce a complicated kaleidoscope of a divided but lively people that is trying once again, to rediscover its ethnic coherence. Armenian civilization does not consist solely of stories about a far-off past, but also of traditions and a national conscience suggestive of a future that will transcend the present.’ [from the Preface]

Author / Editor information

Huberta v. Voss worked for many years as a political correspondent for various German dailies, before becoming spokesperson of the Speaker of the Bundestag. During the diplomatic assignment of her husband to Beirut and Nicosia, she edited and translated amongst others the Lebanese poet Nadia Tuéni from French into German. She has earned a M.A. in Political Science, Modern History and French Philology. She has three children and now lives as a freelance journalist and author in Berlin.

Reviews

“…certainly a well-put together and edited compendium of Armenian socio-political and cultural essays ...And it has a great deal to offer both the educated and altruistic reader alike about the passionate and fatalistic woven threads that compose Armenian life and identity today.” · Armenian Weekly

“…highly informative and important for the understanding not only of an ignored past…One reads with astonishment how much creative potential the oldest Christian people still has.” · Die Welt

“In this book Armenia…is not so much a nation rather than a landscape of remembrance, broken up and held together by violence and expulsion and through an eternal ‘traveling’ culture. Huberta von Voss allows us to experience this culture through the portraits of members of this culture who are dispersed throughout the world.” · :die tageszeitung

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Map Publicly Available Download PDF	xii
Preface Yehuda Bauer Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Prologue Huberta von Voss Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	xxv
Part I: Introduction
1. Between Ararat and the Caucasus: Portrait of a Tiny Country in Five Lessons Tessa Hofmann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Armenian Genocide: An Interpretation Vahakn N. Dadrian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
3. The Turkish Denial of the Armenian Genocide in its European Context Taner Akçam Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
4. The Silent Partner: Imperial Germany and the Young Turks’ Policy of Annihilation Wolfgang Gust Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
Part II: Portraits from Around the World
History
5. The Investigator: Vahakn N. Dadrian, Genocide Scholar (Cambridge, MA) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
6. A Foundation of Facts and Fiction: The Poet and Writer Peter Balakian (Hamilton, NY) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
7. The Memory of Cilicia: Claude Mutafian, Historian and Mathematician (Paris) Dorothea Hahn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
8. Lord of the Books: Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation (New York City) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
Words
9. Shadows and Phantoms: Michael J. Arlen, Writer and Media Critic (New York City) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
10. The Ashes of Smyrna: Marjorie Housepian Dobkin, Writer (New York City) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	88
11. The Tracker: Nouritza Matossian, Writer and Actress (London and Nicosia) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
12. Difficult Truths: Nancy Kricorian, Writer (New York City) Hrag Vartanian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
13. A Seedbed of Words: Hrant Dink, Editor-in-chief of the Armenian Newspaper Agos (Istanbul) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
14. La Femme révoltée: Human Rights Activist and President of the Armenian PEN Center, Anna Hakobyan (Yerevan) Rainer Hermann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
15. Vocation: Azgayin gortsich. Zori Balayan: An Intellectual (Karabakh-Yerevan) Tessa Hofmann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
Faith
16. The Catholicos of All Armenians: His Holiness Karekin II (Echmiadzin) Rainer Hermann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
17. The Modernizer with the Miter: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia (Antelias, Beirut) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	126
18. Referee on a Slippery Pitch: His Beatitude Mesrop II, Patriarch of the Armenians in Turkey (Istanbul) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	130
19. With Cellphone and Habit on Lord Byron’s Island: Father Grigoris and the Novice Artour (San Lazzaro, Venice) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Arts and Architecture
20. Son of an Amazon: Ashot Bayandur, Painter (Nicosia and Yerevan) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
21. Seismograph of Different Worlds: Painter Sarkis Hamalbashian (Gyumri and Yerevan) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	146
22. Fitzcarraldo in the Olive Grove: Garo Keheyan, Philanthropist and Impresario (Nicosia) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	149
23. Ibis Eyes: Artist and Poetess Anna Boghiguian (Alexandria and Cairo) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Film and Photography
24. Screening Histories: The Film-maker Atom Egoyan (Toronto) Ian Balfour Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
25. Hollywood in Downtown Cairo: Van Leo, Photographer (Cairo) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
26. Beyond All Limits: On the Art of Film-maker Artavazd Peleschjan (Moscow) Gerald Matt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
Music
27. The Voice of France: Charles Aznavour, alias Varenagh Aznavourian (Paris) Pascale Hugues Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
28. Under the Stars: Accordion-player Madame Anahit on the Alleys of Beyoglu (Istanbul) Christiane Schloetzer-Scotland Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	180
Commitment
29. Ways to Identity: Berge Setrakian, President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (New York City) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
30. Daily Bread of Resolutions: Hilda Tchoboian, President of the Euro-Armenian Federation (Brussels) Daniela Weingaertner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
Politics and Diplomacy
31. From Diamonds to Diplomacy: Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (Yerevan) Rainer Hermann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
32. Armenia’s Attorney on the Banks of the Seine: Minister Patrick Devedjian, Legal Adviser to French President Chirac (Paris) Michaela Wiegel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
33. In the Mission Quicksands: Benon Sevan, Ex-Undersecretary General of the United Nations (New York City) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
34. The Man with the Mirror: The Armenian Ambassador to the OSCE and to International Organizations in Vienna, Jivan Tabibian (Vienna) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	214
Life Images
35. Courier of the Czar: The Petrossian Caviar Empire and Its Owner, Armen Petrossian (Paris) Gil Eilin Jung Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
36. End of a Long Journey: The Sexton Michael Stephen and the Armenians in India (Madras) Jochen Buchsteiner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
37. The Skeptic of the Jaffa Gate: Kevork Hintlian (Jerusalem) Paul Badde Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	232
38. “Excuse me, how do I get to the front?” The Brothers Monte and Markar Melkonian (Los Angeles) Michael Krikorian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	237
39. The Everyday Life of a Hero: Levon Arutunyan, Veteran of the Karabakh War (Yerevan) Rainer Hermann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	243
40. The Magic of the Opal: The Jeweler Varoojan (John) Iskenderian (Sydney) Ron Knight Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
41. ¿Hablás armenio? Rosita Youssefian, Teacher of Armenian (Buenos Aires) Josef Oehrlein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	252
42. Portrait of Survival: Reflections on the Life of Vahram S. Touryan (Pasadena) Lorna Touryan Miller Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	256
43. Grande Dame of the Myths: Archeologist Nina Jidejian (Beirut) Huberta von Voss Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	262
44. A Perfectly Normal Story: Alfred and Ophelia Mouradian (Berlin) Jochen Mangelsen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	265
Part III: Symbolic Places
45. Swan Song in the Holy Land: The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem Joerg Bremer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	269
46. Last Stop: The Desert of Deir-es-Zor Nouritza Matossian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275
47. Gangway to Life: The Armenian Quarter of Bourj Hammoud in Beirut Victor Kocher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	282
48. Struggle for Survival: Franz Werfel and the Armenians of Musa Dagh Hannes Stein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	287
49. An Eye for an Eye: The Assassination of Talaat Pasha on the Hardenbergstrasse in Berlin Tessa Hofmann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	292
50. Inch Piti Asem? What should I say? The Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial in Armenia Mark Grigorian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	298
Epilogue
The Dichotomy of Truth and Denial and the Remembrance of a Courageous Turk (Toronto) K. M. Greg Sarkissian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Key Dates in Armenian History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	313
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
Additional Reading Material Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	327
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	333

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 400
Keywords: History: 20th Century to Present; Cultural Studies (General)

eBook

Published: June 1, 2007
ISBN: 9781782389415