https://ann.org/Recent content in Armenian News Network / Groong on Armenian News Network - GroongHugo -- 0.128.0en-usFri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20260424-Afeyan-some-self-dissassembly-required.htmlFri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20260424-Afeyan-some-self-dissassembly-required.htmlWhen you’re at the end of your rope, hanging them on the streets no longer trending When your identity shallow, impermanent, changing, tilted, twisted in the livid wind When you posture strong faith and lust for glory, expansion, enslaving the infidel freely When you are manufactured history no angel ever witnessed during your hellish spree How may you treat hardworking, non-militarist side shows grazing in your path unconvinced? Fun fresh tightly wound villages, monuments thousands of years in nourishing unbroken spirithttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20251216-eddie-arnavoudian-pietro-shakarian-mikoyan-review.htmlTue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20251216-eddie-arnavoudian-pietro-shakarian-mikoyan-review.htmlBook cover We have here a riveting and fresh evaluation of Anastas Mikoyan (1895-1978) and his reforms during Nikita Khrushchev’s 1953-1964 post-Stalin Soviet ‘Thaw’. Pietro Shakarian gets directly to the point. Mikoyan, a senior figure in the Soviet state and government, played a ‘pivotal’ role ‘in dismantling and rejecting the repressive Stalinist legacy’. He was in addition ‘the Kremlin’s leading reformer on nationality matters’ and ‘firmly believed that the best possible future for the development of the USSR’s nationalities’ was within a ‘reformed and democratised Soviet socialist framework.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20251215-bedros-afeyan-ojakh-documentary-diana-mkrtchyan.htmlMon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20251215-bedros-afeyan-ojakh-documentary-diana-mkrtchyan.htmlOjakh is a must-see documentary by the French Armenian Director Diana Mkrtchyan. Ojakh poster Ojakh, like an Armenian high holiday meal, is meticulously and painstakingly prepared. It is a feast of potent documentary cinema that surpasses expectations with each living frame. Its running voice-over is brimming with grandiloquence. The saga strengthens with each leaf of unfolding storytelling. Each stunning image dances with the next, forming a metaphorical fortress of stomping Armenians stepping, jumping, swaying, demanding redress.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250920-Afeyan-Orsotheysay.htmlSat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250920-Afeyan-Orsotheysay.htmlA planet spins dragging atmospheres rich in drama, a theory in allure Zodiac of fear, arms, scopes, flybys, hover, acquiesce, dive bomb, rest Tomorrow for our children, engorged coffers, debt burdens, stocks, tanks Church on Sunday, Golf my Saturday, boy’s night out, girls scream, so yeah Last will and testament, AI will absorb, reinterpret, purge, redact, reverse Stale narrative, sausage grinder trained, weights adjusted, hype stroked stare The rumor trill, social media friendsy, influencers stroke it rapid, agape, readyhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250622-Kalayjian-IamGuilty.htmlSun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250622-Kalayjian-IamGuilty.htmlՓոխանակ հատիկ հատիկ իմ հարցերը լուծելու Ծուլութեամբս թողեցի որ այդ փոքր հարցերը կուտակուին Դառնալն անյաղթահարելի ապառաժ, անմագլցելի լեր Ես եմ մեղաւոր . . . Փոխանակ իմ արդար աշխատանքով ապրուստս վաստկելու Ջանացի խաբելով ու սուտ խոստումներով շուտ հարստանալ Նկատի չառնելով թէ ոորու կը խաբեմ դրացի, հարեւան, հայրենակից Այսպաիսով դարձայ բոլորին անվստահելի, սուտասան, աւազակ: Ես եմ մեղաւոր . . . Հարստանալու համար շատ տարբեր աշխատանքներ ստանձնեցի Իմ ջանասիրութիւնս վաշխարուներու տրամադրեցի Բարձրագոյն վճարումները ստանալու համարhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250424-Afeyan-AprilComesAgain110.htmlThu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250424-Afeyan-AprilComesAgain110.htmlApril comes in mandates one hundred and ten Reflexive poesy for 4-24, reflective loop gravity State denial, tortured nightingales a’gargle Makeup on the tiny PM, bald as a turtle’s carapace Shiny terrace, empty grab for dower power sunken swimmer He’s your little bitch, a national spasm, a glitch, pick him root by root Calls unanswered, Ankara in Baku, frying prisoners tortured till blue Stealing crescent stamped sovereignty on a map defloweredhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250216-Afeyan-AprilPamphleteers.htmlSun, 16 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20250216-Afeyan-AprilPamphleteers.htmlWill to power Will to will a tiny Nation to cower Diminutive stature Bearded, smiling Begging, bald, coward Skewered puppets Seasoned spit-rolling To ashes dripping Declarations, edicts, threats Hung by their feet martyrs Axe wielding officers honored Sleeping dual devils Sunni, Hebrew, till Petrol reserves dry Iran fall heavy Slaves they will strip, be Part oven basting Turkey Jerky, perky, finally dirty As traces of origins unsavory Sit for prayers, blood drinkinghttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20241120-Yasha-and-Leonid-Bafeyan.htmlWed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20241120-Yasha-and-Leonid-Bafeyan.htmlA critical essay on an Armenian Masterpiece: Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev, a movie banned in Russia by Putin’s orders Edgar Baghdasaryan’s Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA Bedros Afeyan, on 11-16-2024 Pacific Heights, San Francisco, CA Vogue Theater, Golden Gate Armenian Film Festival It is remarkable when a director from a tiny country in great peril of physical extinction takes on the big ideas of the world and contributes substantially to the simultaneous chewing of the cud of Soviet and post-Soviet absurdity and tragicomedy with inventiveness, indomitable spirit, artistic audacity, and folkloric musical omnipresence through genres and timbres that help render the movie scintillating.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20240622-Ayvazyan-review.htmlSat, 22 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20240622-Ayvazyan-review.htmlAn outstanding demographic study of 17-18th century eastern Armenia Since the Armenian state’s defeat in the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani 44-Day Karabakh War and since the final ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Karabakh in September 2023, the common people of Armenia now confront a new veritable existential challenge. Arrogant sectors of the Azerbaijani ruling class are shamelessly calling into question the very right of Armenians to live even within Armenia’s current borders. Their immediate target is Syunik, the geo-strategically critical southernmost province of Armenia.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240424-Afeyan-UnrealisticScoundrelousness.htmlWed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240424-Afeyan-UnrealisticScoundrelousness.htmlPoor Turkic hordes and spokes-snakes Alas. no solution here, beyim beh No hope for drums and dreams No Armenian nation is ever destroyed Not as you want a la soluzione finale No, efendim. Yok, choking children, yok beh. You can push asunder Russian Armenians You can wait till they disperse, fade, sell out The vast Armies of Western Armenians Reconvened already past our stream of shoahs Round and round through new Azeri mongrelshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240324-AAslibekyan-MyHomelandMyOneandOnly.htmlSun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240324-AAslibekyan-MyHomelandMyOneandOnly.htmlTranslated from Armenian by Artsvi** Bakhchinyan** andNora Armani Today, I long to enjoy my furtive old age, as I securely wrap myself in a shawl, sipping my tea, oblivious to the news, indifferent to currency inflations and the declining price of oil. Today, I wish to cede to an impulse; an urge to live passively. Today, I hope to lose my glasses, and with them my sight and my mind, in the throes of this blinding painhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240317-Kalayjian-JoyofWalking.htmlSun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240317-Kalayjian-JoyofWalking.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�4�0�3�1�7�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�J�o�y�o�f�W�a�l�k�i�n�g�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�4�0�3�1�7�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�J�o�y�o�f�W�a�l�k�i�n�g�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�4�0�3�1�7�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�J�o�y�o�f�W�a�l�k�i�n�g�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�4�0�3�1�7�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�J�o�y�o�f�W�a�l�k�i�n�g�.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240309-GDavtyan-Paravoryal.htmlSat, 09 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240309-GDavtyan-Paravoryal.htmlԵրկինքը և երկիրը կապված չեն իրար հետ Ցնծության ու սուգի դյութական շղթայով։ Արձագանքված սերն է, Որ ոսկե օղով հանգուցել է Տիեզերքի անհունությունը Սփոփանքի պատրանքներով․․․ Նրբին մատներով ոսկեծղի, Հորինել է Ծաղիկների թերերը, Ասեղնավոր եզրերով, Գալարուն կորություններով, Գեղանի մերկության նրբին ձեվերով, Եվ հյուսել է այս գույները, Երկնի կապույտը, Արեվի շողերը, Արշալույսի ցոլերը, Որ համբուրվում են իրար հետ, Իմ հետ, Եվ լուսավորում են այգը, Ծնում են օրավուրը․․․ Հազար կույսերից Ճաճանչների հազար աչքեր Թարթում են,https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240210-GDavtyan-Whispers.htmlSat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240210-GDavtyan-Whispers.htmlIn the kingdom of whispers, a tale began, Of a love entangled in a web, a forbidden plan, The gossip mill whirred with a sinister delight, As rumors took flight, in the stillness of the night. A couple, adored by the public eye, Caught in a storm, under scrutiny’s sky, A beautiful best friend, a twist of fate, Betrayal and lust, a narrative they create. The broken family, a tragic scene,https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240203-Afeyan-Angst.htmlSat, 03 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20240203-Afeyan-Angst.htmlGive me German philosophy French gab, wine, poetry Italian cuisine, belle cantos, scenery Spanish painters, dancers, guitars Olé Japanese fighting styles, haikus, sushi Russian novels, laments, morbidity and me Alcohol spilled in silent forests of envy African suns come rise and sigh Black Slavery and Indian castes As Nazis seek manual scavenger Book burner, oiled submerger Cleaning society excrementally Expose Poland, Turkey, Hungary, Israel Brazil, Egypt, Iran, North of the DMZhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20231007-Keyishian-ForDavid.htmlSat, 07 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20231007-Keyishian-ForDavid.htmlThe streets of Stepanakert are lined With bags. The streets surrounding Stepanakert are lined With guns. With armor. With shields. With hatred. With philistines. Echoes from the past become louder As children cry sitting among these bags filled with their toys of little lions and teddy bears. They say history repeats itself. Pray it repeats itself. Long ago when an entire civilization was almost destroyed, And their bodies threatened by the enemy to be fed to vultures and tossed to wolveshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230930-Rshtuni-Yerp.htmlSat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230930-Rshtuni-Yerp.htmlԵրբ**** Երբ խաղաղության քարոզիչները կատարեալ խելագարութեամբ Լեցուած վախով անվստահութեամբ և հաղթելու կամքի սնանկութեամբ Նոր բացատրութիւններ կը հնարեն զանցառութիւններ արդարացնելու: Երբ գործատերերը հայրենահզոր աշխատանքի առիթներու փոխարէն Ամենեարագ և եսամոլ միչոցներով հարստանալու ծուղակներ կը լարեն: և ահաւասիկ ան որ առիաբար ու պարկեշտութեամբ հաղթանակելու արուեստին ուսուցիչը պիտի դարնար հիմա զոհուած ու թաղուած է՝ իսկ ողջ մնացողները ճաշարաննրու և սրճարաններու մէջ սպասարկելով իրենց ընտանիքներուն ամենօրուայ կարիքները մատակարարելով զբաղած են: և ահաւասիկ ան որ ցոյց պիտի տար նվաճել արդարութեան և իրավունքիhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230923-Afeyan-WhenArmeniansDieAgain.htmlSat, 23 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230923-Afeyan-WhenArmeniansDieAgain.htmlAnd again And again In the hands of smiling barbarians Armies of conquering monkeys Rattling helmets against rocks Stomping boots made in China Bullets by the bucket Guns poking eye sockets. When Turks scam the earth And dance over corpses Professing religion, piety, rape Smiling to the camera Riding on tanks Drones killing new conscripts By digital prowess Azeri animals left to graze Mother Russia, encouraging The raids, hospital bombingshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230618-Davtyan-HyeZinvorner.htmlSun, 18 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230618-Davtyan-HyeZinvorner.htmlՀԱՅԶԻՆՎՈՐՆԵՐ Դուք մեր սրտի կտորն եք Մեր սերերի բաբախը, Մասունք-մասունք միասնացած, Խիզախումն ու անվախը, Իրար մեջքի՝ թիկունք կանգնած Հայրենիքի սահմանը Պինդ ու անխոց պահպանելու Մեր խոստումն ու հավատը։ Դուք մեր սերի զավակները Որ ելել եք լեռ ու դաշտ, Մտել հայրենիքի գիրկը, Ու մեր սիրտը խաչապաշտ․ Դիրք ու պատնեշ նվիրումի, Հառնում եք հեստ, աննահանջ, Կյանք էլ զոհում ազգ ու երկրի Հավերժության ի պահանջ։ Հերոսական է ձեր ելքը, Մրրկումով պայքարի, Ոնց խաչվում են մերկ սուսերքըhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230610-Kalayjian-YerrortVart.htmlSat, 10 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230610-Kalayjian-YerrortVart.htmlԵրբ փորձեցի ըմբռնել Ընկերութեան, մտերմութեան, Ջերմ հասկացողութեան գաղտնիքը Ինծի ըսին թէ այդ սէր է, պահանջկոտ, Խնամքի, ուշադրութեան եւ սնուցումի կարօտող: Անոր համար պատրաստ պէտք է ըլլաս զոհելու մի քանի իտեալներ, վերանայիլ նախնտրութիւններ, գործնական եւ տեսլական նպատակներուդ կարեւորութեան շարքը փոխել, եւ պէտք է կարենաս կեդրոնանալ ընտրածդ ծաղիկին . . . Եւ ես գացի ծաղկին ան որ վառվրուն էր եւ վայրի Անոր բուրմունքը իւրայատուկ էր Եւ անոր հպումը կախարդական Եւ ան հարցուց ինծի եթէ կրնա՞մ սիրել զինքըhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230603-Afeyan-ThereMustBeAWay.htmlSat, 03 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230603-Afeyan-ThereMustBeAWay.htmlIn this burning world of change and clamor there must be a way False truth and lies a’glamour, there must be a way When Google, Apple, Meta and Chat Bots slide you fluff glimmering as truth and not solid granite somber unduality In that world of deep fakes, cheap dates, meek heroes, flights of crippled avatars How will the young know deeply an art, a science, a craft, a discipline, years and tears, dedication, endless resolve, maturing skill?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230513-Davtyan-Lousnga.htmlSat, 13 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230513-Davtyan-Lousnga.htmlԼ****ՈՒՍՆԿԱ مهتاب**** Իրանյան աշխարհի ջազ երաժշտության ու երգարվեստի հիմնադիր ու առաջատար երգիչ ու գիթարահար ՎԻԳԵՆ ՏԵՐՏԵՐՅԱՆԻՆ, իր երգերով պարսիկ ու հայ սերունդներ հիացրեց Լուսնկա, Սիրահարների մտերիմն ես, Սիրահարների մխիթարությունը, Որ գրկվում են Քո գրկում։ Աշխարհից հեռու, Իրար գրկում, Քո գրկում են լինում, Քո ոսկեմղեղ վրանում, Շուրթ շուրթի Սիրո խելացնոր վայելքում։ Լուսինը երբ մահիկ է Ոսկե շյուղ է, Շեղբում է ամպերին, Փափուկ ու գեղանի աղջիկներին, Մտնում է նրանց ծոցը։ Երբ լրանում ու բակ է կապումhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230506-Kalayjian-FaithForYou.htmlSat, 06 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230506-Kalayjian-FaithForYou.htmlFaith . . . for You! I hide my failures and defeat in the fog. While declaring victory and triumph in the light. I bury my investors, my entire nation in debt. I make deals for my pockets in the darkness of fog. As I provide handouts of pittance for your lunch. I ruin and dismantle your factories in the dark For my cousins and family, I buy in the bulk.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230424-Afeyan-NoAprilIsGoodApril.htmlMon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20230424-Afeyan-NoAprilIsGoodApril.htmlNever a year, never a tear spared dries away memory swells for the smell of genocide in spring Turks past fat Sultan decaying imperial spectacle, now modern, young, hopeful, ruthless, slipping a little French lingo to class up their base coat of red barbarisms. A little German discipline into armies of flake warriors eager to abuse and haunt till death women children and old folks in desert marches Ruthless to the point of perfection.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20230112.htmlThu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20230112.htmlClose-up Views of an Original “Ravished Armenia” Single Sheet Movie Poster: Finding an appropriate place for it on the spectrum of Armenian Genocide Imagery by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Photographs and images of all sorts have always been part of the armamentarium of those wishing to make a special point or advocate a cause. It has even been stated that a critically selected picture can dominate an otherwise very well-crafted message.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221231-Afeyan-Concrete.htmlSat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221231-Afeyan-Concrete.htmlIt has to be concrete, precise, incomplete It must compete, repeat, stress, climb steep reject cliches, cliques, tricher, bleach argue, sinew, do end innu falling ears blue, blossomed Dead leaf stuffed munchers turning clocks back, down ravines less ordered, less polar, less vice, anger. There is no going back. Essays, trials by ink and darts pre-poisoned Darting ahead smashed 6 o’clock news, This just in, breaking hues Same as it ever was.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221224-Afeyan-RedLeaf.htmlSat, 24 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221224-Afeyan-RedLeaf.htmlon gravel heaving sigh from its tree lost child reddened dream floating till a rake grates its skin piles of cousins neighbors strangers burst in flames silent ashes seed the snow coming soon coming down dusting the tears left on the tree stripped down naked awaiting spring beyond gray dreary morbid stinging memory yearning blended agony Bedros Afeyan Pleasanton, CA 11-5-2022 © Copyright 2022 Armenian News Network/Groong and the author.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221217-Afeyan-Fragments.htmlSat, 17 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221217-Afeyan-Fragments.htmlWe are allowed fragments Fragments of happiness, stress, distress Fragments of arguments, retorts, refrains Fragments of shorelines, memories, holding hands Fragments of erections, welcoming inner embrace Fragments Midnight howls, traffic jams, thoughts dispersed, drenched Indeterminate, intermittent, interspersed, poisoned breath My things and your things and our things and their things Interminable, inexact, blaming the innocent, fetishizing fest Fragments Sheared off parcels of our existence stranded, stained Every ill will, every ill thoughthttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221210-Kalayjian-InchLavE.htmlSat, 10 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221210-Kalayjian-InchLavE.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�1�2�1�0�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�I�n�c�h�L�a�v�E�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�1�2�1�0�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�I�n�c�h�L�a�v�E�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�1�2�1�0�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�I�n�c�h�L�a�v�E�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�1�2�1�0�-�K�a�l�a�y�j�i�a�n�-�I�n�c�h�L�a�v�E�.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221203-Afeyan-KamaSutra.htmlSat, 03 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20221203-Afeyan-KamaSutra.htmlMount, ride, dismount Mount, ride, dismount Catch your breath Sip some tea Jot down notes for Eventual illustrated memoirs Before you go right back mount, ride, screech, grunt, guttural sigh, dismount The night breeze erases the jumble Only poetry remains As a prickly trace of the half-hearted combat Combinations, distortions, strained bones and arches Between lust and lasting Thrusting and trusting Caring and stealing The fight and the fright A little deathhttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20220827-geno-p2.htmlSat, 27 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220827-geno-p2.htmlPart II**** Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Introduction On 22 January 2022 an article by Krikorian and Taylor entitled “The Genocide against the Armenians by the Turks” was posted on Groong. See: https://groong.org/orig/ak-20220122-SH-II.html This posting is a continuum of that article from a slightly different perspective. We are told by today’s Turkish Government and its supporters that the very idea of an Armenian Genocide having occurred in the Ottoman Empire under cover of World War I is highly contentious.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220806-Afeyan-WhatIs.htmlSat, 06 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220806-Afeyan-WhatIs.htmlWhat Is? Marvelous Metronomed Silent but traceable Ahead of its emotions calling Pushing for growth without panic A recipe discarded A new one forged in retrospect Panic Edit mercilessly Sink Swim Sigh Read Cross the finish line half naked, Parched, Still singing Ever painting Running shoes From reality Burning A poem A poem A poem Bedros Afeyan Pleasanton, CA 8-5-2022 © Copyright 2022 Armenian News Network/Groong and the author.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220719-Vereschagin.htmlTue, 19 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220719-Vereschagin.htmlProbing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Our work over the years since retiring has sought to accurately clothe the massive amount of writing widely associated with the Genocide against the Armenians by the Turks, with photographs and imagery that can be attested and attributed. [1] Our contributions, both posted online and print-published, emphasize that it is much more difficult to achieve the stated and wanted ends of absolute accuracy than one might initially suppose or hope for.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220712-Propaganda.htmlTue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220712-Propaganda.htmlA Bit About Propaganda And The False Accusation That Armenians Are Masters Of The Craft Of Spin Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Nearly everyone today appreciates the Internet as an incredibly valuable resource, but it has also become an excellent hiding place for those who have few or no scruples. It can be an anonymous and very protected haven for liars. There is so much misinformation, disinformation etc. available on virtually every topic that it is what we arrogantly call “in and of itself a monument to ignorance.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220709-Kalayjian-Gift.htmlSat, 09 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220709-Kalayjian-Gift.htmlAs I sip on the gift of hope Just as the gift of love I realize that we are destined to be with each other Just like the ocean waves and the sand on the shore As I sip on the gift of faith Just as the gift of life I realize that no matter how much we are apart We are destined to touch each other gently Just as the leaves on the trees and the summer breezehttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20220705-Lemkin.htmlTue, 05 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220705-Lemkin.htmlMiscellanea: Odds and Ends from Our Armenian-related Notes Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY PrÉcis**** What we have covered in this extended essay is essentially a prospectus on the Armenian genocide. Rafał Lemkin, a Polish Jewish jurist and lawyer coined the word genocide and circumscribed what it was and was not. He made it very clear that he knew the Armenians were victims of genocide. We maintain in this essay that all victims of genocide should be supportive of one another.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220702-Afeyan-BluesOnBluesWas.htmlSat, 02 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220702-Afeyan-BluesOnBluesWas.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�0�7�0�2�-�A�f�e�y�a�n�-�B�l�u�e�s�O�n�B�l�u�e�s�W�a�s�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�0�7�0�2�-�A�f�e�y�a�n�-�B�l�u�e�s�O�n�B�l�u�e�s�W�a�s�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�0�7�0�2�-�A�f�e�y�a�n�-�B�l�u�e�s�O�n�B�l�u�e�s�W�a�s�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� � �h�r�e�f�=�"�t�l�g�-�2�0�2�2�0�7�0�2�-�A�f�e�y�a�n�-�B�l�u�e�s�O�n�B�l�u�e�s�W�a�s�.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220629-Yessaian.htmlWed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220629-Yessaian.html‘The Gardens of Silihdar’ by Zabel Yessaian Zabel Yessaian (1878-1943) was one of the outstanding Armenian writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Possessed of literary ambitions, when but 12 years old, confident and audacious without prior arrangement she knocked at the door of well-established woman novelist Srbouhi Dussap. During what was to be a warm encounter Dussap warned that ‘the male writer can succeed even when mediocre, the woman cannot.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220628-Hadidian-Jacobsen.htmlTue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220628-Hadidian-Jacobsen.htmlUnique Addition To Our Conscience Films Videos On YouTube Offers A Valuable Means Of Attesting And Attributing Photographs Of The Armenian Genocide And Its Aftermath: A Series Of Photo Albums Prepared By Maria Jacobsen Missionary Nurse And Relief Worker Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY On April 17, 2022, we posted a video on our Conscience Films YouTube site entitled “Rehabilitation of Armenian Orphans of the Genocide: a selective overview.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220424-Afeyan-TwentyTwo.htmlSun, 24 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220424-Afeyan-TwentyTwo.htmlApril of my life. April of my years. April in the sun, April in ashes gone She rode into moonlight, ghost of a village lost Her hair black and silky, tainted, torn, scalped Her flurry, her glory, humble obedient family Girl with a future. A whiff of freedom, esprit A new century, domestic skills a tyranny A slight hope, cracked hint, salvation, glee. In the evening, fires burn, dire screamshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220416-Davtyan-Haprank.htmlSat, 16 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220416-Davtyan-Haprank.htmlԾովը տարածվում է մինչեվ հորիզոն. Մթնշաղի հետ Ոսկե մայրամուտը լոգանքի է մտնում Ցանկությունների գաղջ ջրերի մեջ։ Բնությունն է․ բնազդներն են․ Շնչասպառ են անում Գեղեցկությունների լույսերով․․․ Չէոր յուրաքանչյուր ցանկություն Իր հոմանուհուն է փնտրում արբունքի մահիճում, Որ մթնշաղն է զուգում Մենավորության ստվերում, Ուր երկուսն են միայն Եվ ծավալը սիրո ու գգվանքների․․․ Տենչերը փափկում են, Հասնում են հեռուներին, Ավելի՝ այն կողմերին, Հեթանոսական աստվածներին, Որ թույլատու են սրտազգաց մեղքերի հանդեպ։ Պահը ավելի երանավետ է․https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220409-Afeyan-Ringing.htmlSat, 09 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220409-Afeyan-Ringing.htmlI am ringing the bells! Town Square! Decibels! Sirens of warning, they are selling Armenia off They are beaten, they are scared. A silly journalist by trade A walk of fame, selfie laden journey from Gumri A so-called revolution, fighting corruption But then? Chaos, lost wars, lost territory Artsakh sold to the Turks, Azeris, tyrants, lost Our history, our misery, our pain as Armenians Our demands for lost land, Kars, Ardahan, Erzerum, Van, Moush, …https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220405-Tokhmakhian.htmlTue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220405-Tokhmakhian.htmlArsen** Tokhmakhian - an intellectual for the 21st century** Armenia needs a new generation of radical, revolutionary intellectuals to guide us out of the rut in which we find ourselves, especially after the disastrous 2020 44-Day War. Here digging deep into our own intellectual legacy is an urgent first step. And hidden from view by more well-known figures is one Arsen Tokhmakhian (1843-1891)** **– possibly the most consistent and most radical but also the most controversial and provocative of Armenian thinkers who adumbrated central methodological principles in studying Armenian history, politics, and life absolutely relevant to our future in these 21st century global times.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220201-Yeghiazaryan.htmlTue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220201-Yeghiazaryan.htmlThe Golden Age of Armenian Poetry**** LONDON, UK Remarks on early 20th century Armenian poetry For all interested in Armenian and international poetry and in the artistic inquiry into social and individual life, Azat Yeghiazaryan’s ‘The Golden Age of Armenian Poetry’ (176pp, 2019, Yerevan, Armenia) is vitalising reading. We grasp almost immediately why the author chose this particular title for a volume subtitled ‘Remarks on Early 20th Century Armenian Poetry’.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220122-SH-II.htmlSat, 22 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220122-SH-II.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�2�0�1�2�2�-�S�H�-�I�I�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�2�0�1�2�2�-�S�H�-�I�I�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>�<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �g�t�e� �m�s�o� �9�]�>�<�x�m�l�>� � � �<�o�:�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�P�r�o�p�e�r�t�i�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�E�u�g�e�n�e� �T�a�y�l�o�r�<�/�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�A�s�b�e�d� �B�e�d�r�o�s�s�i�a�n�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>�6�<�/�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>� � � � �<�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>�3�3�<�/�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�P�r�i�n�t�e�d�>�2�0�2�2�-�0�1�-�2�0�T�2�2�:�2�4�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�P�r�i�n�t�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>�2�0�2�2�-�0�1�-�2�0�T�1�4�:�3�1�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>�2�0�2�2�-�0�1�-�2�2�T�0�9�:�4�3�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>�1�<�/�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>�6�5�3�5�<�/�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>�3�7�2�5�2�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>�3�1�0�<�/�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>�8�7�<�/�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>�4�3�7�0�0�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�V�e�r�s�i�o�n�>�1�6�.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220114-Gyulnazaryan.htmlFri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20220114-Gyulnazaryan.htmlA Soviet era indictment of the Stalinist leadership during the Soviet Union’s war against Hitler Written with page upon page of light-hearted humor that belies the grimness of its subject Khazhak Gyulnazarian’s (1918-1995) 1966 novel ‘Where the Horizon Ends’ is a significant and rare Armenian addition to the library of World War II literature. The novel tells primarily of the dehumanization of Soviet soldiers in Nazi prisoner of war camps in Romania.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220105-Nahabed.htmlWed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20220105-Nahabed.html_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**** MEMOIR OF GENOCIDE - 1915 to 1920 THE STORY OF AN ARMENIAN BOY BY NAHABED CHAKRIAN - (1904 - 1993) January 5, 2022 by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY CONTENTS About Nahabed Chakrian Foreword Acknowledgment Notes Memoir of Genocide: The Story of an Armenian Boy Translated by Abraham Der Krikorian, Ph.D. (with maps added) Appendices: Documents Suggested Readings Book:- Armenian Sebastia/Sivas and Lesser Armenia, ed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220105-Afeyan-Memory.htmlWed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20220105-Afeyan-Memory.htmlWhat is it of and what is it to the collective hovering to engulf you? Memory is a sieve, sweeping in and away sediments Embellishing as it fills or empties, deforming as it surges To squeeze, infusing your thoughts with the wide flapping Canopy of others, their unescapable, unowned screams In the night stacks unknown, until pen meets silver paper, Records and rerecords in an order only a movie projectorhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211229-Afeyan-Oars.htmlWed, 29 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211229-Afeyan-Oars.htmlHer aura, emergent, lured faith anchor Her mist, myth, glore, scent Her no’s, her don’ts Maybe, baby, maybe Docking trail dragging Oars in the sand Spicy dream dishes wilt in Supine, slanted complements Ejected sediment strands Coiled crumbs, sooth, soil Rowing away shadows A dune, a day, a dune, a day A sunset sonata for All oars in the sand Just oars, all sand. Bedros Afeyan 12-25-2021 Pleasanton, CA © Copyright 2021 Armenian News Network/Groong and the author.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211219-1st-Republic-P1.htmlSun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211219-1st-Republic-P1.htmlThe Collapse of the First 1918-1920 Armenian Republic: lessons for today? October 2021 marked a hundred years since the infamous 1921 Turkish-Soviet Treaty of Kars that ratified Armenia’s much, indeed unjustly, reduced borders with Turkey that remain in place to this day. On the occasion of this anniversary many a press pundit denounced the Treaty without considering its wider context, something that would bring to the fore those critical challenges the 1918 Armenian First Republic confronted but failed to overcome.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211220-1st-Republic-P2.htmlSun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211220-1st-Republic-P2.htmlOn the collapse of the 1918 First Armenian Republic and the 1921 Russo-Turkish Treaty of Kars LONDON, UK The Collapse of the First 1918-1920 Armenian Republic PART TWO III. The 1920 Turkish offensive against Armenia and the fall of Kars On 24 September 1920 Turkey launched its offensive to retake the Armenian controlled and strategically critical city of Kars and the 60,000 square kilometers of surrounding territory that had passed to Armenia after the 1918 Mudros Armistice.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211206-Odian.htmlMon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211206-Odian.htmlYervant Odian - exposing the liars, the deceivers, the venal parasites, the cheaters and the exploiters Where is our Yervant Odian for the age of Pashinyan and indeed his immediate predecessors too! Never mind that Armenian satirical writer Yervant Odian (1869-1926) is from the late 19th and early 20th century and has not had an entirely good press. Outstanding literary critic Minas Tölölyan and Lebanese-Armenian poet Mushegh Ishkhan for example dismiss him as second rate, as one who lacked spine and individuality and whose works leave little imprint – ‘one laughs and passes on’.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211201-Kalayjian-Always.htmlWed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211201-Kalayjian-Always.htmlCars full of metallic resolve with parallel columns of hope slice the darkness of the road into imperceptible geometric fragments. Pieces of blackness, chopped off from the deep starless sky aimlessly, yet menacingly, travel towards my windshield made of wet autumn leaves, they stick on the glass. The black gloom which I leave behind is waiting for the glistening reflection from a pair of loving, caring eyes for the magical sparkle of what was,https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211128-Zorian.htmlSun, 28 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211128-Zorian.htmlUnflinching critical engagement in Soviet Armenia **** Short story writer and novelist Stepan Zorian (1889-1967) described himself as a ‘chronicler of his times’. His three volumes of posthumously published notes, letters, articles, fragments from unfinished short stories and novels and especially his diaries make for riveting reading about life in Soviet Armenia. They are full of frank and revealing insight as they expertly chronicle the Stalin era, the hardships of everyday life in Armenia, the traumas of Armenian history, the fragility of the Soviet Armenian state, the reality of Great Russian and other national chauvinisms, the Cold War, the threat of global nuclear catastrophe, opinions on writers and poets as well as on his own literary career and much more.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211128-Davtyan-Hayrikis.htmlSun, 28 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211128-Davtyan-Hayrikis.htmlՄաթեվոս Դավթյանին Դու իմ գլխին հովանավոր Արարատ ես, հայր, Ամպ ու զամպի դեմ ամրակուռ իմ վահանն ես, հայր: Երկրից երկիր թե զորք ելնեն ու բախվեն թափով, Դու պաշտպանն ես մեր տան հարկի, դու զորավար հայր: Կյանքի կռվում փոթորկալից ես կորած զինվոր, Բազկիդ թափը իմ թիկունքին` անհաղթ ուժ է հայր: Արդարությունն ու աշխատանքն են կենաց հիմքը, Քրտինքն արդար աշխատանքի ճակտիդ ծով է, հայր: Տանը, խաղաղ մեր հարկի տակ, նստել ենք հացի,https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211207-Davtyan-Dencher.htmlSun, 28 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20211207-Davtyan-Dencher.htmlՍիրաստանս, որ փռել եմ ոտքերիդ տակ, Նարգիսների լուսե լիճ է բուրումնավետ․ Ոսկեթեվիկ մեղվիկ դարձիր ճախրով զվարթ, Հերկիր լիճը ծաղկաստանիս շոյքով վետվետ։ Սերը սրտիս աղբյուր է հորդ, սառն ու զուլալ, Ցոլա մեջը երեկոյան աստղի հանգույն․ Կամ զեփյուռի շշունջ դարձիր հեվքով ծալ-ծալ Ու խառնվիր կարկաչիս հետ սիրազնգուն։ Լուռ գիշերվա թիթեռ դարձիր սրտիս մոմին, Որ համբույրիս բոցով խանձեմ թեվերդ նուրբ․ Ու թե ուզես՝ լուսին եղիր կապույտ վերին, Ես ամպացած կգրկեմ քեզ մահիճում լուրթ։https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211122-Ananian.htmlMon, 22 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211122-Ananian.htmlVaghtang** Ananian - for peace and harmony between humanity and the natural world** LONDON, UK The very best of Vaghtang Ananian’s (1905-1980) short stories about the natural world (in Selected Works - 4 Volumes, 1984, Yerevan), about animal life and the bonds between nature, beast, and humanity, are genuinely exhilarating. They help make one particularly conscious of the disaster we humans are inflicting on nature in this, the 21st century. Ananian is a charming and captivating raconteur who focuses on life in the villages, the hills, mountains and valleys of the early Soviet Armenian era and the years immediately preceding it, particularly in the northern Lori and Dilijan regions.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211115-Sahinyan.htmlMon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211115-Sahinyan.htmlProminent Soviet era novelist Anahit Sahinyan’s (1917-2010) ‘Blowing in the Wind – Volume 2’ (2005, 460pp, Yerevan) throws a sharp and critical light on the origins and nature of the elites that are currently leading and destroying the Armenian nation and state. Herein is the enduring value of a book published 16 years ago! The volume is a collection of socio-political commentaries penned during the decade after the collapse of the USSR and the 1991 formation of the Third Armenian Republic.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211108-Shnorhali.htmlMon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20211108-Shnorhali.htmlNerses** Shnorhali: consolidating foundations of statehood** LONDON, UK Nerses Shnorhali (Nerses the Gracious 1102-1173), one of the great 12th century Patriarchs of the Cilician-Armenian Church, was a remarkable man; an intellectual, teacher, poet and musician he was also a profound socio-political thinker. His 1166 ‘Epistle to the Community’ written some seventy-four years after the 1080 establishment of the Armenian-Cilician monarchy is a withering survey of the unbridled conduct of the ruling and privileged classes in the new state.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210926.htmlSun, 26 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210926.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�9�2�6�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�9�2�6�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�9�2�6�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�9�2�6�.https://ann.org/orig/et-20210906.htmlMon, 06 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/et-20210906.html“An Intimate Look at a Bronze Statue of Emmanuel Fremiet’s***Gorilla and Woman”*********Installed in Allerton Park and Retreat Center, University of Illinois, Monticello, Illinois. Appreciating More Fully A Marketing Strategy Used for the Film “Ravished Armenia” Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY**** We believe that images can and often do serve as weapons for achieving social justice concerning a wide range of topics. They can supplement and expand any given agenda.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210905.htmlSun, 05 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210905.htmlA 1915 Cartoon that Reflects Putting the Cart Before the Horse Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Two periods might arguably be selected above all others to convey the message of the complete madness of World War I. The first is the invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915 by the British (and French) with the view of securing the Dardanelles straits, that narrow strip of land leading to Constantinople and the Black Sea, thus giving Russia troops access so as to put Turkey out of the War.https://ann.org/orig/et-20210709.htmlFri, 09 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/et-20210709.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�e�t�-�2�0�2�1�0�7�0�9�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�e�t�-�2�0�2�1�0�7�0�9�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>�<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �g�t�e� �m�s�o� �9�]�>�<�x�m�l�>� � � �<�o�:�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�P�r�o�p�e�r�t�i�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�L�y�n�n�d�e�r�<�/�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�A�s�b�e�d� �B�e�d�r�o�s�s�i�a�n�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>�2�<�/�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>� � � � �<�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>�1�5�<�/�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>�2�0�2�1�-�0�7�-�0�9�T�1�7�:�4�2�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>�2�0�2�1�-�0�7�-�0�9�T�1�7�:�4�2�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>�1�<�/�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>�2�9�0�7�<�/�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>�1�6�5�7�6�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>�1�3�8�<�/�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>�3�8�<�/�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>�1�9�4�4�5�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�V�e�r�s�i�o�n�>�1�6�.https://ann.org/orig/et-20210702.htmlFri, 02 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/et-20210702.htmlTime To Take a Cartoon Out of Storage to Remind Us of Some Crucial Facts Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY By now we have made it abundantly clear that we are firm believers that cartoons can indeed serve as editorials without words. They are a distinctive and effective way of addressing the truth. Some might say that they have no equal in this task. There has been a great deal of noise in the media lately about U.https://ann.org/orig/et-20210701.htmlThu, 01 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/et-20210701.htmlTHE EMPTY BOWL: A little-known prize-winning poster from 1920 designed by Kirill Zdanevich, future father of the Avant-Garde Russian Cubo-Futurism school of Painting Probing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY Not being great fans of modern art, we will not pretend that we knew anything about Cubo-Futurism before we embarked on some research about the artist of a very dramatic and heart-rending poster, Kyrill Zdanevich. The poster was used by the Near East Relief (NER) to solicit funds on behalf of starving Armenian children in the Caucasus after World War I.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210617.htmlThu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210617.htmlProbing the Photographic Record LONG ISLAND, NY In a recent posting (3 June 2021) we focused on the evolution of the use, perception, and interpretation of real photos of severed heads. We emphasized that this could occur over a relatively short period of time. These photographs generally start with one fairly clear intention and develop relatively quickly into a considerably more generic usage, reflecting less discriminate usage. See: Evolution of a gruesome photo of decapitation: from instilling terror to typifying Turkish savagery by Abraham D.https://ann.org/orig/hm-20210617.htmlThu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/hm-20210617.html[][][]Armenian News Network / Groong This article on Medium The “Perfect TV” phenomenon: Who controls #fakenews Armenian Youtube channels? By Hovik Manucharyan, co-host of the Groong podcast. []A number of anonymous fake news channels capture nearly 45% of all views for Armenian news/political content on YouTube. See also: ● Can Perfect TV help sway Armenian election results? ● The “Vardan Ghukasyan Party” Or How Social Media May Affect Armenian Electionshttps://ann.org/orig/hm-20210613.htmlSun, 13 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/hm-20210613.html[][]Armenian News Network / Groong Armenian YouTube channel stats — May 2021 []A monthly update on what Armenian content is watched the most on YouTube. Since August 2020 Groong has been tracking statistics about Armenian YouTube channels in order to better understand what type of news and political content gets consumed by Armenian users. We identify and monitor more than a hundred content sources on YouTube and at the end of every month, we tally the view count and subscriber count, giving us an interesting picture.https://ann.org/orig/hm-20210612.htmlSat, 12 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/hm-20210612.html[]Armenian News Network / Groong The “Vardan Ghukasyan Party” Or How Social Media Affects Armenian Elections []On YouTube, fake news in Armenian is not the exception, but almost the norm. Can disinformation on YouTube and other social media turn into actual votes during elections? Campaign image of Hayots Hayrenik The electoral campaign for the June 20 early parliamentary elections is in full swing. An unprecedented number of political parties and electoral blocks - 26 to be exact - are vying for parliamentary seats in a politically turbulent Armenia that is currently feeling the after-effects of the disastrous defeat in the 2020 War in Artsakh.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210603.htmlThu, 03 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210603.htmlFrom Instilling Terror to Typifying Turkish Savagery Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY In 2010 we published a lengthy essay entitled “Achieving Ever-Greater Precision in Attestation and Attribution of Genocide Photographs” (s*ee *A.D. Krikorian and E.L. Taylor, 2010). In it we stressed a number of important points – first and foremost the difficulty of determining accurately what a “genocide photograph” represents (attestation), and its attribution (that is identifying a photo with a place, time and even person.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210425.htmlSun, 25 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210425.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�5�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�5�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�5�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�5�.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210424.htmlSat, 24 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210424.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�4�.�f�l�d�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�4�.�f�l�d�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�t�h�e�m�e�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�4�.�f�l�d�/�t�h�e�m�e�d�a�t�a�.�t�h�m�x�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�c�o�l�o�r�S�c�h�e�m�e�M�a�p�p�i�n�g� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�2�1�0�4�2�4�.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20210424.htmlSat, 24 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20210424.htmlDeranged uncultured, dirty toenails, praying five times a day Pious pretenders, underpaid armed mercenaries, MIT son-in-law flunkies Red blood flagbearer, dripping prophets, stolen tech, bombs guided drones Threats, drains, warfront profiteers, high above the sky, propped, dropped Bayrakdar drones killed 5000 of my countrymen in cold blood, Israel cheered on Georgia welcomed caravans of arms, Turkish convoys on the run, cooking skin alive Azeri war chants, frothing animals killing from the sky, surgically laughing at their crimeshttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20210423.htmlFri, 23 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20210423.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY In addition to misidentification or incorrect attestation of images, one is confronted on occasion with relevant images that have been, or are still being used without specific qualification as to when they were originally used, or where or by whom they originated. Whether this has an effect on suitableness for their use in a specific, more modern-day presentation the user will have to decide.https://ann.org/orig/tvg-20210408.htmlThu, 08 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/tvg-20210408.htmlSyunik, Armenia Friday early morning, we left our hotel in Goris to head to Shurnukh, the border village which has become the center of the news in recent months. This was my 3rd visit after the war and this time we were visiting with our Sahman NGO team to start our small family businesses in Syunik’s border villages. After the November 9th capitulation agreement, more than 15 villages in Syunik became border villages; hence our decision to extend our NGO operations to Syunik.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20210118.htmlMon, 18 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20210118.htmlIt was on a Tuesday, or was it a Monday? Our shackles were no more, loose wrists, tongues, more The din high, patriotic slogans rose as morning bread Furnace of frustration bursting flames, fanfare fueled air Loudest of speeches seldom reach the truth buried in folded muck Frazzled by giants pounding our mountains, flying banners red or black We are just like them, not at all! Unique! Special! Blessed! Cursed!https://ann.org/ro/ro-20210110.htmlSun, 10 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20210110.htmlArmenians have been going from one crisis to the next, from genocide, deportation, armed resistance, revolutions, responding to earthquakes, blockade, and of course to the urgency of the problems that need to be addressed today. The short-sighted approach for profits now, has derailed the people and the leadership in Armenia from setting priorities that should have used domestic resources, and foreign aid with strategies for success to invest with purpose into the future of the nation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20201115.htmlSun, 15 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20201115.html2500 Armenian soldiers sacrificed Mostly 18 year old recruits “We ought to win”Was the war slogan Ironic, engulfed in hubris Hyperbole, high praise, folly We had old tanks, Kalashnikovs and limited supplies They, an unlimited trove of kamikaze drones Made in Israel, electro-optically guided, swank Deadly killers, and Turkish drones too Made of EU and US parts, called Bayrakdar Turkish flag proudly brandished on their side Erdogan and Aliyev strutted their billion dollar bribes To hush the international press and pay for positive coverage The prostitutes of the world obliged.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20201010.htmlSat, 10 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20201010.htmlSummary While the American mainstream media was busy discussing the fly on Mike Pence’s head during Vice Presidential Debate, the Armenian-Turkish conflict entered the second week of violence across the entire line of contact (LoC) between the Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, and many regional and extra-regional powers took a neutral to stand and watch attentively from the sidelines. An attempt by Azerbaijani-Turkish and ISIS-linked formations to encircle Artsakh by taking over its strategic communication highways with the Republic of Armenia while carrying out devastating blows against Artsakh’s Defense Army in a new and enhanced blitzkrieg strategy has failed dramatically.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20200920.htmlSun, 20 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20200920.htmlRapping Under Fire is a 27-minute documentary shot in Mardagerd, Artsakh. A glorious fusion of our history, Lin Manuel Miranda, now reincarnated through the red curly stormy hair of a director’s playful vision which is that of the overabundantly talented Ms. Taleen Babayan. The central characters of this epic poem to the Armenian mountainous spirit are three young men Spartak Osipyan, Valeri Ghazaryan and Erik Pogosyan. They comprise the Rap Group ‘Orinag,’ which means sample or example or exemplary sample, or a lawful manifestation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200902.htmlWed, 02 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200902.htmlHe stood unbound, brilliant booming pitch Daring fame’s too short a lease to tire An overworked Queen and a burst poet’s appendix orphaned Crazy uncles, old world advice, newspaper boy in Café’s Circulating telegraph messages on windy roads While genocide visited the Armenian Night He discovered San Francisco and New York Flustered wasps, street walkers, huddled denizens Gamblers, dancers, poor and burning Arabs, American foundation All the way up and down the Malaga vineshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200829.htmlSat, 29 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200829.htmlԳՐԻՇ ԴԱՎԹՅԱՆ (Grish Davtian) Հիմա, որ հասկանում եմ ցավը, Ըմբռնու՛մ եմ Նվիրականությունն ու սրբությունը, Եվ չեմ հուսահատվում. Քանզի Զգացումներիս աստղերը, Որ աչքերիս լույսով են պսպղում Երկնքում Լուսավորում են ճամփան, Որով ընթանում եմ սիրահարված, Զգացումներով արբած, Հուսալիությամբ ամրացած։ Որպիսի~ ափունքներում եմ տեղավորվելու… Չէոր սերը անստվեր է Ու չի մթագնում սրտերը Թափթփված եզերքից եզերք, Հորիզոնից հորիզոն… Ես հիշում եմ այն թխադեմ տղային, Որ ծառերի ճնճղուկներին էր որսում Ճղլանիով. Որսում էր, Այլ չէր դատապարտումhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200816.htmlSun, 16 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200816.htmlBeirut is not for grabs, for crabs or the sea monsters from the North Beirut is not Ottoman, nor an automatic toy to wind by neighbors Just for fun, for crime, for the howling of infants burning in the sun Beirut is not for Syrians, not for Kurds, not for Tanks and Radio Jamming rockets Of Southern friendly neighbors, nor for France and England to wipe their arses Ever so politely, sitting in cafés, spying on big Russian Bear or their Cowboy friendshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200808.htmlSat, 08 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200808.htmlԱնցյալներ կան, որ Չեն վերադառնում Նույնիսկ հուշերում… Դու էլ երեվի դրանցից մեկն ես։ Սեվ բծի նման։ Ես գոհ եմ սրտանց, Որ սեվ բծի պես Էլ չես երեվում Իմ հիշողության սպիտակ էջում… ԳՐԻՇ ԴԱՎԹՅԱՆhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200802.htmlSun, 02 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200802.htmlԱռաւօտեան արեւը ողողած էր պայծառ՛ կապոյտ Երկինքը՝ գործի մղող ջերմութեամբ: Մինչ սիրտդ, վիրաւոր թռչունի մը արիւնոտ Կուրծքին պէս կը բաբախէ յուսահատ: Ի՞նչ է այս ցաւը, որ դուն քեզի կու տաս Սիրոյ խաբկանք մը ունենալու համար, Որո՞ւն համար կը բաբախէ վիրաւոր թռչնակին Կեանքի համար կռուոծ սիրտը՝ Մինչ փետուրներուն վրայ իր արիւնը կը լերդանայ Ապրելու, սիրելու, սիրուելու կարօտով: Այս վէրքով չէ՞ որ մարդիկ հաւատք կը կերտեն, Իրենց ներաշխարհը յուսադրելու համար, Ու փարթամ տաճարներ կը կառուցեն աղօթելու,https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200801.htmlSat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200801.htmlWaltz or pass a cradling caress Frown or prance, test in tenses past Thickest orchestral glorying Ghosts of war’s transmigrant memes Customs undressed, immolated, effaced Magical stitches, maddening wistful douleurs Panic pickled, swirling hemorrhaging Harmonic goose steps, stiffened spines Smiling boots glistening in Prussian violins Recidivist frivolity, for a grand dance or grosse pause Perturbed, blind soldiers hobbling past stretchers Kicking the contours, counting the dead Mustard gains Acid gargleshttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20200526.htmlTue, 26 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20200526.htmlSummary In a time of pandemic where all warring countries and entities were asked to stop various conflicts to focus on containing the spread of COVID-19 virus around the world, Azerbaijan decided to conduct large scale military exercises on Armenian-Azerbaijani front lines along the borders of Artsakh and Republic of Armenia between May 18-24 without advance warning as required by international norms and conventions. While major military exercises were taking places at a distance of 800m-1km from the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontlines, a group of Azerbaijani special forces attempted to penetrate Armenian defense lines in the south of Artsakh.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200525.htmlMon, 25 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200525.htmlRocks in a garden, isolation, invocation Rocks in a garden, sizes, shapes, colors Gray in intent, rocks in a garden, huddled Yet sparse, mutually repelling, poke marked Aged agents, crazed edges, sharp chirped tones Rocks in a garden where birds streak white tales Birds of all colors, shapes, sizes, rocking in a garden We age inside the house, far from the garden, glass covers Windows and curtains, pots and pans, cats and bowlshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200517.htmlSun, 17 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200517.htmlMan is wolf, when sheep read Prepared texts on teleprompters Prepare meals for TV consumption While wolves howl at the wind of time The chimes of crime The hives of beards and knives Dancing to West Side Story remakes In broad daylight. Man is wolf in the dark hours of the soul Hidden promise of a bullet launched in an eye socket For Dali to melt into the framework of trains run on timehttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200424.htmlFri, 24 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20200424.htmlThese things I shall do. Sing in Armenian. Think in arguments undreamt by non-Armenians. Do good and throw proceeds into the sea Never look back, nor look beyond that sea Look up to the North Star and show it the way Never hesitate to seize the matter by the throat Of the reverse argument’s crushing counterattack Planned the night before, but easy breezy till the stroke. Laugh hardily and often for tragedy is written in our starshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191231.htmlTue, 31 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191231.htmlPART FIVE: the uncollected dreams When turning to a poet’s work that, for whatever reason, remained unpublished or uncollected during her or his lifetime, one hesitates almost inevitably. Do they really enhance or cast a new aspect on the poet’s legacy? Or are they but loose ends, oddities, valuable for academic specialists or enthusiastic biographers alone? Daniel Varoujean’s ‘Uncollected and Unpublished Poems’, 73 in all, leave the question marks in place.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20191231.htmlTue, 31 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20191231.htmlՈրքան ալ հրեշտակային ըլլան իմ սիրոյ երազանգները Ծիածաններէ գունազարդ ըլլան իմ զգացումներու երանգները Նորածին ծիածանի շողերով փայլին և ջերմացնեն իմ սիրոյ խոսքերը Մայրամուտի մելամաղցոտ ամչկոտութեամբ կարմրին իմ այտերը Տակաւին ես չեմ արտօներ որ լեզուս արտայայտէ այդ զգացումները: Ես իրաւունք չունիմ խանագարելու տիեզերքի հաւասակշռութիւնը Ես ո՞վ եմ որ քարուքանդ դարձնեմ կարուցուած հաւատքները, Ի՞՜նչ անձնակործան մեղանչանքներով նոր ծրագիրներ մշակեմ Մոլորակներու և անհատներու կեանքը խանգարեմ Իմ սէրը կը մնայ համբերող, ներող, հասկացող, օգնող, սպասող:https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191213.htmlFri, 13 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191213.htmlI. Betrayal of the Fedayeen As debates raged in the homeland, in the Diaspora instead of attempting an admittedly hugely difficult enterprise of developing a nationwide military-political strategy, the ARF leadership embarked on an overhaul of ANLM perspectives on entirely different foundations. It launched its fateful project of collaboration and coalition with the reactionary nationalist Young Turk movement that it then helped to bring to power in the so-called 1908 ‘Constitutional Revolution’.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20191121.htmlThu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20191121.htmlThree weeks ago, the western region of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) announced that it will be closing its AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School in Pasadena, California. A flurry of protests and protestations flooded the public Armenian-American square, unanimously condemning the decision and imploring AGBU to reconsider. Unfortunately, many issues central to the Diaspora’s existence in the West that were inherent to the decision to close the school and were unexpectedly thrust into the limelight went largely ignored.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191118.htmlMon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191118.htmlPart Two I. Classes in the ANLM – peasants, Diaspora elites and the intelligentsia The Armenian national movement was always an uneasy and unstable coexistence of different classes, strata and social forces in Armenian communities that stretched across Ottoman and Tsarist borders and beyond. Between the two main classes – the powerful and wealthy Istanbul-Tbilisi-Baku based Diaspora trading and establishment elites on the one hand, and the mass of Armenian peasants and artisans living in their historic homelands on the other - there was little community of interest.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191028.htmlMon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20191028.htmlIn the Armenian national pantheon, there should be a special place reserved for the armed Armenian freedom fighters known as the Fedayeen who in the late 19th and early 20th century battled to defend their homeland peasant and artisan communities against a rising tide of ferocious Ottoman attack. They deserve to be remembered well, for their example to this day has lessons for the common people of Armenia and the world.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190623.htmlSun, 23 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190623.htmlԱհաւասիկ էջերու տրցակ մը եւս Որ տակաւին չէ գործածուած Փոռձարութիւններ, ապրումներ Տակաւին չեն արձանագրուած Ինծի և քեզի պէս . . . զգացուած Սէրեր որ անծնունդ են մնացած Հրաբխային սրտերու մէջ սանձուած Անթափանց բարութեամբ ծածկուած Ես այս տետրակները ու՞ր պահեմ Որ յանկարծ չգրուած բառերը չերեւին Չ՛արձանագրուած միտքերը իյայտ չգան Չ՛արտասանուած խօստումները յիրաւի Չ՛իրականանան . . . Գէորգ Գալայճեանhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190616.htmlSun, 16 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190616.htmlThere is no more poetry Love left no traces in memory It is impossible to be funny Cynicism has deformed sensitivity Sex has replaced sensuality It’s all transformed to lack of care Viewed in the silhouette of body Listen to the conversational melody. Wait! What’s that fly doing there? Why does it fly in the middle of This hospital, white, clean room? As I was saying, There is no more poverty Love has mortgaged memory Caring has been overwhelmed by sensitivity Instincts have overpowered sensuality By reflecting kindness and care Portrayed as a stuffed animal, a Teddy Bear!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20190513.htmlMon, 13 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20190513.htmlForwarded to Groong by Eddie Arnavoudian, on behalf of Donald Abcarian INTRODUCTION Raffi (1832-1888) was the preeminent Armenian novelist of the mid-nineteenth century national revival. Through a rich body of writing spanning numerous genres, his creative and analytic genius ignited the Armenian literary scene with the imagery of national self-recognition, cultural enlightenment, and political emancipation. In so doing he laid a broad foundation for the subsequent development of Armenian literature, intellectual life, and politics.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20190501.htmlWed, 01 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20190501.htmlIn this 104th year since the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish state continues its policy of denial. I would like to share with you the brief review I wrote of Avedis Hadjian’s remarkable book for Arev Hye Book Salon in January. It is a reminder that the Genocide of our nation continues… Secret Nation The Hidden Armenians of Turkey ISBN-13: 9781788311991 Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic Publication date: 06/30/2018 Pages: 592 How beautifully and touchingly Avedis Hadjian writes.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190202.htmlSat, 02 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20190202.htmlWe Interrupt This Program And so I wrote, aimless in my search Rummaged in the attic of equuuations Disciplined trails of prepositions Unsolicited expositions of windy woes The quatrain roams in the midday sun Manhattan There is honking with that train Son The bustle, cold slap, fuck you muttered, Garlic breath, shit stick shoes remarked A book under the armpit of Sun Life Building a future rampart orgy death maskhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20181231.htmlMon, 31 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20181231.htmlԵթէ բառերով փորձեմ սրտիս ու հոգւույս զգացումները արտայայտել քեզի, Անիմաստ ու անհասկնալի բացատրութիւններու շարադրանք մը պիտի լսուի: Եթէ յուսամ որ աչքերուս խօսածը լսես՝ կամ նայուացքներէս ինչ որ բան հասկնաս Յաւիտենական սպասումը՝ վատնուած վարկեաններու կուտակումով պիտի կորսուի: Ներէ ինծի որ այս ճշմարտութիւնը չեմ կարող խօստուանիլ ոերեւէ մէկի և այսպէս ես իմ կեանքը կը շարունակեմ միայն խաբելով ես ինծի: Կը շարունակեմ աշխատիլ, ջանալով օգտակար դառնալ ըստ կարիքի Մաքրամաքուր բարոյականութեամբ նժարը պահել բարութեան կողմինhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20181029.htmlMon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20181029.htmlLeo’s biographies of Mesrop Taghiatian (1803-1858) and Stepannos Nazaryants (1812-1879), published in 1917 and 1902 respectively, (Collected Works, Volume 6, 1987, pp727-853 and pp5-204) remain still timely corrections to a dismal want of knowledge about two important figures of the 19th century Armenian enlightenment. Leo does more however! He presents us figures who, however dated their world view may seem to us, stand as sterling examples of authentic intellectuals, deeply democratic intellectuals animated by and dedicated to public service, to the people and the nation.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180910.htmlMon, 10 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180910.htmlUS-based Armenian writer Hamasdegh (1895-1966), like US-based short story writer Vahe Haig and Istanbul-based Hagop Mntsouri, was inspired not primarily by the world in which he lived but by recollections of the world he had been forced to abandon in early youth as a result of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. So, here a volume of short stories (The Village, 262pp, 1995, Cilicia Publications, Aleppo) of remembrance, reconstruction and recovery of men and women from the pre-Genocide Armenian village.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180827.htmlMon, 27 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180827.htmlA HISTORY OF ARMENIAN CRITICAL THOUGHT… (Part 3) Part V: The Radical Democrats Let us open with a taster of the tradition we inherit from the Armenian mid-19th century. Stepan Oskanian (1825-1901) ‘It is time that our common people came to realise that they are as capable of great things as any other people and that they can be as good as any other people in arming themselves against foreign or domestic tyrants.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180702.htmlMon, 02 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180702.htmlThe criticism of an unjust, iniquitous social order, of oppressing and exploiting states and ruling elites is not a Marxist invention! The intellectual critique of foreign and domestic states and elites forms a solid axis in the cultural and intellectual legacy of every nation. Among Armenians too, besides the sycophantic, self-serving glorification of ugly elites, by hired pens of a kept intelligentsia, often priestly, there is an ancient critical tradition worthy of recall and recovery.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20180607.htmlThu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20180607.htmlNew Armenia, old hat, walking stick, frown, fret. New Armenia, bragging high, singing low, waves waving us ahead New Armenia, not a drop of blood shed, not a tear, not a threat Civilized in discipline, New Armenia full of freedom from terror, friend Not Mother Russia, nor Oligarchs on parade, brothers and sisters nesting the precious egg Nesting for the groong’s return, hoot in joy, the group-dance, the flame, the Hayr Mer.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180507.htmlMon, 07 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20180507.htmlA History of Armenian Critical Thought… The criticism of an unjust, iniquitous social order, of oppressing and exploiting states and ruling classes is not a Marxist invention! The intellectual critique of foreign and domestic states and elites forms a solid axis in the cultural and intellectual legacy of every nation. Among Armenians too, besides the sycophantic, self-serving glorification of ugly elites, by hired pens of a kept intelligentsia, often priestly, there is an ancient critical tradition worthy of recall and recovery.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20180424.htmlTue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20180424.htmlArmenian songs sad and strong Shielded landmarks, mountains cropped Fierce freedom pooled in lakes of reasoned chords Birds bearing witness, melancholy drones Joyous village dancers and wedding drums Huddled stoves, early morning bread’n prayers Rising hope, horizon’s keys sharp and fair Jump into the fire set by the strangers Their’s is but a false prophet of death or dispair Armenian songs sad and strong Give life to magic mountains Where future lovers never quarrel But yearn to weave their soft tales home Stones bearing crosses to the bone A language born in wit’s own poem To glimpse eternal flames As love casts its shadows blue In Armenian songs sad and stronghttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20180424.htmlTue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20180424.htmlThe Attempted Murder of a Nation. An Illustrator for the Press, a Satirist‒artist, and a Cartoonist attempt to portray events. Three artists, three styles, and three techniques, each with different emphasis – same tragic message of a Genocide.**** Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Fig. 1. Armenian Massacres. ÒThe Turks have a plan for the complete extermination of the Armenians. And, they carry it out with a ferocity that makes oneÕs hair stand on endÉÓhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20171120.htmlMon, 20 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20171120.htmlWelcoming the traveller at Yerevan’s Central Railway Station is a commanding statue of David of Sassoun the main protagonist of the Armenian national epic ‘The Daredevils of Sassoun’. For their own sake no representative of the Armenian elite should pass before him! Astride his famous talking Colt Djalali, wielding a Thunderbolt Sword, David is ready to strike - but today not so much against foreign invaders, as against the ruling classes of his own nation that have hijacked the land and devour it like any foreign conqueror.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20171004.htmlWed, 04 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20171004.htmlEuropeÕs failure to stop the Armenian massacres of the 1890s was the go-ahead for ÒAbdul the DamnedÓ to viciously suppress the Macedonians in 1903 Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY We are great fans of T.E. Lawrence (Thomas Edward Lawrence) and have seen the film Lawrence of Arabia many times. Every time we watch it, we appreciate it even more. Many will recall that the two young Arab boys in his service called him ÒAurensÓ (or as Ali, actor Omar Sharif would later have it, ÒEl Aurens.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20171003.htmlTue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20171003.htmlShe had worked in both places**₋**** first from 1914 to 1917, and then from 1919 to 1922.** Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian LONG ISLAND, NY Introduction Interest is increasing especially on the part of those whose heritage is Armenian, or part Armenian, or simply interested in the region, to learn more about the “Old Armenia” environment from which grandparents or great grandparents or friends, made their way to America.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170929.htmlFri, 29 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170929.htmlArmenian News Network / Groong American Missionary Physician Dr. Ruth A. Parmelee Describes the 1915 ÒHarpoot DeportationsÓ: with Appendix of some rare imagery from our files to complement what she wrote; included is the Infamous ÒDeportation ProclamationÓ Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY The Armenian Genocide is Rooted in Facts ÒOn March 16, 1915, the governor of our province [Sabit Bey] told a German vice-consul that they [the Armenians] had grown to such wealth and numbers, that they were a nuisance to the ruling race.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170927.htmlWed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170927.html­­Armenian News Network / Groong******PHOTOS OF DESTITUTION AND MISERY: ** Starving Armenian Kids in Erivan Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY INTRODUCTION In our YouTube video ÒStory of an Oriental Rug Made by Armenian Orphans for the White House: preserving authentic memory of survivors of the Turkish Genocide against the ArmeniansÓ we emphasized the background of the ÔArmenian orphan rugÕ and made the critical connection between this rug and the orphans of the Armenian Genocide.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170915.htmlFri, 15 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170915.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Introduction Throughout our efforts aimed at achieving ever-greater precision in attestation and attribution of photographs and imagery as they relate to the Armenians massacres, persecutions and Genocide, we have made a special effort to verify what a photograph or image represents (attest it) and to identify it if possible with a person, place or time (attribute it).https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170914.htmlThu, 14 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170914.htmlDocumentation and Attribution of Photographs as they Relate to the Atrocities and Genocide Committed against Armenians in the Ottoman Turkish Empire: several early photos of survivors released for educational use and in soliciting funds by the American committee for armenian and syrian relief - complete with contemporary captions and interpretations Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY INTRODUCTION For those who respects facts, there never has been any question about the reality of the genocide committed against the Armenians by Ôthe TurksÕ.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170729.htmlSat, 29 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170729.htmlSUMMARY Recent revelations by Bulgarian newspaper (Trud) of connections between Aliyev’s regime and the state-run Silk Way Airlines accused of shipping weapons and ammunition to various terrorist groups in the Middle East under diplomatic cover were hurriedly pushed under the rug military hardware from Russia, followed by its regular war rhetoric to take back Artsakh through military means. Similar tactics were utilized by Azerbajiani media last year, preceding the Four Day War in April of 2016 when international media was awash with revelations about billions of dollars’ worth of offshore accounts held by a number of foreign leaders, including Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170707.htmlFri, 07 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170707.htmlSUMMARY Constant violations of ceasefire along the Line of Contact culminated in a failed Azerbajiani military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh on April 2nd of 2016. The incident came to be known as the Four Day War in Armenia which ended on April 6, 2016 at the behest of Aliyev’s regime in light of a powerful and devastating Armenian military response in conjunction with immense pressure by the international community demanding from Azerbaijan to end the war as soon as possible.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170626.htmlMon, 26 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170626.htmlNotes for a reading of the ‘Book Lamentations’ by Narek Armenian News Network / Groong June 26, 2017 ByEddie Arnavoudian ** ** Reading Narek: Five Elegies 21-25 ** ** * * * * * * In one aspect, Elegies 21-25 constitute a relatively coherent whole expressing clearly Narek’s conception of man/woman as a magnificent, richly-gifted, rational being who has however failed to live up to his/her essence and potential. Essence and potential frequently appear as silent oppositions in hammering images of failure and degeneration.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170626.htmlMon, 26 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170626.htmlSUMMARY As the dramatic events unfold in the Middle East a new map of the Near East is beginning to emerge. A new country is about to take stage in the region; a clash between major powers is about to break loose in Syria; and a new strategic realignment of regional powers and their corresponding super powers is taking shape while others are exiting the region. In the meantime, a rift is emerging between the US and its European allies over many issues including global warming, economic relations and security within Europe and around the European continent.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170512.htmlFri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170512.htmlSpecial to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY “Every time I hear Talaat’s name, I see the image of Satan, sly, cunning, dishonest and insincere, the repository of a black, oriental soul. The dog was Mephistophelean [diabolical]…” ­­ Statement attributed to Armen Garo (Karekin Pasdermadjian) by Assadoor Khederian [Endnote 1] We saw “The Promise” on Thursday the 20th of April 2017 at the Lowe’s Multiplex Cinema in Stony Brook, Long Island.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170424.htmlMon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170424.html“The Promise” is a poignant saga of unimaginable emotional and historical majesty. It is the retelling of the finest instincts of man facing a grave chapter of man’s inhumanity to man. The Turks and Kurds kill and massacre. German war machine aids and abets. Great Britain, France and Russia are armed and ready for war. Armenians flea, fall, falter and finally rise from the ashes of their history’s darkest chapter, the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by Young Turks from April 1915 till the end of the war “to end all wars.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20170424.htmlMon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20170424.htmlSoul of my nation, fragile as summer day is long April horses drag cannons to pieces in desert scorn Womb of song, toil, tilled to perfection, cranial masquerade Bloody tents, raped prayers, our books torn in limb and page Scream an unvoiced anger, in a treeless forest, where one hand slaps Ringing rage through kingdoms lost in coins of the peering realm Massacre the helpless children covered in their mother’s urine stains Crosses across their chests beaten by scimitars in phallic contrabandhttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20170424.htmlMon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170424.htmlScene from the Armenian Genocide: A French ArtistÕs Chilling Portrayal of Events at the Euphrates River Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY ÒThe Euphrates was the tomb of thousands of the deportees. The Armenians who did not die were shot point blank by Kurds on the banks of the River — Composition of G. Dutriac.Ó From a full page sepia image (5 X 8 inches) (by the very well known French artist, illustrator, engraver Georges-Pierre Dutriac (1866-1958): Lectures Pour Tous 18e Anne, 23e Livraison [Delivery date] 1er Septembre 1916, p.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170421.htmlFri, 21 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170421.htmlA Rare Photograph of Him and his Predecessor Consul William Wesley Masterson Together in the Garden of the American Consulate in Mezereh Special to Groong by and Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY One of our objectives over the years has been to track down photographs of individuals who are connected in one way or another with the Armenian Genocide. These include American Consuls who served in Asiatic Turkey during those fateful years.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170417.htmlMon, 17 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170417.htmlBesides being a fine literary study Hasmik Sahakyan’s ‘Armenian Poetry in the Late Middle Ages: 16th and 17th Centuries’ (336pp, 1975, Yerevan) is an important contribution to the intellectual and social history of modern Armenian national development. Sahakyan opens by quoting Manoug Abeghian, doyen of Armenian literary historians. ‘The 16th century and the first quarter of the 17th were’ Abeghian writes ’the darkest periods in Armenian life and letters.’ However he adds that ‘a new period of revival begins’ (p6) as the hundred-year Ottoman-Iranian war, fought mainly on Armenian soil, comes to an end in 1639.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170417.htmlMon, 17 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170417.html­­­**Armenian News Network / Groong** United States Consul Leslie A. DavisÕs Communication to Ambassador Henry Morgenthau at American Embassy in Constantinople Concerning Arrests and Subsequent Murders of Harput Men­­ Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Those who saw and read our recent Groong post (April 7, 2017) entitled ÒUnited States Consul Leslie A. DavisÕs Photographs of Armenians Slaughtered at Lake Goeljuk, Summer of 1915Ó will know it focused on the story of various infamous photographs of the murders at Lake Goeljuk.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170407.htmlFri, 07 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170407.htmlUnited States Consul Leslie A. DavisÕs Photographs of Armenians Slaughtered at Lake Goeljuk, Summer of 1915 [A Groong posting here of a paper originally published in a Festschrift volume in honor of German Journalist and Scholar Wolfgang Gust on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday, 2015. The celebratory volume Festschrift Wolfgang zum 80. Geburtstag printed by Verlag Dinges & Frick, Wiesbaden was edited by Muriel Mirak-Weissbach and is presented here with her kind permission in the hope that it will give our contribution wider distribution and broader coverage.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170221.htmlTue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170221.htmlSUMMARY As the one year anniversary of the Four Day War in April of 2016 is fast approaching so is the military escalation along the frontlines in Artsakh gradually intensifying. Almost no week goes by without human losses suffered on either side of the unresolved conflict. Relative military parity established by the warring sides since last war coupled with a cold winter and barely passable roads in the region seemed to have deterred new Azerbaijani military aggression from resuming thus far, however as the weather warms up in addition to declining oil output and devaluation of the manat-Azerbaijani currency, and new accumulations of military capabilities by Azerbaijani military, Armenian armed forces are expecting to face yet another violent attempt by Aliyev’s government in Baku to forcefully change the status quo on the ground either this year or within next two years.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170131.htmlTue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20170131.htmlArmenian Literature for the 21st Century… ‘Never Die - this is what I have to say’, by Hovhannes Grigoryan, (164pp, 2010, Yerevan, a digital version is available at: https://yavrumyan.blogspot.co.uk/p/ebook.html thanks to the fantastic work being done by Marat Yavrumyan) IT’S TIME TO USE POETIC STONES! Hovhannes Grigoryan’s ‘Never Die - this is what I have to say’ (164pp, 2010, Armenia, Yerevan) supplies us a heap of granite-hard poetic stones to hurl at the mansions of power, at the social and political hucksters, thieves, charlatans, hypocrites, warmongers and environmental barbarians who today rule the roost, in Armenia and globally.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170109.htmlMon, 09 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20170109.htmlSummary For the past twenty six years Armenian strategic thinking in Armenia and diaspora was mostly reactive rather than proactive, static rather than flexible. Politically Armenia failed to register significant gains in its foreign policy and ended up significantly isolated in various international forums. Furthermore, Armenia lost its strategic significance in the eyes of the international community and became an irrelevant actor in the region. Thus the time has come for Armenia to reassess its national interests and play a pro-active role in the region and abroad that will enhance its national security, improve its economy and make Armenia matter in the region.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170106.htmlFri, 06 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170106.htmlArmenian Christmas, Theophany, Epiphany, “Little Christmas”, and especially “Le Petit Noël”: trying to make sense of a December 23, 1905 cartoon and its caption. Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK The Gregorian calendar that we are all familiar with was promulgated during the reign of Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII. The order for change was issued as a Papal Bull in 1582.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170101.htmlSun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20170101.html**“All Saviour’s Armenian Cathedral, Isfahan, Iran” - a recent addition to our Conscience Films video site on YouTube.*This video will expand some of the imagery presented in the recently released 2017 calendar by the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern). ***Some relevant early 20th century photographs of the dreaded falaka or bastinado (foot torture) are presented as well and attested precisely. Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161225.htmlSun, 25 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161225.htmlThe highlights of 2016 for Armenia (if we can call them “high” lights) would be the Four Day War in April, the popular and violent acts of discontent in July, and the change of ruling government in September. For 2017 the outlook for the country may be grim as well, but hopeful as the newly formed cabinet lead by Karen Karapetyan makes efforts to reduce the corruption in the government, improve the nation’s defense capabilities and raise economic living standards for the populace.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161205.htmlMon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161205.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. Armenia During the 1905 Russian Revolution ‘Armenia During the 1905 Russian Revolution’ by T A Muradyan (260pp, 1964) retains value despite disfigurement by needless use of Russian-language words and despite its uncouth rant against the ARF. Bringing together often ignored historical data it is a reminder of the existence in eastern Armenia of economic and social grounds for a home grown militant peasant and working class movement, however small.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161128.htmlMon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161128.htmlNotes for a reading of the ‘Book Lamentations’ by Narek Armenian News Network / Groong November 28, 2016 ByEddie Arnavoudian ** ** Reading Narek: Four ** ** * * * * * * Elegies 16-20 1. Though discussing units of 5 elegies at a time is somewhat arbitrary, in this set there appears to be discrete and organic unity. Here Narek ‘appeals for the strength’ (‘ուժ տուր’) to correct his ‘deviating course’ (‘մոլոր ընթաձքը’ - p52).https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161121.htmlMon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161121.htmlNotes for a reading of the ‘Book Lamentations’ by Narek Armenian News Network / Groong November 21, 2016 ByEddie Arnavoudian ** ** Reading Narek: Three * * * * * * Elegies 11-15 1. Always totally confident of humanity’s potential for recovery Narek urges ‘faith in change that can help to totally cleanse the sinner’ (‘հաւատալը եւ այն փոփոխության որ մեղաւորը կարող է դառնալ լիովին քավված - p30). The aspect of the Divine within remains an indestructible core, a very constituent of being human.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161113.htmlSun, 13 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161113.htmlNotes for a reading of the ‘Book Lamentations’ by Narek Armenian News Network / Groong November 13, 2016 ByEddie Arnavoudian ** ** Reading Narek: Two * * * * * * B. Elegies 6-10 1. In his self-examination Narek intends to be fearless and frank even though he knows that this will expose his life and the entire body of society to be warped and rotten (p25, Elegy 9.a Բան Թ.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161107.htmlMon, 07 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161107.htmlNotes for a reading of the ‘Book of Lamentations’ by Narek Armenian News Network / Groong November 7, 2016 ByEddie Arnavoudian ** ** Reading Narek: One As a contribution to an imaginary Book Club devoted to reading Narek’s ‘The Book of Lamentations’ I offer, almost unedited, notes that I made in the course of a second appreciation of this epic. To allow meaning to unfold through each stage of reading I tried to avoid inferences based on an acquaintance with the entire text.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161106.htmlSun, 06 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161106.htmlPrologue The purpose of this article is to suggest political and geopolitical priorities for Armenia (including Artsakh) and the Armenian diaspora to focus on in an effort to secure the existence of the Armenian statehood and the Armenian nation for the next sixteen years. The timeframe provided divides one century into three equal parts, each thirty three years long until 2099. The article doesn’t attempt to predict any event or development in Armenia, the surrounding region or the world at large, and will not be focusing on mid-term and long-term goals.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161030.htmlSun, 30 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20161030.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. Mkrtich Armen - the artist in the age of revolution Melkiset Melkonian’s ‘Mkrtich Armen’ (1906-1972 ; 192p, 1981, Yerevan) is an undiluted pleasure, an honest and intelligent evaluation of an author who produced nothing else as accomplished as his early short novel ‘Heghnar’s Fountain’ published in 1935.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161005.htmlWed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20161005.html“In my opinion we don’t have any other choice. Every Armenian knows that if we fail to defend this little sacred land, we’ll no longer exist.” Colonel Armen Vardanyan Director of Air Defense Forces of the Republic of Armenia. The quote is taken from a recent documentary called “My army. Our Piece of the Sky.” As the Four Day War in April has shown, the conventional warfare in Artsakh’s battlefield has dramatically changed since the 1990s.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160912.htmlMon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160912.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History of Sasun’ by H Boghossian (360pp, 1985, Yerevan) The history of the Ottoman occupied western Armenian region of Sasun, like the history of 19th and early 20th century Ottoman occupied Armenia is also in part the history of the rise of modern Turkish nationalism that embedded in the Ottoman State set about the destruction of any and all manifestations of Armenian national economic, social and cultural development.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160808.htmlMon, 08 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160808.htmlBACKGROUND On July 17th, an armed opposition group stormed the Erebuni police station in Yerevan killing one policeman and wounding several others. They demanded the resignation of Armenia’s President Serj Sargsyan and liberation of their jailed leader Jirair Sefilian, a former Artsakh Liberation War veteran and the leader of a small opposition party called Founding Parliament. Furthermore, they encouraged the public to organize street demonstrations in support of their demands and vowed not to lay down their arms until their demands were fully met.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160707.htmlThu, 07 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160707.htmlA true artist senses the flow of living strife, feels each molecule react to the impulse and force of being, wishing, wanting, screaming in silence, and launches war on ignorance and apathy with each breath. Every artist worth his salt misses no nuance and feels every injustice scratch his heart, wound his soul, sand his senses to the oblivion he will not espouse. Vicken Chaldranian is a living, burning artist and we are lucky to have him fighting the good fight.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160706.htmlWed, 06 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160706.htmlThis is the text of a talk I gave on ‘Grigor Narekatsi and the 10-14th Century Armenian Renaissance’. It was delivered on Sunday 13 March at ‘Centre for Armenian Information & Advice’ (CAIA) in London and was one in a series on ‘Armenian History, Culture and Heritage’ enriched by many speakers and participants. I open with thanks to the Centre and to the Centre Director Misak Ohanian in particular for inviting me to speak.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160509.htmlMon, 09 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160509.htmlPart 1 PROLOGUE This article analyzes the role of regional and global players in the conflict as we try to identify who stood to benefit from the resumption of the war in the Caucasus, what caused the resumption of the war in the first place, what were the immediate consequences of this war for the parties involved and what are the most immediate military and political implications for the region in the coming years.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160425.htmlMon, 25 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160425.htmlA Scroll Photograph Taken on 16 August 1931 by K.S. Melikian at a Picnic for Körpetsis and Friends Shows Armenians Who Have Gotten on with their Lives Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY We have made a point of emphasizing the great value of the K.S. Melikian Collection recently deposited in the Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division. While many photographs go back as far as the Old Country in Eastern Asia Minor, others deal with the recovery of the Armenian communities that had been so devastated in the “Erghir” (the Land, the Earth) in Turkey as a result of the Turkish genocide against the Armenians.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20160424.htmlSun, 24 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20160424.htmlThere is a House in the Highlands of Armenia, high above the howl of minions Turkish dogs scent mark its stone chiseled crevices and cracks, occupants unknown The house runs red, sometimes ashen, brown, sorrow dancing circles on its crown Carved noses, chins, hunched over caravans, invisible but in ink and salt stains Soft moan of orphans, headscarves covering sex identifying scars, tattooed as cattle Survival is a reed hanging from tall odds, beckoning the learned, become nomads They admire Germans and discipline, offering Doner Kekab scented Deutsche Marks Europe sears explosions in hate and envy, mad dogs of past glory reeked, bells runghttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20160423.htmlSat, 23 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160423.htmlA seemingly innocent photograph of a group of Worcester Armenians and a few of their children born in America could yield considerable information if one wanted to use it as a starting point for discovery, commentary and discussion. Sadly, one day in the not too distant future, someone might only see it as a “problem of perspective or interpretation”. Others might even disrespectfully see it as one of the many “noises of history.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160424.htmlSat, 23 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160424.htmlSpecial to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian, LONG ISLAND, NY “In 1915 the Turkish government began, and ruthlessly carried out, the infamous general massacre and deportation of Armenians in Asia Minor… the clearance of the race from Asia Minor was about as complete an act, on a scale so great, could well be…There is no reasonable doubt that this crime was planned and executed for political reasons.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160411.htmlMon, 11 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20160411.htmlBackground On the night of April 1 and morning of April 2, Azerbaijani forces attempted to break through Armenian defenses and occupy new positions on the border with Artsakh. The blitzkrieg involved heavy use of infantry, special forces, air forces, armored units, artillery and multiple launch rocket systems which were indiscriminately used against Armenian towns and villages in the border areas. Despite small gains made by invading forces in the Mardakert region, the counter-offensive launched by the Armenian forces drove Azerbaijani troops back to their original positions which allowed the Armenian side to regain its previously lost positions in the Mardakert region.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160320.htmlSun, 20 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160320.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY INTRODUCTION Normally we try to keep a low profile because it gives us time to do the things that we feel are most important to us. But today we do not hesitate to give ourselves a bit of credit for a job that we think deserves an accolade of Òwell done.Ó [Endnote 1] Over a dozen years ago we initiated a project that we named the ÒMelikian ProjectÓ — so designated because it entailed a substantial effort on our part — in fact, a very major endeavor.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160307.htmlMon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160307.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY Some of us recall growing up as first-generation American Armenians and being chided by non-Armenians about the very strange habits of ‘the Armenians.’ ‘They’ “wash” their bread [in reality, only dampening with tap water to render pliable a piece or portion of dry flat bread - referred to as chorr hahts, pahts hahts, *parag hahts [Endnote 1, at end of paper]; *‘they’ “eat sour milk” [madzoon or yogurt, pronounced yogh’ourrtt by Armenians who spoke Turkish, and has become widely used tho’ often ‘camouflaged’ with fruit] and what is ‘really’ weird is that ‘they’ “take bricks to bed in the winter” to keep warm!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160229.htmlMon, 29 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160229.htmlWhy We Should Read… ‘The History’ by Arakel Tavrizhetsi (592pp, Sovetagan Grogh, 1988, Yerevan) `The people were desperately in need of a Moses, but none was to be found.’ Arakel Tavrizhetsi (c1590-1670) is the last in the cycle of the great classical Armenian historians. Closing the medieval age his ‘History’ moves in the same groove as that of his sole significant predecessor Tomas Medzopetsi (1378-1446). Covering the first six decades of the 17th century, in Tavrizhetsi too, social, demographic and economic collapse across historical Armenia constitutes a dominant narrative.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160215.htmlMon, 15 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20160215.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… Champions of an Armenian national literature Tlgadintsi (Hovhanness Harutyunyan - 1860-1915) was the outstanding figure of that group of pre-Genocide western Armenian writers whose central artistic concern was the lives of the Armenian common people in their native western Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160214.htmlSun, 14 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20160214.htmlA February 1924 cover photograph of The New Near East magazine asks “Will you send a Valentine to a Near East child — A year of life for $60, or a month for $5?” Is anyone able to provide some precise information on this wonderful photograph? Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian LONG ISLAND, NY Last year on Valentine’s Day we had posted for us by Asbed Bedrossian a photograph from the back cover of a copy of The New Near East - volume 6 no.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151227.htmlSun, 27 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151227.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Fund-raising pleas on behalf of “Starving Armenians” at Christmastime: a dramatic word-picture from The Literary Digest for December, 1919; a sketch depicting “Christmas Day in Armenia” on the cover of *New Near East magazine *December, 1921 and a cover from a box of Safety Matches made at the Czech Solo Match Works — the purchase of which goes to the “Benefit of Armenian Orphans.” Special to Groong by Abraham D.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151221.htmlMon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151221.htmlLeo’s three volume biography of Krikor Adrzrouni (1845-1892), outstanding warrior editor, battling journalist and founder in 1872 of what was to become the first Armenian daily newspaper, opens with an account of his grandfather Gevorg’s emigration from Ottoman occupied Van to Tsarist occupied Tbilisi and of his various grand business and educational ventures there. It is a prologue that encapsulates the peculiarities of Armenian nation formation that Krikor Ardzrouni’s tumultuous intellectual life and times was to epitomize.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151221.htmlSat, 12 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151221.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Satirical Cartoon Published 120 years today, December 21, 1895, on the cover of the weekly magazine Judge*(New York): Take home lesson* - Money and Profits always trump principles or obligations! Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian LONG ISLAND, NY This brief notice deals with a political cartoon published during the height of the Hamidian massacres. It may appear peculiar that it was published a few days before Christmas but that was so and why will become apparent in a moment.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151105.htmlThu, 05 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151105.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Photographic Data from Ordinarily (but not invariably) Authoritative and Richly Illustrated Accounts Can Be Expanded. A case of an incorrectly attested photograph in a 1906 issue of the French journal Le Tour du Monde shows a young Ruth A. Parmelee, her brother Julius and father, Dr. Moses P. Parmelee in Trebizond 1895 at the Time of the Hamidian Massacres! Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20151104.htmlWed, 04 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20151104.htmlTravel Wire Geghard Vocal Ensemble “Komitas never composed an opera, symphony, oratorio, or concerto, yet he accomplished something much greater. He laid the foundations of a national music culture, purifying Armenian music of all foreign influences. Komitas has thus been rightfully recognized as the “father of Armenian classical music.” After the Genocide, nothing was left to compile or compare, let alone preserve for future generations; Komitas had come forward in the 11th hour to redeem a vital characteristic of a 4,000-year-old civilization that was eventually uprooted from its cradle.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151103.htmlTue, 03 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151103.htmlThere is in Armenia today something of an exciting literary revival. Its quality and its future are, however, far from secure, with much depending on whether the nation can be salvaged from the hyenas mercilessly devouring it. Nevertheless, and perhaps ironically, one manifestation of this revival is Mesrop Harutyunian’s wonderful short novel - ‘Abcai: circles of dying’ that illuminates the sordid and tragic truths of the late 1980s transition from the Soviet Armenian to the ‘independent’ Third Republic.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151026.htmlMon, 26 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151026.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Dutch ‘Cartoonist’ Louis Raemaekers’ Poster of 1916 entitled “The Lord Mayor London’s Appeal for Help for the Armenian People”: filling in some details, and a call for input as to where ‘Originals’ might be located. Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY Referring to the 15,000 marks prize that the Kaiser [Wilhelm II] has put on Raemaeker’s head, M.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151023.htmlFri, 23 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20151023.htmlWhy we should read… ‘History of the House of Ardzroun’ by Tovma Ardzrouni (560pp, 1985, Yerevan, University Press) A fractured and precarious statehood Tovma Ardzrouni’s 10th century ‘History of the House of Ardzroun’ (see Note 1) stands out among classical Armenian histories that usually bear all-encompassing titles such as ‘History of the Armenians’ or just plain ‘History’. Here instead is a proud celebration of a single aristocratic estate, written at perhaps its grandest moment.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151015.htmlThu, 15 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151015.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Armenian Master Photographer Kazar Sarkis Melikian Collection and Melikian Photo Studio Work Donated to the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. K.S. Melikian’s Daughter Mary Christine Melikian Passed Away 22 September 2015 (unexpectedly and peacefully) the morning after an “open letter of thanks” to those involved in the project had been completed. Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylorhttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20151012.htmlMon, 12 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151012.html­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Bringing a Photograph into Clearer Focus: Update to a Library of Congress’ Bain News Service Collection Photo “Armenian Refugees…Date Created/Published: [1920 Dec. 3].” In a quite good German work, which apparently utilized the Armin T. Wegner archives [Nachlasse] and Wegner Photo Copyright holder Wallstein Verlag information, we see a slightly different view of the same scene dated as from autumn of 1915. The caption includes the statement that the “Death rate in these camps was extremely high [Die Todesrate in diesen Lagern war extrem hoch.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151011.htmlSun, 11 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20151011.htmlA SAD NOTE OF PASSAGE, AND A HAPPY NOTICE OF A MAJOR LEGACY OF PHOTOGRAPHS FOR ARMENIANS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: Commentary, and a Notice of a Video Posting on You Tube by Taylor and Krikorian entitled “Kazar Sarkis Melikian Studio, Worcester, Mass.” Mary’s father, Kazar Sarkis Melikian, was an important preserver and photographer of Armenian heritage and the Armenian experience – from Kharpert to America. The video was made in 2006 and can be seen at:https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150922.htmlTue, 22 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150922.html­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong Correction to a Photograph of “Armenian Widows with their Children” Wrongly Dated 1915. It actually dates from 1909. Plus a comment on why it is important to get an accurate ‘paper trail’ for photographs.**** Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY “Guh Badayee” [Things happen.] “Ahl Chapuh G’antse’nehn” [They exceed the mark.] Normally we pay very little attention to Copyright symbols © since so much of the economically developed world seems nowadays to be ever more deeply embedded in a culture wherein claims to intellectual property rights to trivia and the like abound.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150923.htmlTue, 22 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150923.htmlNinety-three Years ago Today: the fires of Smyrna are still smoldering and not totally out. Reports by credible witnesses are today forgotten. Forceful Witnesses to the Genocide are muted, and the Republic of Turkey issues a boastful stamp in 1972 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the entry of the glorious Turkish Army into Izmir. Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY It is generally acknowledged that the victors of any given conflict reserve the right in some fashion or other to tell their story most forcefully.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150713.htmlMon, 13 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150713.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding, yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. Contemporary recollections of Missak Medzarents and Daniel Varoujean Recollections about famous authors (‘Missak Medzarents and Daniel Varoujean: remembered by their contemporaries’, 1986, Yerevan, 344pp) are of course hugely valuable with multitudes of fact, incident, impression and anecdote serving a richer biographical canvas. But they do need to be read with judgement that distinguishes the authentic from the hagiographic, the honest from those jumping onto fame’s bandwagon, especially those so shameless with cheap claims of having been loved by the famous!https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150713.htmlMon, 13 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150713.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NY Our latest posting entitled A Family Photograph from Korpeh, Kharpert, Old Armenia Bears Forceful Witness to the Genocide (http://www.groong.org/orig/ak-20150710.html)has already elicited questions from family and friends about why the maps that included names of the various villages on the Kharpert plain could not have been larger to facilitate more ready examination. We now post five maps that hopefully will be more readily examined.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150710.htmlFri, 10 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150710.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY “Photography discovers, recovers, reclaims, and at unsuspecting moments, collaborates with the creation of what we call history.”[1, Endnotes] Most have heard or read somewhere along the line that the Armenian Genocide is “hotly debated.” We have often wondered why those who supposedly debate this fact so hotly are oftentimes unidentified – ‘the Turks and a handful of their lackeys’ for sure – who else debates it other than those who have an agenda, hidden or otherwise?https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150706.htmlMon, 06 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150706.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… ‘The Daredevils of Sassoon’ - a superb study and three essays I. Azat Yeghiazaryan’s ‘The Poetics of the Epic “Sasna Dzrer”’ (282pp, 1999, Yerevan) is a welcome reading of the Armenian national epic popularly known in English as ‘The Daredevils of Sassoon’. A literary critic and intellectual of the best sort, Yeghiazaryan with his customary temperate, gentle but erudite and perceptive intelligence draws out from an artistic and cultural examination those issues that touch on the concerns and the dramas of our own times.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150704.htmlSat, 04 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150704.htmlThe American Missionaries in the Ottoman Empire before, during and after the Turkish Genocide against the Armenians: Towards a detailed accounting of ‘who was where and when.’ A list prepared for Ambassador Henry Morgenthau by William Wheelock Peet, Bible House, Constantinople dated 7 October 1914. Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian LONG ISLAND, NY Many descendants of survivors of the genocide against the Armenians by the Turks often find themselves searching for bits and pieces of information, which have relevance for family histories preserved at various levels of completeness and detail.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150608.htmlMon, 08 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150608.htmlJaroslaw Fret, is a master director. He has produced this masterpiece with the Polish Theatre Group Teatr Zar, called Arminé, Sister. He takes no prisoners. For him, the theatre is beyond sacred; beyond timeless; beyond affect and surfeit of deceit; beyond make believe. It is more real than real itself. It is revealed; it is transmitted; it is osmosed. Theatre, like history, is a rushed-in rash of the skin. It is pomegranate juiced on your back, seeds oozing, witnessing sin.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150526.htmlTue, 26 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150526.htmlCinemaArmenia – a special showcase of contemporary Armenian films, was a smashing success. CinemaArmenia was produced by Serge Bakalian. The joy of curating the films was ably handled by Peter Ajemian, Garbis and Silva Baghdassarian, Serge Bakalian and Luska Khalapyan. It was a Mid-May bookend to the San Francisco Bay Area Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration events that started early in April. An amazing array of films had been assembled anchored by the superb and stunning work by Fatih Akin, who is a German, award winning director of Turkish descent.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150425.htmlSat, 25 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150425.htmlAux Peuples AssassinŽsÓ [ÒTo the Murdered PeoplesÓ] (Paris, 1916). Cover illustration of the essay by Romain Rolland. This woodcut by the Flemish artist Franz Masereel remains relevant on the 100th anniversary of the onset of the Genocide against the Armenians ÒArmenian News Network / Groong Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Like many others, we believe that story telling can rely solely on images.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20150424.htmlFri, 24 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20150424.htmlOh longing, grass flown by, buzzed rotors clanking, modern wreck Oh, sunshine, fading chromosomes wailing through a night’s blight Orange muff, winter stark teleportation, is union station closed shut? Moved by this anachronic denial spiral of long leaved mustache slashed Billed as men of religion, of pride bursting away in reflections slighted They dance on our graves and spank their destinies with feathers flocked They bounce their checks and babies on our knees bleeding against rocks Infinite regress mindless hedonic whip slit skulls rolling down fez pools Progress toward the jungle of creviced kink self-chest-plucked beatings Progress with bulging guile, without regret, planning the next falling mass Killing is easy when echoes die young.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150424.htmlFri, 24 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150424.htmlIt would be a fitting remembrance of the Genocide, were we to appropriate into a vision of our future the best of the way we lived before 1915. Images of violent oppression and Young Turk Genocide have become central to defining and thereby deeply distorting the historical truth about the life of western Armenian communities under Ottoman occupation. Caravans of nameless deportees doomed to die, piles of skulls and bones sunk in desert sands, corpses strewn across river and rock, bands of emaciated, skin and bone children, survivors with deadened gaze huddled in refugee camps.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150330.htmlMon, 30 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150330.html‘Baku 1905’ - savagery in the Caucasian family - Part Two Hrachig Simonian’s ‘On the Paths of Liberation’ (Book 1, 2003, 815pp, Yerevan) shows clearly that like their Georgian counterparts wealthy Azeris also regarded Armenians as outsiders, as interlopers who had seized commanding economic heights. From the 1890s Azeri urban nationalists had been chomping at the bit. So when in 1905 opportunity presented itself to strike out against Armenian positions in Baku and the Caucuses in general the Azeri elite was ready to extend Tsarism a helping hand.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150323.htmlMon, 23 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150323.html‘Baku 1905’ - savagery in the Caucasian family - Part One The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Ottoman/Young Turk Genocide against the Armenian people the catastrophic consequences of which - national, territorial, political, social, economic and demographic - are still felt today, and most acutely so in an unsustainable and enfeebled Third Armenian Republic. 2015 was however also the anniversary of another historic catastrophe, the 110th of events misnamed ’the 1905 Baku Pogroms’, but in fact an eruption of Armenian-Azeri mutual mass slaughter throughout the Caucuses that has since become home to Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian states.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150302.htmlMon, 02 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20150302.htmlFrom the early 1910s to the early 1930s, short story writer Stepan Zoryan (1889-1967) produced some of the finest portraits of life as it was actually lived by the people of eastern Armenia during what were turbulent decades of unprecedented political upheaval and radical historic transformation; from just before World War One and Genocide to the early Soviet era; from centuries of statelessness and a hundred years of Tsarist colonial domination of what was little more than a Caucasian provincial backwater, to the First and then the Soviet Armenian Republics.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150216.htmlMon, 16 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20150216.htmlÿþ<�h�t�m�l� �x�m�l�n�s�:�v�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�v�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�o�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�w�=�"�u�r�n�:�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�-�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�-�c�o�m�:�o�f�f�i�c�e�:�w�o�r�d�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�:�m�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�s�c�h�e�m�a�s�.�m�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t�.�c�o�m�/�o�f�f�i�c�e�/�2�0�0�4�/�1�2�/�o�m�m�l�"� � �x�m�l�n�s�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�w�w�w�.�w�3�.�o�r�g�/�T�R�/�R�E�C�-�h�t�m�l�4�0�"� �x�m�l�n�s�:�n�s�0�=�"�h�t�t�p�:�/�/�m�a�c�V�m�l�S�c�h�e�m�a�U�r�i�"�>� � � � �<�h�e�a�d�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �h�t�t�p�-�e�q�u�i�v�=�C�o�n�t�e�n�t�-�T�y�p�e� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�t�e�x�t�/�h�t�m�l�;� �c�h�a�r�s�e�t�=�u�n�i�c�o�d�e�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�P�r�o�g�I�d� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�W�o�r�d�.�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�G�e�n�e�r�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�m�e�t�a� �n�a�m�e�=�O�r�i�g�i�n�a�t�o�r� �c�o�n�t�e�n�t�=�"�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �W�o�r�d� �1�5�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�F�i�l�e�-�L�i�s�t� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�1�5�0�2�1�6�_�f�i�l�e�s�/�f�i�l�e�l�i�s�t�.�x�m�l�"�>� � �<�l�i�n�k� �r�e�l�=�E�d�i�t�-�T�i�m�e�-�D�a�t�a� �h�r�e�f�=�"�a�k�-�2�0�1�5�0�2�1�6�_�f�i�l�e�s�/�e�d�i�t�d�a�t�a�.�m�s�o�"�>� � �<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �!�m�s�o�]�>� � �<�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �v�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �o�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �w�\�:�� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �.�s�h�a�p�e� �{�b�e�h�a�v�i�o�r�:�u�r�l�(�#�d�e�f�a�u�l�t�#�V�M�L�)�;�}� � �<�/�s�t�y�l�e�>� � �<�!�[�e�n�d�i�f�]�-�-�>�<�!�-�-�[�i�f� �g�t�e� �m�s�o� �9�]�>�<�x�m�l�>� � � �<�o�:�D�o�c�u�m�e�n�t�P�r�o�p�e�r�t�i�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�M�i�c�r�o�s�o�f�t� �a�c�c�o�u�n�t�<�/�o�:�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>�A�s�b�e�d� �B�e�d�r�o�s�s�i�a�n�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�A�u�t�h�o�r�>� � � � �<�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>�7�<�/�o�:�R�e�v�i�s�i�o�n�>� � � � �<�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>�6�5�0�<�/�o�:�T�o�t�a�l�T�i�m�e�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>�2�0�1�5�-�0�2�-�1�4�T�0�7�:�5�3�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�C�r�e�a�t�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>�2�0�2�3�-�1�1�-�1�1�T�1�8�:�5�6�:�0�0�Z�<�/�o�:�L�a�s�t�S�a�v�e�d�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>�1�<�/�o�:�P�a�g�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>�1�6�9�5�0�<�/�o�:�W�o�r�d�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>�9�6�6�2�1�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>�8�0�5�<�/�o�:�L�i�n�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>�2�2�6�<�/�o�:�P�a�r�a�g�r�a�p�h�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>�1�1�3�3�4�5�<�/�o�:�C�h�a�r�a�c�t�e�r�s�W�i�t�h�S�p�a�c�e�s�>� � � � �<�o�:�V�e�r�s�i�o�n�>�1�6�.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20150111.htmlSun, 11 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20150111.htmlRoupen Sevag - 1885-1915 Illuminated Legacy in the Holy See of Etchmiadzin Travel Wire The telegram read: 25 August 1915 - 8:25 AM Chankir, Istanbul - Pankalty Nalpant Street To: Mrs. Chilingirian ‘I WENT WITH VAROUJAN TO AYASH. SEND ME YOUR LETTERS THERE. ROUPEN.’ Two hours after the telegram was dispatched, Turkish soldiers removed Roupen Sevag and Daniel Varoujian and three others from the train near the village of Tuneh .https://ann.org/orig/ak-20141227.htmlSat, 27 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20141227.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Our video entitled “Raphael Lemkin on the Genesis of the Concept behind the Word Genocide -Connecting the Dots between the Ottoman Turkish Genocide of the Armenians and the Nazi Genocide, and Working for a Viable Legal Framework for the Punishment of Genocide: a seminal 1949 television presentation with Quincy Howe as host and discussants Raphael Lemkin, Ivan Kerno and Emanuel Celler.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20141031.htmlFri, 31 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20141031.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Komitas’ by S Gasparyan (240pp, 1961) ‘Komitas’ by Cecelia Broutian (224pp, 1969) ‘Komitas As He Was’ by Khachig Patigian (432pp, 2002) One Nation, One Music! The uniqueness of Komitas Komitas (1869-1935) was a unique musical genius, a scholar with unrivalled mastery of the history and art of Armenian music, a composer, conductor, pianist, singer and poet, and with formidable mathematical skills, an acute, almost invincible backgammon playing priest to boot!https://ann.org/orig/ak-20141004.htmlSat, 04 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20141004.html99 Years Ago Today:- Who Knew What, When and How about ÒThe Massacres that Would Change the Meaning of Massacre.Ó The Committee on Armenian Atrocities in New York CityÕs Release for Publication in Papers of Monday, Oct. 4, 1915 Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY ** INTRODUCTION** In this day and age of instant messaging and the like it is not easy to put oneself in the situation of imagining what it was like to get reliable news of the events going on so far as the Armenians of Turkey were concerned and especially as the genocide was under way in 1915.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140925.htmlThu, 25 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140925.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Some Background We have long felt that visual materials, as accurately attested and attributed as possible, should be made accessible to scholars and those wishing to make documentary films. We knew that it would be no trivial task to undertake the work of attesting and attributing photographs, but the difficulty has far exceeded our initial expectations. It inevitably takes a great deal of time and more than a little luck.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140921.htmlSun, 21 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140921.html­­Armenian News Network / Groong**** Sultan Abdul Hamid II: What did he really look like? Caricatures versus photographs. Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor and Abraham D. Krikorian Long Island, NY There is little disagreement that Sultan Abdul Hamid II was a very important figure in the long and sad history of the Armenians, but even today he remains more of a critically understudied and elusive figure than one might imagine.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140828.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140828.htmlPhotograph of ÒTypical Needy ArmeniansÓ on the November 1914 cover of ÒThe Friend of ArmeniaÓ (London): Recycling of a Photograph from No Later than September 1, 1913 originally attesting ÒMassacre Victims in RagsÓ Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY *Armenians in England: the history up to the 20-ies of the XXth Century *by R Yeghiazaryan, Yason Printing House, Yerevan, 2014) is only 352 pages long but it is full of information and contains many rich research leads.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140827.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140827.htmlPART TWO: Turkish nationalism, Kemal Ataturk and the Armenian question R K Sahakyan’s ‘Turkish-French Relations and Cilicia - 1919-1921’ (328pp, 1970, Yerevan) enables a clearer and more detailed grasp of the character of French-Armenian and French-Turkish relations in post-war Cilicia. As he charts French relations with the rising and eventually triumphant Turkish movement headed by Kemal Ataturk, Sahakyan also, and perhaps most valuably, documents its essentially anti-democratic, reactionary and chauvinist nature.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140825.htmlMon, 25 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140825.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY A category of imagery associated with various persecutions of the Armenians, particularly in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire and culminating with the Armenian Genocide, is what may be described as pictorial - inspired by actual situations or events. This species of imagery takes on special significance when it reflects witnessing. Some have also referred to this as a form of “survivor art or survivor-inspired art”.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140818.htmlMon, 18 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140818.htmlThe Monument Shown on the Cover of TeodigÕs 1919 Book Entitled Hushartsan Abril Dasnamegi [Memorial April 11]: A closer look at a beautiful monument and a plea for a serious effort to learn more about it. Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY COMMENTARY There is an activity that has come to be known as ÒDark Tourism.Ó This is perhaps best viewed as a form of pilgrimage tourism wherein a site or commemorative reminder of a catastrophe, disaster or tragedy no matter how great or small, is the focus.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140728.htmlMon, 28 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140728.html‘Krikor Ardzrouni: A biography in Three Volumes’ PART TWO Leo’s handsome second and third volumes of Krikor Ardzrouni’s (1845-1892) biography, despite the verbosity for which he alas had a great facility, communicates with force that admirable national democratic ambition and that unswerving devotion to public duty that spurred Ardzrouni on throughout a remarkable and historic journalistic career. Leo displays Ardzrouni’s legacy as it is, strikingly modern, apt to our own 21st century, a measure indeed of how little has changed but how much has to change if we are to secure a future for the Armenian people.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140423.htmlWed, 23 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140423.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor, Long Island, NY Foreword Much has been written about cartoons as being editorials at a glance, or cartoons as historical sources, cartoons as teachers and preachers, cartoons for both cruelty and humor, cartoons for getting at the truth, cartoons as part of the image-makers arsenal, cartoons as picture politics, cartoons for teaching of popular history and so forth. Charles William Morris (1874-1940), whose works appeared in The Spokesman Review, New York Tribune, New York Mail, HarperÕs Weekly, George Matthew Adams Syndicate etc.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140329.htmlSat, 29 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140329.html“I wait for you still, as if you could arrive” “You Have Not Died” Vahan Derian 1 The trees wombs of wind and sound that find me poised this hour to rip out a - I love you i am falling from these hills searching meadows for your- I thought i saw you this evening it was just dark the mountains brief the cool air gathering in pools of wind we might runhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140322.htmlSat, 22 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140322.htmlOver there all that happened (and didn’t happen) folded packed in mental mothballs stories fading with licked creases some reduced to softer versions wonder why I preserve breaths forced through my lungs in those days stringed around the eye of a hurricane circling, demonic, nameless… shaking me till I’m shameless for a day on nights with a collective sigh stinging and I can’t tell which tale will toll for me and which nocturnal howls to lift the dust through endless times to relive in slivers of a pink tip of my tongue afraid to bite a dreamt memory that it might hemorrhage bleed the sheets of nighthttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20140318.htmlTue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140318.htmlÒPAPIER DÕARMƒNIEÓ — Who Today with Armenian Roots or Connections Knows Anything about ÒPapier dÕArmŽnie?Ó A request for information if anyone has ever heard of it, or better yet used it. Commentary on a Cartoon Featuring Various European Powers at an Elegant Parisian House of Fashion Anticipating the Opening of the Peace Conference at The Hague on 18 May 1899. Sultan Abdul Hamid II is approached by a seller of the deodorant ÒPapier dÕArmŽnie.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140315.htmlSat, 15 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140315.htmlI’d heard a lot about you from your mother when I was married to her in the States. I’d heard stories about how, when you were a little girl, your father had abandoned the two of you and how he was the devil. Since I divorced your mom years ago I’ve understood what a storyteller she is and I question her versions of everything. But you told me yourself that in front of you when you were young, she attempted suicide.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140308.htmlSat, 08 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140308.htmlOh, how I would love to see Armenians Free, safe, educated, and self-sufficient Every Armenian’s home, paradise on earth should be… But this shouldn’t require a sacrifice from me. Oh, how I would loved for Armenia to be Freed from the hands of the enemy, Armenian rulers governing the Armenian country… As long as this aim doesn’t cost me a penny. Oh, how I wish for all Armenian to be Rekindled with the love of science, and discovery For once and for all eliminate illiteracy Only if, no commitment is required of me.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140301.htmlSat, 01 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140301.htmlFirst, they take away father. They return the same evening And take away his belongings: His clothes, his shoes, his stories and songs. Mother does not know how to resist the intruders And consoles us with fractured sentences, With words shattered into jagged-edged syllables Like the family photographs hurled Onto the grand mirror in the hall. The tall man wearing the unfamiliar hat Parts the lull of the next afternoon With measured strides.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140228.htmlFri, 28 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20140228.htmlCILICIAN ARMENIANS AND THE GENOCIDE PART ONE: the two-pronged assault on the Armenian nation and people I. Despite its ridiculous title, Shmavon Torosyan’s ‘The National Liberation Movement of Cilician Armenians - 1919-1920’ (371pp, 1987, Yerevan, Armenia) is significant for reminding of an oft neglected but critical dimension of the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman state and the Young Turks. It is also a vital reminder of the repugnant, revolting, treacherous character of imperial France’s Armenian policy, as repugnant, revolting and treacherous as the British and the Tsarist States.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140222.htmlSat, 22 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20140222.htmlBeirut’s orgy in 18 confessions, Olé! Screamed and drowned Tom Jones served the Hummus near the pools of private clubs Orange crush between their legs, teenagers practiced re-innocence Dreams of heeled yachts, Monaco and Royal blow, effervescent geist Beneath the soil of imported champagne corked in a clown’s red nose Beyond the camps ’n hated enemies and jealous friend’s smiles sardonic Lurked world-stage trade-craft, spy vs spy groping public monkey bars Every prostitute, every little star, humping Roman Ruins, midsummer orchestrashttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20140214.htmlFri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140214.html­­­­­­Armenian News Network / Groong An Orphan of the Armenian Genocide: A ValentineÕs Day Armenian Poster Child Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor, Long Island, NY The following quotes from ÒThe Helping Hand SeriesÓ give a feeling for the urgent need to secure aid for the Armenians. ÒOnce again the voice of the prophet rings in our ears, ÒComfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140106.htmlMon, 06 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20140106.htmlCHRISTMAS CELEBRATION FOR ARMENIAN ORPHANS IN Mezreh (KHARPERT) JANUARY 8TH, 1920: FROM LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS1 (Superscripts refer to Endnotes which will be found at the end of our text. Two Appendices, one on dates for Christmas and another on Kharpert follow the Endnotes.)**** Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor Long Island, NY Kristos dznav yev haydnetzav Orhnyal e haydnutyunn Krisdosi Dzezi, mezi medz avedis ՔրիստոսծնաւեւյայտնեցաւՕրհնեալէյայտնութիւննՔրիստոսիՁեզի***,մեզիմեծ*աւետիսChrist is Born and Revealed Amongst Us!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20131216.htmlMon, 16 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20131216.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… Stars of the Armenian Enlightenment: Mesrop Taghiatian and Stepannos Nazaryants Leo’s biographies of Mesrop Taghiatian (1803-1858) and Stepannos Nazaryants (1812-1879), published in 1917 and 1902 respectively, (Collected Works, Volume 6, 1987, pp727-853 and pp5-204) remain still timely corrections to a dismal want of knowledge about two important figures of the 19th century Armenian enlightenment.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20131214.htmlSat, 14 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20131214.htmlDearest comrade, when you arrive some day To gaze upon my tomb, And scattered all around it see Bright flowers in freshest bloom, Think not that they are ordinary flowers at your feet thus born, Or that Spring has brought them here My new home to adorn. They are my songs unsung, which must Within my heart but hide; They are words of love left Unuttered when I died. They are ardent kisses, my dear, Sent from that world unknown, The path to which before you lies, Blocked by this tomb alone!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130929.htmlSun, 29 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130929.htmlToastmaster (2013) Directed and written by Eric Boadella Produced by Martin Yernazian & Eric Boadella Atorrante Films & Reversal Productions http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375707/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/TOASTMASTER-a-feature-film-by-Eric-Boadella/145253528907326 https://twitter.com/ToastmasterFilm By Bedros Afeyan Might as well ask: So you want to be an adult male Armenian? For which of us can escape the challenge of being a gregarious host, master of ceremonies, Johnny on the spot entertainer, when called upon by tradition, dates and events, relatives and loved ones, demanding a prolonged chain, seemingly endless, of self-avoiding, lyrical toasts, a troubadour’s troubled soul spilled forth with slicked back wine, cognac, whiskey, glass half full, half empty, tug of war, that is ours to bear for millennia, if not more?https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130729.htmlMon, 29 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130729.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. ‘The Arts, Crafts and Everyday Life in Armenian Miniature Painting’ Introduced, prepared and edited by Asdghig Kevorkian (1973, 150pp, 48pp illustrations) Without a study of this fine volume our knowledge of Armenian secular history is poorer by a dozen times at least. Secular social life and reflections of the common people’s daily affairs is almost non-existent in Armenian classical histories, disdained, derided and dismissed as they were by those men of the Church who in large part composed them.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130727.htmlSat, 27 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130727.htmlApril skies, covert layers in pale blue. She’s drawn. Weight of mass graves shackled by her tongue. She stretches, digs into cerulean Scratches past dressed skin, ninety eight springless blue. Brown blood fingernails, air with air spread tasteless on Deir-ez-zor sand shifting, burning heaps of bones Her eyes, deny their hands, stained with Armenian blood scrubbing a black sky never to pale blue…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130713.htmlSat, 13 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130713.htmlMy grandfather turns quiet when hearing about death The inexplicable Dragging its cloak across our ancient rug Distracting dust and careless things The mundane work The house, The family, The television news, Our garden, his trees And people Who pass away at noon. My grandfather is watering the quince tree And salt has dried the crust of stranger things Harsher still the sky is getting blue A bruise on the skin of God We penetrate the window, watching our granddad Pulling out the weeds with his perceptive hands Afraid to spill the soil Devouring the light, his silver hair Disquieting the things that are to come.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130629.htmlSat, 29 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130629.htmlOutside, desert air licks tents with an icy tongue, creeping under pegs unto the sand floor, where she waits morning, legs squeezed, trembling tight. Her mother’s warm breath with a hint of onion and lentil smell brushes on her face, calms tremor of awake nightmares, her sister’s knees dig into the small of her back. She tucks her cold feet under her aunt’s ample buttocks, finds comfort and safety in the call of unwashed bodies, familiar, earthy, sweat of family in deep disturbed sleep on worn beige mattresses pressed side by side.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130610.htmlMon, 10 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130610.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Armenian National Liberation Movement - 1850-1890’ by M K Nersissian (492pp, 1955, republished 2002, Yerevan) Do not be put off by the fact that M K Nersissian’s ‘The Armenian People’s Struggle against Turkish Despotism - 1850-1890’ was first published in Soviet Armenia, and indeed its writing begun while Stalin was still alive. As an introduction to the emergence and early development of the Armenian National Liberation Movement (ANLM) there is no better volume.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130608.htmlSat, 08 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130608.htmlI prayed The rounded hills Were bare And breathed of warmth and sorrow Someone Was licking, humming, weeping on the soil Deo tentatur, Deus enim intentator malorum est I discharged my soul and stroked its surface The hills were smoothed of trees I searched my pockets For the mustard seed God promised rain, God promised mud and growth Then someone kissed and licked my soul, anointing it with myrrhhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130603.htmlMon, 03 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130603.html`Then the dear ones of those slain came and saw the incurable wounds of Armenia, and they lamented for the land.' Tovma Medzopetsi’s (1378-1446) ‘History of Tamerlane and His Successors’ (311pp, 1999, Yerevan, Armenia) though little acknowledged is nevertheless critical and indispensable for any proper grasp of the flow of Armenian history. The only significant historian of late 14th and early 15th century Armenia, Medzoptsi presents us with a land fundamentally and irrevocably reconfigured.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130527.htmlMon, 27 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130527.htmlBest known for his precious anthology of modern Armenian literature and for his first well-received novel “A Summer Wihtout Dawn”, Agop Hacikyan has just published a touching if uneven novel titled The Lamppost Diary. Set in Istanbul during and immediately following World War II, the story recounts the life of young Thomas, a perpetually randy Bolsahai who spends much of his time dreaming, courting and winning over a beautiful young Russian girl by the name of Anya.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130511.htmlSat, 11 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130511.htmlHUMAN PARTS By Michael E. Stone Buses bombed and human parts Towers bombed and human hearts spread, sprayed, and scattered. Men unknown by men unknown. How halt this hatred darkness of fanatics crazy in their attics cellars stinking and dungeons of the soul all black? Darken glimmers false enlightenment, self-deception “this is what God wants, or history wants, or the nation’s spirit wants.” If God wants this, I want not Him.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130420.htmlSat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130420.htmlWITHOUT THE BOMBS OF BEIRUT Without the bombs of Beirut, there was but sun Flooding bank vaults of time, pairs offered shine Beaches, heels, shaved legs and gum, sizzling sun Mountains a’snow, goggles ’n poles, untormented sons Beirut’s orgy in 18 confessions, Olé! Screamed and drowned Tom Jones served the Hummus near the pools of private clubs Orange crush between their legs, teenagers practiced re-innocence Dreams of heeled yachts, Monaco and Royal blow, effervescent geisthttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130402.htmlTue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130402.htmlIt is entirely remarkable how banal her writing is. As if afflicted by a permanently swollen and actively secreting gland of bland, Nancy Kricorian writes and writes without heeding giant warning signs. So much bad writing, packaged, fanfared, pre-exposed as grand, and when you face the work you realize that there is “so much less there than meets the eye.” This is both infuriating and disheartening. The highs and lows of inspiration and despair are non-existent here.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130329.htmlFri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130329.htmlMUSE By Silva Zanoyan Merjanian She’s in between poems you wrote in your sleep between madness and euphoria in your dreams she’s between lips brushed on her breath’s skin between fingerprints you kissed on your sheets she’s between moans of the night and sunrise between notes of Beethoven rolling down your tongue she’s between tuned strings of a cellist on canvas in between shades of sunflowers and iris she’s laughter, snagged between your metronome beats she’s in between an ocean and a sky on its kneeshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130309.htmlSat, 09 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20130309.htmlDash out in long steps, grandma, run, don’t turn back, they are there, run, they’re watching you; to the other side, pretend, now pretend, don’t scream, who would help you now if it’s only you they have to play?; ease off that thing inside, be patient, they are only bodies threatening you, guarding you, only bodies squashing and pecking. Like a slave without a master who no more implores you, who has nobody nothing left to pray, be patient and forget; soon the last one will be at bay, finally squeezed, the last one and you’ll be dead.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130219.htmlTue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130219.htmlReviewed by Christopher Atamian Chris Bohjalian’s The Sandcastle Girls follows in a long and seemingly unending line of novels that purport to tell the story of the Armenian Genocide using some type of fictional background as a framing mechanism. All too often - and this book is no exception - the stories are thinly-veiled excuses for once again retelling the story of 1915, where Armenians are hapless victims and Turks evil murderers.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130218.htmlMon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130218.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Wounds of Armenia’ by Khachadour Abovian (Selected Works, pp720, 1984, Yerevan, Armenia) No education in modern Armenian literature, or society, is complete without a thorough study of this veritable tour de force. Khatchadour Abovian’s ‘Wounds of Armenia’, written in 1841 but published for the first time only in 1858, a full decade after its author’s death, was and remains a seminal novel - artistically, socially and politically.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130131.htmlThu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130131.htmlVicken Chaldranian is an auteur, having a strong voice, a vision he stays true to, come what may, no matter what obstacles you put in his way. Having made a number of movies already on shoe string budgets each with a heart as large as their budgets are small, with focused and limited shot plans and squeezed spatial scope, avoiding temporal seepage, keeping costs down, but reaching for the moon, the stars, the essence and reverie of man, each and every time.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20130125.htmlFri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20130125.htmlAbp. Sevan Gharibian Armenian priests, members of the Brotherhood of St James of Jerusalem, have cast their votes in favor of Archbishop Sevan Gharibian as their Patriarchate’s new Grand Sacristan, the second most important and prestigious position within the church after the patriarch. The move follows the election of the former Grand Sacristan, Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, as the city’s 97th Armenian Patriarch. Born in 1940 in Beirut, Gharibian was ordained priest in 1968 and elevated to the rank of a prince of the church in 1988.https://ann.org/orig/mt-20130125.htmlFri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/mt-20130125.htmlAbp. Nourhan Manougian Abp. Nourhan Manoogian received 18 out of 33 votes Abp. Aris Shirvanian received 15 out of 33 votes It is incumbent upon the Armenian Apostolic Church, including its pious clergy and lay leadership, and the faithful at large to rally around, support, and pray for the 97th Patriarch-Elect (Undryal Badriark) of the Brotherhood of St. James, His Eminence Abp. Nourhan Manoogian (Note: When he becomes “Hasdadyal Badriark” in 40 days, then we can accurately address him as “His Beatitude”).https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130121.htmlMon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20130121.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Family, Honour, Morality’ by Yervant Odian (Selected Works, 796pp, pp5-233, 1956, Armenia) Yervant Odian more famous for his satire ‘Comrade Panchooni’ wrote ‘Family, Honour, Morality’, more than one hundred years ago. It remains today both enjoyable and instructive. A reconstruction of Armenian life in Istanbul during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is a brutally forthright critique of the corrupt and dissolute Armenian elite that exercised tyranny over the Ottoman capital’s large Armenian community.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20121206.htmlThu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20121206.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK A musical event showcasing twelve promising young Armenian artists went up at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on December 1, 2012. It was the latest entry in an annual series of concerts presented by the Armenian General Benevolent Union’s New York Special Events Committee. The gifted young people presented on Saturday evening-all of whom are recipients of AGBU scholarships-included Tatevik Ayazyan, violinist; Armine Chamasyan, violinist; Anoush Simonian, violist; Vardan Gasparyan, cellist; Gurgen Simonyan, clarinetist; Tatevik Khoja-Eynatyan, marimba player; Garineh Avakian, vocalist; Tanya Gabrielian, pianist; Sofya Melikyan, pianist; Hayk Arsenyan, pianist and composer; Artur Akshelyan, composer; and Vahram Sargsyan, composer.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20121125.htmlSun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20121125.htmlJoel Sachs, the indefatigable champion of contemporary music, presented a concert on November 9, 2012, at New York’s Lincoln Center showcasing Music of Latin America. The performance was part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices from Latin America festival and featured the New Juilliard Ensemble. Sergio Kafejian, one of the six composers highlighted, was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Armenian parents. His Sabre Paranambucae, composed in 2010 for chamber ensemble received its U.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20121119.htmlMon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20121119.htmlWhy we should read… Rouben Vorperian: journeys without joy (Library of Armenian Classics, 1981, pp31-120) In Armenian literary life Rouben Vorperian (1870-1931) occupied only a peripheral post. Figures such as Varoujean, Yessayan, Toumanian, Derian and others were as if always at the centre of debate on culture, literature and the nation’s future. Vorperian on the other hand, leaves the impression of residing quietly, on the edge, unnoticed, remote, and this not just metaphorically.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20121022.htmlMon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20121022.htmlWorth a read … Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value# I. VRTANNESS PAPAZIAN - A VIRTUOSO OF THE ARMENIAN SHORT STORY Vrtanness Papazian (1866-1920) is another accomplished short story writer whose reputation has been undone by reckless critics. A fine narrator, at once humorous and cutting, he has an artist’s feel for 19th century Armenian rural life whose class divisions, class exploitation and national oppression he describes in grippingly dramatic developments.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20121008.htmlMon, 08 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20121008.htmlMarch 3, 1842 (Tiflis) - April 19, 1911 (St. Petersburg) Travel Wire **** Alexander Ivanovich Mantashev (Russified from Mantashyants/Mantashyan) is a household word among Armenians living in the countries of former Czarist Transcaucasia, (also known as the South Caucasus), but for those living in the Diaspora, especially America, he is vaguely, if at all, remembered. Although much information has come forth since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Armenian Independence (1991), there is still much to learn.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20120822.htmlWed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20120822.htmlTravel Wire I have lost count, but it is well over a dozen trips since Armenia gained Independence in 1991. Upon each visit I encounter fresh experiences and gain greater understanding and knowledge of my ancestral homeland. I am privileged to share them. RETURN TO JRVEZH July 1, 2012 Instead of attending Liturgy in Etchmiadzin today, we took a 20- minute cab ride to Jrvezh. It is a charming town on the outskirts of Yerevan.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120702.htmlMon, 02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120702.html`Yet from your capital if Armenia has no profit, We spit on you and your capital too!' – Rafael Batkanian Rich in statistical data sifted from Tsarist and other records, Khatchadour Dadayan’s ‘The Armenians and Baku - 1850 to 1920’ (pp232, 2006, Noravank Publications, Yerevan) is an illuminating socio-economic history of Armenian capital’s contribution to the development of Baku’s oil industry and to the early industrialisation of the region now known as Azerbaijan.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20120421.htmlSat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20120421.htmlApril is the deadliest month unscented, unchimed Bottom welled, marching winds, tearing pages History sanded, blackened red, baked, desert cake Crystal ball darn yarn, music festers, tragedy pounds For they got away, got away they think, clean hands atremble A thousand lies carpet cover our millenial blood lines Progress thunders, defezed, Europa, opa, donner kebab Cannibals, semaphores, taunts, threats, honor gulped fang clubs Their helicopters whiz dream swift attacks, Greece, Cyprus Kurdistan, Bulgaria, Armenia their flag could further rape Civilized society serves measured scorn, coffee, demitasse Just invent invention, damned truth, talent, toil of othershttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120319.htmlMon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120319.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Parasites’ by Berj Broshian (Collected Works, Volume 2, pp9-212, 1953, Yerevan, Armenia) In its own ramshackle but nevertheless impressive fashion, Berj Broshian’s ‘Parasites’ is a remarkably modern study of the relationship between money and social power in 19th century rural Armenia, manifest concretely as an account of the tyranny of early Armenian financiers and bankers, then known by their proper names of usurers and parasites. With his web extending far and wide Palasan, the novel’s protagonist and ‘chief of all parasites’, amasses huge fortunes.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120123.htmlMon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20120123.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Ghazaros Aghayan’ by Ardashes Hakobjanyan (496pp, 2007, Stepanakert, Karabagh, Armenia) Honouring another eminent man of Armenian letters Published before the demise of Soviet Armenia, Ardashes Hakobjanyan’s ‘Ghazaros Aghayan’ is, without any abuse of the words, an absorbing and exciting study of an outstanding late 19th/early 20th century educationalist, writer and national activist. Supporting his case with a flourish of convincing quotations, Hakobjanyan successfully rescues Ghazaros Aghayan (1840-1911) from those who would tie him to the wheel of a conservative, Church-centred trend of modern Armenian thought.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20120108.htmlSun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20120108.htmlWe are now less than a year away from the 2012 elections and the campaign trail is already heating up. The race for the white house has catapulted various GOP candidates to the top of the mountain, only to see them tumble from its peak. So far we have seen some historic debate gaffes, incredibly bold policy proposals and unorthodox candidates try to distinguish themselves from each other, all in an effort to be the anti-Romney; the presumptive GOP nominee.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20111228.htmlWed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20111228.htmlJoel Sachs, the indefatigable champion of contemporary music, presented a concert on November 9, 2012, at New York’s Lincoln Center showcasing Music of Latin America. The performance was part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices from Latin America festival and featured the New Juilliard Ensemble. Sergio Kafejian, one of the six composers highlighted, was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Armenian parents. His Sabre Paranambucae, composed in 2010 for chamber ensemble received its U.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111205.htmlMon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111205.htmlToday, in the post-Soviet Third Republic of Armenia Russian, elites once again exercise decisive and corrosive power over critical aspects of Armenian national life. For Russian strategists Armenia is little more than a pawn in their wider Caucasus and regional ambitions. Digging the grave of indigenous economic development, Russian financiers, of course together with other non-Armenian corporations, control large sectors of an already meagre, dependent and decomposing economy. Meanwhile Russian military garrisons stationed in Armenia offer Russian authorities the means to hold the land to ransom and bend the nation to Russian designs.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20111127.htmlSun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20111127.htmlQueen Keran has regained her royal train and her glory. The first time I saw her, I could not even bring myself to touch her with my own hands. She looked so ineffably fragile and sacrosanct, I was terrified I would be committing a sacrilege. I could only gaze at her in wonder - an 800 year old masterpiece I had been one of the privileged few to have seen or examined close up.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111107.htmlMon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111107.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Pghte’ by Berj Broshian (Selected Works, Volume 2, pp213-429, 1953, Yerevan) A novel within a treasure chest of a Chronicle ‘Pghte’ a 1890 novel by Berj Broshian (1841-1907) is far more than just a valuable catalogue of socio-historical data that some Diaspora critics judge all his fiction to essentially be. To appreciate it correctly, however, one must put aside the often restricting canons of orthodox literary criticism.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111025.htmlTue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20111025.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Memories and Conversations’ by Nvart Toumanian (336pp, 2009, Yerevan, Armenia) A Daughter’s Conversations with the ‘Poet of All Armenians’ Nvart Toumanian, daughter of poet Hovanness Toumanian, wrote these ‘Memories and Conversations’ with her father inspired in part by her reading of Ekerman’s famous ‘Conversations with Goethe’. The result is a beautiful book. Nvart has communicated something of the grandeur and magnanimity of the ‘Poet of all Armenians’.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20111008.htmlSat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20111008.htmlI am unable to tell you The passing scenes, the car’s window Leaving behind that day That night 4 am That letter about a mist That covered a village They had to flea to the top of the hill To see the setting sun Rise Rise for me, moon… Two mouths can feel The colors of tea And the moon seams halved And I always wondered why you scratch above your left brow When you’re thinking Deep Between the humming oaks I saw The tea cool And the villagers went home The mist was gone The night was warm.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20111001.htmlSat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20111001.htmlHow does an unbeliever pray? Yet I do. Some know God in halogen-bright blinding white light with black, black shadows. But I see grey. ‘Glory to God for dappled things’, for unclarities ambiguities complexities all, for greys. He will be one with His name: God’s wholeness then. But ours? – Michael Stone is Professor of Armenian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published poetry in Ararat, Avocet, Byline Magazine, Hazmat Review, King Log, Mandrake Poetry Review, Ruah, White Heron, ARC, and Voices Anthology.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110924.htmlSat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110924.htmlStemming endless desire to see the sun, fan, cuddle Rays thrust in folds of petals thick in envy, dazzle Seeds of oil and industry, thick green rooted pride armies Worshiping arching god, gazing craned necks, offering unison Their love for bask parades, flasked tirades for silent baths A wild wind surrender, evaporating storm drilled clouds Through their lover’s piercing spectral bouquet of photons Cyclic summer long romance, enraged seed packshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110922.htmlThu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110922.htmlThere is this accelerated-time, animated movie, (Aftermath: The World After Humans) informed by available current science, which examines how long it would take for mother nature, uninterrupted, un-DDT-ed, un-mowed down, un-deflected and human-intervention unassisted, to devour and extinguish all traces of our glorious mechanized world. Giant sky scrapers, our massive arterial highways, the connectivity promised by our suspension bridges, luxury boats, fast cars and Cineplexes apparently have no chance in as little as a few decades.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110911.htmlSun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110911.htmlHe wrote to sail away 30,000 puffs of air Unattached frame or basis Pleas of comfort, salient cheer Food, drink, menus naming chefs Recycle movies, swiveling baby screens Reclined outsize seat, business classed Pillows, blankets, cookie crumbs dans l’air Metal reinforced door to cockpit Stewardess, sparing in self-defense Sweating rubber bullets with the rest Citizens flash lapel flags Recovered hollowed lives Falling Hollywood stampedes Shoes in trays stuff x-ray machines Check their cheeks, few paces each to each Hand-held metal detected Warning buzzers, chirps, beeps Flashing lights snaking floorshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110910.htmlSat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110910.htmlI always wondered what Carla liked to do when she was young, especially on that day as we sat in this seemingly abandoned tea-house in the middle of Chinatown. A short old Chinese man bowed to us when we asked for the menu and rushed behind the counter. About 5 seconds later he brought us two thick red cardboards in Chinese with the English names of the teas handwritten next to the Chinese ones.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110903.htmlSat, 03 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110903.htmlVosdanig, alone with your stained canvas Studio walls receding, madness, full gallop Easels creak to honking horns, Whooping Cranes Half-drunk tubes, steep step fallen, hairy brush lagoons Cezanne enters, pitied peaches, pirouetted pears Matisse, prince of breasts, bottoms smiling almost colorless Picasso, rearrange burning eyes, needles, crimes, cradles Pablo so enriched with each female receptacle And you return to the canvas, exhausted Mother and sister whispering up ahead Horse’s hooves, Turkish death march, spring 1915 dance Silence, pause, silence, breathhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110827.htmlSat, 27 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110827.htmlOne I address directly. such providential realism is not mine. liturgy, though, has its own rhythm. familiar service, words soothe the soul. suddenly, meaning strikes home, pierces the heart! let the pattern of words then, known, loved, carry us and, if we are lucky, every now and then focus in a different way, sharp, impelling, shock. 30 April, 2010https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110820.htmlSat, 20 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110820.htmlOn a doorstep sits a aging glance drummed with two stretched shopping bags Cat licked stringed morsels, forgotten regrets Her gaze barely ever rises above the knees of passers by never stretching, pretending, striving wading through decaying mud baths of laughter from hurried lives sometimes her eyes do meet their stares past innocent chirping children, leashed parents who bare venom doused contempt, no pocket change we should sit as one and make of it a day, you and I tell me of children you bore, perhaps were forced to gave awayhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110813.htmlSat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110813.htmlSo one day, as me and the wonderful Miss Carla Vanamo were walking through Central Park on a promising humid still day, I swallowed my doubts and asked her with caution. -Have you ever been married? The feather on Carla’s fedora hat flicked back and forth ever so politely, as she passed through and greeted the New York air. Her gaze looking straight on, a strict smirk and the world’s best dark eyebrows.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20110627.htmlMon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20110627.htmlFinding a Photograph for a Caption: - - - Dr. Ruth A. Parmelee’s Comments on some Euphrates (Yeprad) College Professors and their Fate during the Armenian Genocide[ 1 ] Click here to print the Manuscript Ohr mi bedk’gulli* [One day it will be needed] Said by many Armenian villager immigrants to America to justify their frequent hesitation to discard items that might be deemed disposable by many. * Gineh ihrar gudder’ehn *[They have found each other again] [ 2 ] Abstracthttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20110623.htmlThu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20110623.htmlA seething revolt across much of Syria is being met with ferocious repression by the Ba’athist government’s security forces. But so far, the two cities where close to half of Syria’s population lives - Damascus and Aleppo - are relatively calm. In this evolving situation, what are the prospects for Syria’s regime and people? Vicken Cheterian reports and reflects. A visit to Damascus, at a time when so much of the rest of Syria is burning, offers a striking contrast to the images of the country presented in international broadcasting media.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20110613.htmlMon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20110613.htmlAbstract The well-known photograph of Armenian men from Kharpert city being led off under armed guard is slowly yielding a fuller version of the horrible story that it inevitably can reveal. We have provided in a recently published multi-authored volume evidence that conclusively fixes the picture as to exact location in Mezreh, Vilayet of Mamuret-ul-Aziz, the exact building structure from which the photograph was taken — namely the American Consulate, and the narrow timeframe of the photography.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110528.htmlSat, 28 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110528.htmlMorning bark, open keyboard drummed Still night gown, slippers, hearing aid Ludwig’s fingers chase away echoes, traces Avenging ivory, disappointing romance Sequin phrases murmured, murdered, recast Pedals, smoke, ten finger contradictions A pause, a caress, a smile, a push A quarrel, a threat, a growling retreat Second movement tendresse Angry memory machine, restless moons Serenade to reorder carousels Misunderstood gestures, promises Stern Germanic rebukes Ah, Ludwig, how you shower The haze of notes transgressant Detached perfume, home brewed Reacting on you skin, burning A warming glow tracing five lines Fenced second movement’s finale Seductive aspirational gloomhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110228.htmlMon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110228.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Selected Works’ by Hovanness Hovannissian (392pp, Yerevan, Armenia, 1959) For Azat Yeghiazaryan and Family, Always generous with hospitality Always a fount of intellectual inspiration by Eddie Arnavoudian The Urgent Wisdom of Hovanness Hovannissian In his own lifetime poet Hovanness Hovannissian (1864-1929) was universally acclaimed. When his ’lyre first sounded’ writes fellow poet Avetik Issahakian (1875-1957), ’the youthful world was stunned… His poetry brought us the freshness of spring, life and authenticity.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110502.htmlMon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110502.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. I. Reteos Berberian ‘The Armenian Jean Jacques Rousseau’ Reteos Berberian (1848-1907) is another outstanding intellectual and man of letters from the 19th century Armenian revival whose instructive legacy is fast being submerged in the global glut of modern throwaway culture. This 1989 biography by A M Tevoyan (292pp, Yerevan) does something to recover him for us.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110430.htmlSat, 30 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110430.html-There’s something bothering you. I can tell… Miss Carla Vanamo, 60, was sipping her scotch, looking at me with her heavy eyes, with legs in male shoes crossed and posed with such delicate feminine strength that you’d never think it’s possible to be that great. I was perplexed, staring into my cinnamon apple tea, and looked up at her, surprised. -What? Oh… er… no, I’m ok. -Nothing is that simple in life.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110423.htmlSat, 23 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110423.htmlBRAIDS OF PRIDE By Bedros Afeyan No country of no man can do but swallow No woman of any breadth can envy or endure In our natures, killers or survivors Little Turkeys who peck the meek, deformed to death And once started can not stop pecking till all are dead In our nature, little Turkeys, we too would kill or could so dare But for domestication, commercialization Fear of deities more hollow Than a desert freeze, a midnight owl’s stare And we are done, our myths imploded Our piss no longer runs, our heads are bowed and hung.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110416.htmlSat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110416.htmlDoesn’t notice when I walk into the room. She’s focusing her scrutiny on the lab technician. (He’s taking pictures of her, she’ll tell me later, and this, to her, is suspicious.) He says “You have a visitor.” She talks to him, in Armenian. “This is my daughter’s daughter.” Looking into her eyes, squinting and unsmiling, I feel as though I’ve betrayed her. We’ve all betrayed her. She’s helpless here. At her house, she’s the boss.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110413.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110413.htmlThe heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem have expressed grave concern over renewed moves by the Israeli authorities to tax Church buildings and properties. While previous such moves have ended in failure, the Israelis have not tried hard to mask their intention to persist in their efforts to impose an “arnona” (property tax) on properties owned by the various churches, including those which have been vacant for some time. In a statement issued here today, the “Heads of Churches of the Holy City of Jerusalem,” a loose conglomeration of the 13 Christian churches officially recognized by the Israeli State, warned of dire consequences that would ensue should Israel carry out its plans.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110409.htmlSat, 09 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110409.html1, 2, 3, Tap, tap, tap I heard your steps, in the darkness, in the yard. I hid my little body under my duvet pretending to sleep in quiet. You walked inside and lit the light, then stood patiently Called me in tender drops. I rose my head above the bed. I looked at you standing there with your tiny body and braided hair with an apron around your waist like a servant serving her head?https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110301.htmlTue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20110301.htmlWhen the great historians, particularly Ormanian and Savalaniantz, set out to wrest from the obscure pages of the past the history of the Armenians of Jerusalem, one of the main objective they achieved was the establishment of chronologically ascertained points of reference. But despite the exhaustive tenor of their approach and perspective, their quills inevitably left some gaps in the narratives that have come down to us. We know when Armenians first trod the dust-blown roads of Jerusalem, back in the days of empire, when Tigranes II led a conquering army to Syria and the borders of Judea (circa 1st-2nd BCE).https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110226.htmlSat, 26 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110226.htmlWe live the joyous outbursts of energy in the death march of an ancient civilization as we see our language decay, we justify our laziness with the examples of lost cultures. our books are stored in storage boxes waiting to be exhibited by museums where our shame is sheltered, sealed within the walls of fear of being different! It was so easy to overcome organized persecution, segregation religious intolerance, and color differentiation, all those were a breeze compared to the government organized race annihilation, the definite death in the unending desert sand, but we don’t care to find out how to overcome this new threat This new partition, based on the ability to spend cash on Berger King, Pizza and movies, or charging our future on such classy items as, Four Seasons, Disney’s, health spas, or searching connections with jazz, rap, or Yo Yo Ma.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110219.htmlSat, 19 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110219.htmlAgaetis Byrjun (A New Beginning) The thick crimson scarf, the traffic, her clicking boots, the headphones and all the rush. Delila’s going somewhere. ‘I’m on my way’, she says on the phone and walks briskly through the cold and the thick city noise. Sebastien’s studio is in a geometrically firm, white building, first floor. She rings the doorbell. She does not know yet that he prefers it when people knock. The anticipation of someone opening the door rises the senses, makes her vulnerable, uneasy, a bit awkward and still not sure why she is there.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20110212.htmlSat, 12 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20110212.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK It was a thrilling evening. An overwhelming occasion. An otherworldly experience. It was a night at Le Poisson Rouge: the chic Manhattan cabaret which has become the de rigueur performance venue for artists of all stripes-classical, pop, or jazz. And on this particular night, Le Poisson Rouge belonged to Tigran, the Armenia-born jazz pianist. Lean, sinewy, and shy, Tigran started off the program quietly - introspectively-weaving the well-known Komitas tune “Kakavik” into his opening solo segment.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110131.htmlMon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20110131.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Tigran II and Rome’ by Hagop Manantian (Collected Works, Volume 1, 1977, Armenia) Hakob Manantian removes Tigran II from his ‘Great’ Pedestal Hagop Manantian’s ‘Tigran II and Rome’, first published 70 years ago in Soviet Armenia, remains still one of the most balanced studies of Armenian King Tigran the Great’s extraordinary imperial reign. For a brief period Tigran II, who ruled Armenia from 95 to 55BC, was a major regional power against whom all others, including an aggressive imperialist Rome had to measure themselves.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20110131.htmlMon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20110131.htmlTravel Wire VANADZOR, ARMENIA Façade Sign © Ruth Bedevian Razmig, our driver, preferred to take “Sevani Jampan” (Sevan Highway) to make the 75-mile-drive from Yerevan to Vanadzor, which rests in the north east section of Armenia in the Lori province where ancient monasteries of Kobayr, Sanahin, and Hagpat still stand to remind visitors of fervent, thriving and erudite Christian history which this ancient, now finally independent Armenian nation offers the world.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20110110.htmlMon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20110110.htmlAll over Armenia, many individuals and organizations are planting seeds which are taking root. Each time I visit, I learn more of what people are doing in their own little corners of the world to make life better. These seeds don’t make big news, but the knowledge of the planting and the growing harvests are worthy to be shared. The Azkatroshm (Seal of the Nation/Rite of Passage) of the Khrimian Guhrtojakh (Educational Center) of Oshagan is one such story.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110108.htmlSat, 08 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20110108.htmlTranslated by Nairi Hakhverdi I am leafing through my travel notes and between the pages I find two leaves of marjoram, dry and gray like extinguished ash. I lean over the page and my nostrils flare at the scent of marjoram and I leaf the journal tremblingly… Then I take the whip, which is tight as a braid, off the wall. I stroke the whip and Tsolak looks at me with sagacious eyes.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101218.htmlSat, 18 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101218.htmlA straightforward, modest book, stands proudly alongside jewelled, gold-crusted treasures made for bishops and kings. Sewn with twine, and bound with leather over wooden boards, lovingly. Copied in a village church by a priest, for love of God, in black, blocky letters by stylus in carbon ink on thick stiff yellow paper laid and polished by hand. A note by a reader three centuries ago, records a memorial for his soul, and that of his dead mother.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20101217.htmlFri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20101217.htmlAlthough the Armenian connection with Jerusalem began some two centuries before the advent of Christianity, when the victorious armies of King Tigranes II swept across the land, extending an empire that encompassed much of the known world then, documentary evidence from that period is scant and fragmentary. Macarius Of Jerusalem Letters To The Armenians The armies had left behind colonies of Armenians whose numbers were constantly replenished and augmented over the years, but few, if any, of the records they must have kept over the years, have survived.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20101220.htmlSun, 12 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20101220.htmlNotes and Queries Relevant to “A Brief Assessment of the Ravished Armenia Marquee Poster” by Amber Karlins; published as a Research Note in the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies 19:1 (2010), pgs. 137-145: Filling in Some Gaps and a Call for Information Special to Groong by Eugene L. Taylor andAbraham D. Krikorian LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Abstract Information on an advertisement for the screening of the film “Ravished Armenia” published as a full page black and white pictorial in The Saturday Evening Post January 18, 1919 confirms that the artist Dan Smith created the dramatic imagery of a brutish man brandishing a sword, gripping a struggling girl, and that he used as a model a work by the French sculptor and artist Emmanuel Fremiet of a gorilla carrying off a female.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101204.htmlSat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101204.htmlA brush on fire scented origami Traces stroke hinder and dry Swallowed pigment serenades Shining whispers in their descent Pride of porpoise, flight in candor Brittle dragons enterprised in shells Colors rewrite our love affairs Stroked brushes erase despair All trains stop, planes hover in rage Last record players spin up into space A canvas bed for stories, trays, roots mingle for glorious framing allures Of medium change the message coos Irreversible, irreconcilable Served in a Dorian Gray balloonhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101127.htmlSat, 27 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101127.htmlIt’s not a knife on cold sheets, angled profiles through the thick handle; promises of limits. With no purpose always damp, pulsing. If it were a knife it’d keep standing on what resists it. If it were, I would then clean it, and putting it away, would not remember. As knives can not remember. If it were, every time my hands are in that pocket, I would feel it say “here it is, now yes, oh you couldn’t, but try!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101122.htmlMon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101122.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Gladzor School of Armenian Miniature Painting’ by AN Avedissian, 200pp, 1971, Yerevan ‘The University of Gladzor’ - by A Abrahamian, 88pp, 1983, Yerevan ‘The University of Gladzor: centre of enlightenment in Medieval Armenia’ by S Arevshadian and A Matevossian, 59pp, 1984, Yerevan ‘The University of Datev’ - by A R Gzoyan, 64pp, 2003, Yerevan November 22, 2010 Science versus Religion: the case of the Medieval Armenian Universityhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101120.htmlSat, 20 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101120.htmlFields of Autumn Yellow (so striking it feels capitalized), rock outcropping excrescences, avenues of pylons marching like marionettes across the hills. black clouds on a screen of bright sky threaten 2 yellow and black sunshade umbrellas, odd static wasps on one foot like cranes. Fall, fall, fall yellow fall. October 2010https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101113.htmlSat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101113.htmlI see you, its sudden Going to work in a frosted car. You look salty, it is morning. if I touch your line, will you vanish and dissolve into heaven Like sugar in served tea? So finally you’re sweet. Your earthy feet shed time and space are the same color as my eyes… For a moment the air embraces your blue, So you turn pink in shame, Such an astonishing, beautiful shame…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101106.htmlSat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101106.html(Far Be My Ararad) As solid as Ararad, as flow bound an Armenian As permanent an Ararad, a slope of despair seduces each of us As snow covered and majestic as Ararad, every Armenian forehead, Throbbing forefathers etched in crossed lines that sing of life elsewhere. Life elsewhere, where Ararad is ours, where Ararad never Splays vigilance, and can slip or sleep. Ararad instead, must shed and shed each spring, winter harvest snow, Magistrate, fools in loss and love, each last one of us, an Ararad untouched.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101030.htmlSat, 30 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20101030.htmlWhen I tried to conquer the secret of friendship, warmth and understanding, -its love- I was told -and it’s too demanding it needs nurturing, it needs attention, you have to give up some ideals here, sacrifice preferences, reshuffle your goals earthly or otherwise, and must concentrate on loving the flower you choose-. I went to the rose, which was vibrant and wild, her fragrance was uncommon, and her touch was magical, and she asked me if I could love her, “just a little bit”, and I asked her, if she could love me, just a little bit.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101018.htmlMon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101018.htmlWorth a read Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… THE ART OF BOOK PRINTING THE CHURCH AND ARMENIAN NATION-FORMATION By Eddie Arnavoudian Rafael Ishkhanian was an immensely controversial figure in Soviet era Armenian intellectual circles with his views on the origin and development of the Armenian people remaining subject to bitter, but sometimes still fertile, dispute.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101004.htmlMon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20101004.htmlThe new production of Beast on the Moon at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center, at 7936 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, is an original take on this celebrated and more than fifteen-year-old play by Richard Kalinoski. It is directed by Paul Lampert and stars John Cirigliano as Vincent and narrator, Olga Konstantulakis as Seta Tomassian, Robert Hallak, the understudy, as Aram Tomassian in the production to be reviewed here, and Zadran Wali in that role normally.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100908.htmlWed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100908.htmlWorth a read August 2010 Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… FINANCING THE ARMENIAN REVOLUTION Though its title suggests comprehensive treatment, Hovik Grigorian’s valuable essay on ‘The Problems of Arming and Financing the Armenian Liberation Struggle’ (pp113, 2004, Yerevan) deals primarily with the most controversial fund raising exercise undertaken by the Armenian National Liberation Movement’s (ANLM).https://ann.org/orig/ak-20100907.htmlTue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20100907.htmlWidowed through Violence, Dirt Poor, Desperate, Burdened with Heart-Wrenching Decisions Concerning Her Three Children: the appalling woes of an Armenian woman from Geghi [Գեղի] (Erzerum Vilayet) after the Hamidian Massacres: A publicity photograph of 1899 Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian andEugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Abstract A photograph of a desperately poor Armenian woman and her three children, in pitiful, forlorn circumstances exists in the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20100903.htmlFri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20100903.htmlBEAST ON THE MOON By Richard Kalinoski Directed by Paul Lampert - http://www.paullampert.com/ Costume Designer: Sarah Register (Behind the Gates, All My Sons) Lighting Designer: Tom Ontiveros (Lascivious Something) Dialect Consultant: Joel Goldes Production Stage Manager: Shazia Malik Assistant Producer: Rita Rani OPENING: September 11th and running through October 17th Thursday - Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 2pm Previews September 9 and 10 (@8pm) The Marilyn Monroe Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center 7936 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA, 90046 (one block West of Fairfax)https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100828.htmlSat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100828.htmlMetals and gems focus power Gold – red, yellow and white, amber’s eye, alabaster, turquoise from mines in Sinai, black smoky obsidian from volcano’s hearts. Blue saphires; and black opals bring bad luck.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100821.htmlSat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100821.htmlWind spirits, will you shutter me? I am a thoughtless cloud Cream-colored, I disrupt And smash against indigoes To turn blue pale Like the betweenness of these hills. My reclusion- but a weed In twisted forests With unknown remedies (We shall cure bewilderment). Ahead of time and spaces Between the vivid stars That stare, frozen From the palms of God, I look And question their existence, And in the end We turn unusually real.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100731.htmlSat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100731.htmlAnd the other blood which does not – run, which smells of acid of women whose blood does not – run. The suture of their legs, Its sharp stiffness, in morsels mutilated invisible on the sand, on the sand to the sea, to the sea that swallows ships; on the sand of exile dissolving drinking jars with moles, and the air stays overcast, concave, shovelfuls to inhale, pushing dragging shabby dresses of women whose blood does not – run.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100720.htmlTue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100720.htmlPART TWO: THE DREAM OF FREEDOM Hovanness Toumanian could not avoid engagement with the national and social question. After all his beloved creations - Anoush, Maro, Saro, Mossi and scores more - did not live lives bound only by the relations and traditions of local family and community. They carried, in addition, ugly scars and daily-inflicted wounds of Ottoman conquest, Tsarist oppression as well the blight of Armenian feudal and Church exploitation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100710.htmlSat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100710.htmlWhen the sound of the wheels of the train echoed in my ears, I heard a Rachmaninoff concerto exhibiting its influence and power. A microphone translated its implications, presenting me with a transcript. Then station to station, I fooled myself into denying the music as a feint. But no feint found me that day or later as I conjugated ambition to follow such vital notes. Difficult, yes. Difficulty plays instruments, conjugates many verbs, builds viable languages.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100703.htmlSat, 03 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100703.htmlI Red flowers in Russell Square Dogs in Russell Square Some as big as sheep Special red bins for dog poop As red as the postboxes and the telephone booths. II Chaos of polychrome people hurrying by before the hotel English girls with short skirts and heels, Moslem girls with kerchiefs Men in suits or short sleeved shirts or knitted shirts and knee shorts.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100619.htmlSat, 19 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100619.htmlI’ve come to hold sadness in my hands To walk a thousand miles in the hottest desert. Drink not water. My feet swollen and bruised. Bloody. I’ve come to see the face of great-grandmother. We have the same dark eyes. We have the same scraped soul. We bear the same name. There is no escaping. She’s in me. She’s in me. In my last moments of life, I want to release the sadness.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100614.htmlMon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100614.htmlPart One: Life and love in the Armenian Highlands In the popular imagination Hovannes Toumanian (1869-1923) is fixed as a genial, humorous and wise teller of folk tales, legends and children’s stories. A wonderfully luminous teller of tales he certainly was. But this is by no means all that he was. With his epic poems, lyrical poetry, quartets, short stories, critical writings and letters Hovannes Toumanian is an artist and writer for all ages and this he is on an altogether unique level.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100612.htmlSat, 12 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100612.htmlThere can be but one answer, one easel, one lessened To extract one swirl, one splotch, one patch of heaven In an eye, a rectum, a floating nose, hazed, dribbling, drained There can be no answer after the dada denials of denials of genocides and reason There can be but paint and weight and shine and light from giant inlets for morning Worship, if the rains and clouds could but bother competing NY artists Stilted drivers, a new search for sense, after Hiroshima, after Hitler, Stalin, famine, avarice, the depression, public works, roller coaster ridden Bullet holes in worship temples of paint, thick, vibrant, mixing, melt.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100529.htmlSat, 29 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100529.htmlBark one Bark two Bark three Darting dots in silent sentences of the night Like darker mulberries On the mulberry tree of Nalbandyan 7, 2:40 am. Alas All this air can do Is stare in silence… Its eyes touch so softly That my mind obeys And lays itself down On a constant stream of dreams… Bark one Bark two Bark three You know? There are Buried deep Twisted, gnarled, soggy Roots of angels Who have chosen to become trees And make Oxygen Yet not prudence… Silence and insanity, friend Are born when we come detached And attached again And again In us, through us, towards Nowhere else but Predictability Simple and charming: And it is predictable, Father That during nights I write Instead of sleeping And slipping into hymns So that insanity would remain Subconscious And quiet Like the mulberry night tree On Nalbandyan 7, 2:50 AM.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100517.htmlMon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100517.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. ARANDZAR - A FIRST IN WORLD LITERATURE? Arandzar is another most interesting but now also almost forgotten short story writer whose real name was Missak Kouyoumjian. He was born in 1877 in western Armenia and died in Adana in 1913. It is a fact that a good writer need not be honored with labels such as ‘genius’, ’talented’, ‘brilliant’, and so on and so forth to be readable beyond their day.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100509.htmlSun, 09 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100509.htmlMORGENTHAU AND WAR CLOUDS CHAPTER TEN ‘A telegram from the consulate at Smyrna just arrived,’ Phillip said as he entered Morgenthau’s office. ‘They are requesting a war ship or the SCORPION to anchor by their coast in case Americans need protection.’ Morgenthau recalled his recent conversation with the attorney from the American licorice root dealers in Smyrna. There was a possibility they would be forced to discharge thousands of Greeks in their employ.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100426.htmlMon, 26 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100426.htmlMORGENTHAU AND JEMAL PASHA CHAPTER NINE May, 1914 The next morning as Morgenthau was having breakfast, he noticed Jemal Pasha entering the dining room. Jemal’s gait was quick and heavy and Morgenthau immediately knew the Turkish Minister of Marine was upset. ‘You must stop the sale of those dreadnoughts!’ Jemal demanded even before he greeted the American ambassador. Morgenthau looked into Jemal’s beady eyes, observed his clean uniform and wondered why he still looked shadowed.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100426.htmlMon, 26 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100426.htmlCHARENTS: IN SEARCH OF MY ARMENIAN POET Yeghishe Charents CHARENTS: IN SEARCH OF MY ARMENIAN POET by Shareen Anderson is an ideal romp through the chaotic life of a brilliant, tempestuous, once conformist (toeing the communist line, an enthusiast of the initial revolutionary fervor), once in revolt (when he saw what they had become he could not help but return to nationalistic themes), once in every woman’s bed, once an ascetic prophet, a futurist, a symbolist, a naturalist, but always a creative outburst fountain of an Armenian people’s poet, Yeghishe Charents (born Yeghishe Soghomonian, 13 March 1897, Kars - died 29 November 1937, Yerevan).https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100424.htmlSat, 24 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100424.htmlSHE WITHOUT A DAUGHTER By Ana Arzoumanian Dash out! Using large steps, grandma, run!… No turning back, they are coming, run, they are upon you; go to the other side, pretend, now pretend, don’t scream, who would help you now? if it’s just you they have to play; ease off that thing inside, be patient, they are just bodies threatening you, guarding you, just bodies squashing and pressing. Like a slave without a master who implores you not to who has nobody to pray to be patient and try to forget; soon the last one will be resting, spent finally, the last one and you’ll have died each time too.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100422.htmlThu, 22 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100422.htmlSteeped in a history that dates back a thousand years, and a tradition as old as time itself, St John’s eye hospital in Jerusalem is gearing up for further expansion in a bid to meet escalating demands for its services. Perched in lone majesty atop a hill in the East Jerusalem suburb of Sheikh Jarrah, which has been making turbulent headlines recently over property rights, the hospital stands as a beacon of hope to thousands of people across the Arab Israeli divide.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100419.htmlMon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100419.htmlMORGENTHAU RETURNS TO CONSTANTINOPLE CHAPTER EIGHT May, 1914 The American flag waved in the wind as the SCORPION, the American embassy’s ship, steamed up the Dardanelles and into the Sea of Marmora on it way back to Constantinople. Standing together on the starboard deck, Morgenthau and his wife, Josie, smelled the salty air, a gentle breeze blowing against their faces. Morgenthau’s eyes were drawn toward Stamboul and the numerous minarets reaching up toward the heavens.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100419.htmlMon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20100419.htmlStrands of gold entwined with copper, wrapped in the folds of a towering wall, the scent of pines carried on the breeze at twilight, the sound of bells punctuating the slumber of tree and stone. Lying in proud solitude, its mountain air as clear as wine, its name scorching like the kiss of a seraph. We are looking down on the little town of Jerusalem, city of gold, of which the poets and troubadours never tire of singing - Israel’s Ofra Haza calls it “Yerushalaym shel zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold) and Lebanon’s Fayrouz “zahratul mada’en” (flower of the cities).https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100417.htmlSat, 17 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100417.htmlPaper cuts from books as thick as his lips As gapped and gashed as his teeth His curly hair, Medusa rendered quatrains, airs Uninvited village crier smile, apologetic Defiant, untrue in magnitude but Blue in spirit, ethos gardens in pungent parapente. I read the words, so aware of other words unsaid Sevag’s piercing smoke rings dance in Mashdots’ band Barouir repatriating anger, not centrally planned solace When ghosts sing in riddles, nightmares cued, reverberate.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100413.htmlTue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100413.htmlWhy we should read… `The Dark Valley: Short Stories by Aksel Bakunts (Translated by Nairi Hakhverdi, 149pp, 2008, Taderon Press, London) Part One: An artistic history of the Armenian peasantry I. THE ART OF THE DARK VALLEY ‘Almost untouched and wild’ Aksel Bakunts’s (1899-1937) Dark Valley resembles ‘one of those forgotten places from an era when mankind did not exist and the fossilised dinosaur felt as free as the bear does in our days (p13, p140)’.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100412.htmlMon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100412.htmlAMBASSADOR MORGENTHAU’S RECEPTION FOR THE AMERICAN COLONY CHAPTER SEVEN CONSTANTINOPLE MARCH 1914 The hands on the clock on the wall were nearing 4 o’clock. Glancing at the time, Henry Morgenthau quickly buttoned his suit jacket as his wife, Josie, stood in front of the mirror putting on another coat of lipstick. Morgenthau did not want to be late for this reception where he would formally introduce his wife to the American colony.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100410.htmlSat, 10 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100410.htmlInfinity it is And I have nothing Even inspirations that untie To flutter Between fireflies and lampposts Sidewalks and dim clouds Trees and empty bottles Drift into air So that I can Inhale And while I hold my breath I can write symphonies in motion. But Lord, I could be bounded in a nutshell And count myself king But instead I Wash the feet of existence And indulge My owning of nothing in anything at all.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20100408.htmlThu, 08 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20100408.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK For the second year in a row, a group of young Armenian musicians presented a joint concert at New York’s Weill Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. On Monday, (April 5, 2010) some twenty performers gathered on the stage of this prestigious venue to exhibit their considerable instrumental and vocal skills. Co-chaired by Svetlana Amirkhanian and Zarminé Boghosian, event participants were chosen through national auditions. The program, in addition to featuring soloists, included two choral groups - the Hamazkayin ‘Arekag’ Choir and the Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School Choir - that added interest and diversity to the program.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100406.htmlTue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100406.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA We are at the brink of a pair of wars, civil and regional, and it is better to speak now. Armenia, that ancient civilization deprived by the tragedies of yore of its capacity for contemporary statecraft, needs immediately to put its house in democratic order. Finally responsible for its own record, it also has legitimate expectations of the international partnership. In this global and so contracted century of ours, where resources and rights often compete for precedence, domestic demeanor and foreign affairs form part of one and the same policy agenda.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100330.htmlTue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100330.htmlLuncheon Keynote Address Unofficial Transcript Georgetown University Washington, DC It is an honor to be back at Georgetown University, a very important university in a very important capital city, which has always played its pivotal role throughout the modern history of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people. And as a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, it is especially enjoyable for me to be back in these hallowed halls, although I would rather not recall too precisely how long I have been gone.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100323.htmlTue, 23 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20100323.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA A couple of sentences in a non-binding resolution, passed by the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee on March 4, softly reaffirming the genocide of the Armenian people and the forcible dispossession of their homeland has got Turkey threatening the world, the US administration complicitly trying to hush Congress by blocking a vote on the floor, and many Armenians celebrating a rare moment against the odds. The Swedish parliament’s March 11 decision to recognize and then its prime minister’s extraterrestrial apology to Turkey have only raised the stakes.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100322.htmlMon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100322.htmlAMBASSADOR MORGENTHAU’S FORMAL DINNER CHAPTER SIX February 1914 Row upon row of carriages and automobiles lined the street by the American embassy. Foreign ambassadors and ministers in full regalia walked up the marble stairs to the embassy’s entrance. Accompanied by their wives who normally don’t appear in public, Turkish leaders arrived as their bodyguards stood by, watching. Feeling dapper in a new tuxedo, Henry Morgenthau personally introduced his wife, Josie, the new Ambassadress to each guest.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100320.htmlSat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100320.htmlWhy are you here Listening to these repetitions Of rhyme, rhythm, and roar Oscillating music of Imperfect monotones Mesmerizing, hypnotizing and Capturing, no captivating you with Deception and titillating vision # Emancipating your imagination From this boring stuff, which helps you see The excellence in the reader before me, The fantastic in the performer after me. Yet you focus on the walls, the ceiling, the tablecloth As they tell you all the secrets hidden in time Observed and recorded from different angles From different ages # fanatical outbursts on the run.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100315.htmlMon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100315.htmlMORGENTHAU’S WIFE ARRIVES CHAPTER FIVE ADRIANOPLE February, 1914 Two years ago Bulgaria defeated Turkey in the first Balkan War and seized Adrianople. Six months later Bulgaria moved her army to another front to fight the Serbs and Greeks in a second Balkan war and Enver Pasha, Turkey’s Minister of War, led his troops back to Adrianople. Enver retook the territory without firing a shot. Adrianople had once again become part of Turkey.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100309.htmlTue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100309.htmlWorth a read: Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature or history. Reading them one will always find something of value… Marg 9, 2010 I CHURCH MONASTERY AND PRIEST IN THE ARMENIAN NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT ‘Vartan of Khannassor’ was written as a memoir by an 19th/20th century Armenian guerilla fighter whose real name was Sarkis Mehrabian. Edited and polished by Garo Sassooni it makes exciting reading and is of tremendous value as supplement to any history of the Armenian national liberation movement and in particular of the role of the Church in this movement.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100308.htmlMon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100308.htmlMORGENTHAU AND TALAAT CHAPTER FOUR November, 1914 Having had a reception and a Christmas party for the American colony, Ambassador Morgenthau was glad the holiday season was over. Intermittent rain and a bitter cold spell greeted the New Year and the embassy was back on a full work schedule. Arshag Schmavonian, wearing a wool grey sweater under his grey suit jacket, walked into the ambassador’s office and stood by the brick hearth warming himself at the crackling fire.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100301.htmlMon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100301.htmlTHE INTRIGUE OF CONSTANTINOPLE POLITICS CHAPTER THREE November, 1913 Henry Morgenthau was anxious to meet the Turkish politicians and the ambassadors posted in Constantinople. ‘It is better to wait,’ his dragoman, Arshag Schmavonian advised. ‘They want to meet you, Sir. Let them be the first to extend an invitation.’ ‘Are you suggesting I remain aloof?’ ‘No, Sir, but this is Constantinople and intrigue is part of the culture. You want to arouse their curiosity.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100222.htmlMon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100222.htmlMORGENTHAU’S FIRST DAY IN CONSTANTINOPLE CHAPTER TWO After a hearty breakfast of omelets smothered with herbs and a variety of breads, cheeses, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and yogurt, the new ambassador made arrangements for his family to tour the city while he went to work. Entering his office he left the door open, walked across the thick Persian rug to the window and observed the bustling activity on the bay. Small steamers taking commuters back and forth were just as packed as the New York ferries on which he had traveled.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20100222.htmlMon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20100222.htmlTHE SAGA SURROUNDING A FORGED PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE ERA OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DEMONIZING AND VILIFYING A “CRUEL TURKISH OFFICIAL”: A PART OF “THE REST OF THE STORY” [ 1 ] Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian andEugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Click here to print the Manuscript ** ABSTRACT** *A book authored by Donald Bloxham entitled *The Great Game of Genocide: Imperialism, Nationalism and the Destruction of the Ottoman Armenians was published in 2005 as a hardback, and as a paperback in 2007 by Oxford University Press (OUP).https://ann.org/orig/km-20100215.htmlMon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100215.htmlMORGENTHAU ARRIVES IN CONSTANTINOPLE CHAPTER ONE Constantinople, November, 1913 The train swung around a great curve by the Golden Horn, the inlet adjacent to Stamboul, the oldest section of Constantinople. Henry Morgenthau felt it slowing down, heard the brakes squealing, and was once again aware of his wife’s absence. He missed Josie already. He had not wanted to go to Constantinople alone, remembering the loneliness he felt that summer he remained in New York while the family vacationed in Europe.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100208.htmlMon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100208.htmlIn my heart I, along with many Armenians throughout the world, honor Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913-1916. Morgenthau championed and alerted the world to the sufferings of the Turkish Armenians in 1915. A charismatic and wealthy man with a degree in law, he lived by the ethical principles he had planted as seeds during his young teenage years. At age fourteen he took seriously his confirmation at temple and visited churches of all denominations, making abstracts of sermons by famous pulpit orators of his day, especially Congregationalists Henry Ward Beecher and Richard Storrs.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100206.htmlSat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100206.htmlUrge to create, to merge and purge Madness, Fever rendered, heartbeat Shorn, breath a’tremor, lunging Emptiness meets mid-progress Disturb chaos, chaotically kneaded Create a lighthouse, spread thin in rows Wondering words diffuse in an endless field Leaf trails seeped in sorrow, blind, stunned stares Loneliness alley pulped, swallowed Famished thirst, sprinkle this cracking dryness With wet, pulsing words Let order transmute distant murmurs For you to crave and rave in chaotic dreams The next salvo in invisible love’s mortarhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100202.htmlTue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100202.htmlWorth a read: Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature or history. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. THE PLIGHT OF ARMENIANS UNDER GEORGIAN RULE In historical times the Tchavakhk region now just beyond the north Armenian border was one of the nine districts of the northern Armenian province of Gugark. But, since 1918 and against the will of its overwhelming Armenian majority constituting 92% of the population, it has been annexed to Georgia.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100201.htmlMon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100201.htmlFROM AMBASSADOR MORGENTHAU’S PAPERS, REEL 22 Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 29540 HISTORY OF THE ARMENIAN QUESTION For the last six hundred years their history is a record of persecutions, a real martyrdom. No where else the abuse of brutal force has been so great as in Turkey. The conquered Christians have not had security of life, honor or property. Religious toleration has been practiced under most humiliating conditions.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100130.htmlSat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100130.htmlI remember you once told me That they sit In strange, gauche poses Bringing comfort Only To bewildered rooftops On the purple universe… Dampness We slurp dampness from the midnight trees That become stunned clouds Above And forget to snow (It is only me, dear Wind Listening in you…) We can be like cello strings Trembling for music And when fingers touch We’ll stare At those passing strangers. They are here for just one night Whistling a tune about The selected snowflakes on the eyelashes of God.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100125.htmlMon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100125.htmlFrom the Morgenthau archives at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library To the Secretary of State, Washington Sir: I have the honor to enclose herewith for the information of the Department copy of a letter received from the American Consul at Aleppo, dated June 14, 1915, relative to the Zeitoun-Marash situation, prepared by Rev. J.E. Merrill. I have the honor, etc. H. MORGENTHAU The following statement regarding the Zeitoun-Marash situation rests on information of about May 21, when the writer was in Marash.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100123.htmlSat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20100123.htmlIn the mountains of Lebanon, high stands of cedars, majestic green witnesses, a thousand years silent but still 2,000 years younger than those felled by Hiram, Solomon’s royal friend, floated to Jaffa and worked by Tyrrian carpenters, who knew the wood, whose hands coaxed forth its lustre and its depth. Cedars from Lebanon, for King Solomon’s Temple. Cedar oil poured on a scroll, against mould and worms. Cedar burns on the altar pleasing fragrance rises up to heaven.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100119.htmlTue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20100119.htmlThe end of Soviet Armenia dealt a heavy blow to the publishing industry. The republication of Armenian classics slumped. So did print runs for new books. But the lifting of restrictions led to a flood of new titles. Many are of no value. But there are plenty that, even when hugely controversial, widen and even create new space for debate and discussion of the manifold issues confronting men and women in the 21st century.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100118.htmlMon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100118.htmlThere are those in the literary community who say, ‘If you want to know the facts read a newspaper, but if you want to know the truth read a novel.’ That’s why I decided to write the story of my mother and her family as a novel so they could represent every Armenian family deported in 1915. Trying to capture the lay of the land from where my mother was deported at age 14, I made several trips to Turkey and traveled the genocide route from Hadjin to the Syrian deserts of Der Zor.https://ann.org/orig/km-20100113.htmlWed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/km-20100113.htmlKAY MOURADIAN’s notes from these books: THE FALL OF ABD-EL-HAMID by Francis McCullagh Methuen, 1910 and THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE by Alan Palmer John Murray, Publisher 1992 and INSIDE CONTANTINOPLE by Lewis Einstein, (U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary, Constantinople 1906-1909 and Special Agent at the American Embassy in Constantinople in 1915) John Murray, Publisher 1917 During the 1800’s the Ottoman Empire was unraveling. Abdul Hamid II, encouraged by powerful Ottomans in Constantinople, felt his brother Sultan Murad was not strong enough to rule the empire and helped to have him dethroned.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20091222.htmlTue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20091222.htmlI. LEVON SHANT AND THE DRAMA OF POLITICAL AMBITION AND MATERNAL REVENGE Levon Shant’s (1869 - 1951) dramatic output is by no means the negligible quality that Hagop Oshagan uncompromisingly judged it to be. Novelist Stepan Zorian who had perhaps a more accurate evaluation, thought that Shant’s ‘The Princess of the Fallen Castle’, (Selected Works, Yerevan, 1968) though of indubitable value, could not yet be compared with his ‘The Emperor’ that he considered one of the few flawless masterpieces of modern Armenian literature.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091219.htmlSat, 19 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091219.htmlAn I is more complicated than it seems More complicated than I like to think Find it multi-layered, sneaky seeking in one path an outlet to other needs Yet writing as writing persists Why is bringing forth words harder than the need deliberately flowing or not freely to think To use the brain-that-sweats for the brain that sings The myriad worlds set blindly sinking before me Ready for a boot or a current jolt to tear me open at the seems.https://ann.org/orig/ak-20091216.htmlWed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20091216.htmlSpecial to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian andEugene L. Taylor, Long Island, NY LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK A recent release by Gomidas Institute, London sent to Groong Saturday 14 November 2009 entitled ‘Adana Massacres, 1909 Focus of Istanbul Workshop’ captured our attention; especially since the first paper presented was reported by Roland Mnatsakanyan as ‘an unusual one … a discussion of Turks who saved Armenians in 1909. The fact that Armenian[s] were massacred was a given, and the speaker presented a sensitive examination of righteous Turkish officials who saved potential victims.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20091216.htmlWed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20091216.htmlQUID PRO QUO? TURKEY BETWEEN ETHICS AND POLITICS: PUT IT ALL ON THE TABLE YEREVAN, ARMENIA In Washington, Brussels, Moscow and elsewhere, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Davutoglu and others have long advocated combining onto one political agenda their country’s normalization of relations with Armenia and the resolution of Mountainous Karabagh’s conflict with Azerbaijan. I agree. Newly-independent Armenia’s ostensibly mature policy–which I supported as the nation’s first foreign affairs minister–of seeking establishment of diplomatic relations without the positing of any preconditions can today, 18 years into the game, be pronounced dead on arrival.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091212.htmlSat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091212.htmlFlaked Eyelashes of Snow by Ani Boghossian I remember you once told me That they sit In strange, gauche poses Bringing comfort Only To bewildered rooftops On the purple universe… Dampness We slurp dampness from the midnight trees That become stunned clouds Above And forget to snow (It is only me, dear Wind Listening in you…) We can be like cello strings Trembling for music And when fingers touch We’ll stare At those passing strangers.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20091208.htmlTue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20091208.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK A fascinating concert took place on Sunday at Le Poisson Rouge, the new fashionable music venue in New York’s West Village. The former Village Gate, now converted to a 200-seat space, has become an attractive spot for informal presentations. Venerable composer Tigran Mansurian is celebrating his 70th birthday, touring the East Coast of the United States with Trio Hayren. Fortunately for Mansurian, he has been discovered by the magnificent violist Kim Kashkashian, who is promoting Mansurian’s music through her significant connections.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20091207.htmlMon, 07 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20091207.htmlBAROUYR SEVAK Part One: the poet as political activist `I am a postcard, addressed to the world! Do not envelope me, do not shut and seal me!' Barouyr Sevak (1924-1972) has been acclaimed as one of the great Armenian poets of the 20th century. But he has also been judged a mere versifying propagandist and even a miserable plagiarist. Not surprisingly partisan dispute continues well into the post-Soviet age. A roaring celebration of human creativity and passions, Sevak’s poetry is at the same time a forthright assault on the moral corruption of all social elites that distort the existences of men and women, suppressing their creativity and reducing them to passivity.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091205.htmlSat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091205.htmlIn the museum of life still labeled framed I stand with a rusty spout leaking In the garden of life snakes coil around trees I covet Cradle conceive and deceive for mere profit On an island of sound I dangle from trees To swing with dreams chiseled in brass laced tempi Mounting melancholy meager eager fissile remedy On an ocean wave deafening to break I find my confessor ready to spray my story The agony of a board cracked in two My dry suit betrays its name three times Before the rooster can chime the church bells Ringing the Suns monotheistic mourners adieu.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20091202.htmlWed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20091202.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA Turkey has always had its share of decent folks. One close example is the righteous family who, during the great genocide and national dispossession of 1915, risked its own to save my grandmother Khengeni from certain death in the coastal town of Ordu. The stories of thousands like them have not been told because of the Turkish state’s official dialectic of denial. Apart from the remnant 50,000 of the established Armenian community, at least two million people in today’s Turkey draw lineage from an Armenian grandparent who was orphaned, stolen or saved–but in all cases turkified–in the killing fields of Ottoman-occupied historic Armenia.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091129.htmlSun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091129.htmlYou feel gloomy inside every Thursday night when there is no light and the clouds are in sight In the middle of that night the giant you face has big height its shadow you see causes you fright the adversary you can never fight You try to find a reason for life’s miseries when pages of life are always mysteries one by one you turn them into histories as you live in the shadow of your adversarieshttps://ann.org/ew/ew-20091124.htmlTue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20091124.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Pianist Nareh Arghamanian presented a wonderfully convincing performance at the Frick Collection in New York City on Sunday, November 22, 2009. In her debut recital, the winner of the prestigious 2008 Montreal International Music Competition offered an emotionally energized, spiritually exhilarated and intellectually engagi program. Arghamanian performed four large-scale staples of the standard repertoire. The most impressive performance of the late-afternoon concert was arguably Liszt’s Ballade No.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091031.htmlSat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091031.htmlWhen the world goes extremely koo-koo I like to hide in my closet And play sudoku on my phone… I can reach the last level By World War III, I’m sure… Today my phone’s batteries are low… So I cough a good deal of Guerlain on my shirt It all starts with oil paint Than the colors scream for Clint Mansell Because I’ve been painting the moon So the moon is high, my Jamaican friend Respect me for my shoes The flooring is deep.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091024.htmlSat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091024.htmlPaper cuts from books as thick as his lips As gapped and gashed as his teeth His curly hair, Medusa rendered quatrains, airs Uninvited village crier smile, apologetic Defiant, untrue in magnitude but Blue in spirit, ethos gardens in pungent parapente. I read the words, so aware of other words unsaid Sevag’s piercing smoke rings dance in Mashdots’ band Barouir repatriating anger, not centrally planned solace When ghosts sing in riddles, nightmares cued, reverberate.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091017.htmlSat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091017.htmlA straightforward, modest book, stands proudly alongside jewelled, gold-crusted treasures made for bishops and kings. Sewn with twine, and bound with leather over wooden boards, lovingly. Copied in a village church by a priest, for love of God, in black, blocky letters by stylus in carbon ink on thick stiff yellow paper laid and polished by hand. A note by a reader three centuries ago, a memorial for his soul, and that of his dead mother.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091010.htmlSat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20091010.htmlThis morning I saw the mountains make love I saw them embrace and caress They told me a story of love with their stillness and it moved me a thousand times I wondered how such a story could be told in a moment not realized This afternoon I watched the wind do a pirouette I watched it move with such grace and gallantry It told me a story of loss with its dance and it moved me a thousand timeshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090926.htmlSat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090926.htmlI wanted to laugh I wanted to cry I did cry But I wanted to laugh Still, tears streamed… …uncontrollably for a second But then I chuckled My first Armenian Church service So emotional Didn’t have to understand the words to feel the energy… The sadness… The mourning… The tears Then, the attire caused a smirk The cloaks, the hoods, the collars It’s really quite comical if you’re not used to it The giggles Foreign among foreigners ‘I feel like I stand out’ But they looked like me Still, I was not one Not then For as long as they chant, I will laugh And as long as the incense burns, I will cry Giggles and tears My first Armenian Church service Certainly won’t be my lasthttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090921.htmlMon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090921.htmlLet there always tears or laughter in your heart When it is silent, it becomes a dark death Vahan Derian (1885-1920) was a path breaking and vastly influential Armenian poet. With poetry of unprecedented gentleness and tenderness he refined eastern Armenian to an exquisite perfection, echoed with precision the pains of the lonely and alienated individual and registered the tragic disintegration of an oppressed Armenian people and nation. Vahan Derian was simultaneously a dedicated revolutionary, indeed a communist, a Bolshevik, a Soviet delegate with Leon Trotsky at Brest Litovsk and the first to translate Lenin’s ‘State and Revolution’ into Armenian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090919.htmlSat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090919.htmlThe sky is more expensive here simply because there are too many windows. It’s no use, but you keep on trying You press the elevator button for the top floor, The lights will indicate that you are going up But down and down you will go Till you reach the temple of faith, There, prayer consists of rearranging the furniture, Until by chance, you will find the invocation, The furniture arrangement, which will please their Gods.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090912.htmlSat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090912.htmlToday I sat down in front of the piano The keys were telling me about Vanilla hills With lonely purple trees… Today in a glass of wine I saw two lips Who were reading the Illiad In ancient Greek… The grey sheets of the sky told me that Rain will fall all night And I still will be mortal Like these trees that have no name… Still, the wind tangoes with no one And soon prints will be written On the sand On which he’ll be walking To the destination of absurdism I smell him smoking Like a chimney in a German town… The drums are still hitting My heart Like some wild rock band… How long This space is spinning around my soul While my eyes search In a raindrop a whole ocean Through which whales move and I listen to their voices echoing With the viola… I want to slip from this roof And fall into a vortex Where flickering souls are Catching light from stars And I’ll find what i’m looking for… I will be writing till the stars Start giggling again With the moon smoking pot And when the dogs begin to growl Like jazz-men in a pub I will be free, Free from this square one…https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090911.htmlFri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090911.htmlJERUSALEM ODYSSEY - PART V JERUSALEM A gentle breeze has sprung up, cooling the ardor of the morning sun. Above me the cupola of the Dome of the Rock shimmers like a glorious beacon pointing at the sky, the golden tiles reflecting the aspirations and prayers of a thousand genuflecting worshippers. I am waiting for my guide, Abu Fadi, thoughtfully provided by Dr Yusuf Natsheh, of the Waqf, the Supreme Islamic Council.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090910.htmlThu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090910.htmlA page from the Queen Keran gospel, 1272 The Israeli Ministry of Interior has rescinded its decision to deport two Armenian seminarians involved in a fracas with a Jewish youth who had spat on them. The two, who had been held over by the Israeli police, were set free “without any prior conditions” and allowed to return to the Armenian Patriarchate of St James, church sources said. The seminarians, Narek Hovannesian and David Harutunian, had arrived in Jerusalem only a year ago to enrol at the seminary of St James, built by the American Armenian philanthropist pair Alex and Mary Manoogian, and prepare for the priesthood.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090909.htmlWed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090909.htmlThe Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has lodged a strong protest against a decision by the Israeli Ministry of Interior to deport two seminarians involved in a fight with a Jewish youth who had spat on a religious procession they were participating in. Patriarchate spokesperson Father Pakrad Bourjekian noted that this was not the first time such an unprovoked aggression against Armenian or Christian clergymen in Jerusalem had occurred. The road to the Armenian Patriarchate He said not only were the clergy singled out for this kind of treatment, but lay members of the Armenian community who wore or displayed crosses bore the brunt of such attacks.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090905.htmlSat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090905.htmlYEREVAN CAFE By Michael E. Stone A little park off the Prospekt, half of it is a cafe now – not unpleasant – and the rest, abandoned. Mexican yuccas in tubs and cane garden furniture bound together with raffia, with round glass-topped tables, striving for a patio feeling, But unfinished. We sit there dining on the toughest guinea fowl ever hatched and a cool wind blows through, from one end to the other, mixing the aroma of traffic on the Prospekt and of gas pumps at the back.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090831.htmlMon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090831.htmlIn this fourth articles in the series, Arthur Hagopian tells of his encounter with Khader Khano, the first native-born Assyrian to be ordained priest in over 100 years. It is early in the day in the Old City of Jerusalem, and virtually no one is up and around. It will be some time before the serenity of its streets and alleys is disturbed by the tread of heavy feet and the babble of many voices.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090829.htmlSat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090829.htmlIt all started when my daughter said, ‘Hey dad, let’s talk Armenian’. ‘Armenian’, I said, ‘OK, let’s start’ Yet, the only Armenian word came to my mind is; ‘Gen-ta-na-pa-na-gan Ba-r-deeeeez’. Don’t ask me why? May be it’s a word sprung out from my childhood. I always loved that that word and regardless how long it was- I pronounced it with my lungs filled with joy and liveliness. But, now it’s all about the ‘ZOO’.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090824.htmlMon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090824.htmlIn the warm, reinvigorating summer air, walking along the cobblestoned alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem becomes a rediscovered pleasure, denied in Sydney where the use of a pedestrian’s feet is confined primarily to pressing a brake or an accelerator. Old City street I can believe friends who have been to Jerusalem claiming they had lost pounds, pounding the streets of the Old City. I am carrying a long mental list of all the people I hope to meet.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090822.htmlSat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090822.htmlUrge to create, maddening. Fever rising. Heartbeat growing. Breaths intensifying. Emptiness. To create chaos, chaotic. To create madness, maddening. Why do the words walk away in this endless field? Leaf trails and stunned stares at loneliness. Thirst, come and sprinkle this dryness with words Hunger, starving for expressive expressions. To crave creation, creating.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090815.htmlSat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090815.htmlI had a red dress, not fire-engine red but red-red enough to curl the curlicues upon the material into an Oriental design like the musk of the semi-tropics distilled into a perfume. Scent, scent. I would have the scent of that mood, of white monkeys there jumping from tree to tree with no one to shout at them. What impunity. What imps. What Oriental and impalpable imps to stir the mood of musk, of the curlicues of that red dress, a loner in my wardrobe of Western stock.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090810.htmlMon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090810.htmlThe Old City of Jerusalem basked in the warm July sun, morning shadows parading the splendor of the 500-year-old walls with majestic hauteur. It was a soothingly welcome relief from the shivering cold that had gripped Sydney as I boarded my flight, barely a day earlier. Old City spice merchant The Tower of David pointed a languid finger to the skies while the resplendent Dome of the Rock smiled beatifically at the group of worshippers in its embrace.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090808.htmlSat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090808.htmlCube -10- ‘Hashish, money, a getaway car kidnapped us’ it’s a clear note written with coal on the wall of a cave ‘We stole uncountable bundles of money, hashish and a getaway car ' It’s the first line of the notebook of an old robber ‘Where’s to be found more hashish, more money, another getaway car?" asks indignantly a policeman drowned in his blotter. O, my God, Most of all I love that beauty Who advertises hashish, fast cars and printing money All in art.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090803.htmlMon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090803.htmlThe 777 Thai Airways took off from Sydney more than a quarter of an hour late, but the crew made up for it with an abundance of solicitous courtesy and exemplary service. It would be a 9-hour flight to Bangkok and then another gruelling 11 hours aboard an El Al 767 bound for Telaviv. For the first time in 15 years, I was returning to Jerusalem, city of my birth, on an odyssey fraught with expectation and a modicum of trepidation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090801.htmlSat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090801.htmlWaltz or pass a cradling caress Frown or prance, test in tenses past Thickest orchestral glorying Ghosts of wars transmigrant memes Customs undressed, immolated, effaced Magical stitches, maddening wistful douleurs Panic pickled, swirling hemorrhaging Harmonic goose steps, stiffened spines Smiling boots glistening in Prussian violins Recidivist frivolity, for a grand dance or grosse pause Perturbed, blind soldiers hobbling past stretchers Kicking the contours, counting the dead Mustard gains Acid gargles Yellow vomit Mass graveshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090727.htmlMon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090727.htmlHISTORY OF THE ARMENIANS Why we should read… ‘History of the Armenians’ by Giragos Gantzagetzi (352pp, University of Yerevan, 1982, Armenia) Giragos Gantzagetzi (c1200-1273) wrote this ‘History of the Armenians’ when he was nearing his 70th year. Remarkably, despite the war and the upheaval of the times he had available to him almost the entire body of classical Armenian, and a great deal of international literature too, preserved, sometimes in cave libraries by the stubborn efforts of a dedicated Church intelligentsia.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090725.htmlSat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090725.htmlEPIGRAMS The road is not lengthened. The road is not made brief whether you laugh or fill it with grief. Whether you know nothing or know it all and more Death knows your address and can find your door. LOVE (excerpt) I love your slender blue veined hands worn thin, your fragile wrinkled skin, your sweet face, the way your shoulders slope under your shawl and a thousand cares. I love the dreams of olden days that you stitch into your knitting as you sit remembering the past: the road ablaze with the Armenian sun, the bell towerhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090718.htmlSat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090718.htmlRed poppies, fields of red poppies, and yellow flowers along the road. Last time I travelled this road was autumn, after summer and harvest. Now it’s spring. The sky - then bright, now grey, mountains outlined black cutouts against the eastern light. Rich ore colours, yellow red and black paint the road’s naked cuts. Bright yellow spring flowers replace autumn’s yellow stubble, purple bushes scattered on the mountains. Ararat’s snowy skirt modestly clouds its peak.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090711.htmlSat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090711.htmlOne click! The stapler joins the pages together like the days in my life days are added on the stack some are empty; some are half-full, others are so dense and crowded it’s so hard to make sense of anything. My days! Unmarked pages of a book waiting to be deciphered highlighted, numbered and grouped together in chapters given to an artist to illustrate, so that you will be able to relate maybe even appreciate so much so that you might consider keeping, to read, to express an opinion, and then to declare thathttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090704.htmlSat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090704.htmlRED POEM Red is so needy; so eager to spill onto the floor. A metaphor that fills cracks in cement after stabbings, lives in climates of palms, in myriaqd blotches where we rub, in dreams of coffee-stained moons in Budapest where the Danube crossed the road on which you left me after I ashed my cigarette in your dinner; the blush of your cheek still in my hand. You taught me that God is red, but like a sky recovering from a dog day in August the tapping of rain on the sizzling rooftops echoes reminders of you in postscript urgency: an image of a hummingbird’s belly, a sliced blood orange on a white tabletop, the color of skin after the slap, your lips a red guitar.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20090629.htmlMon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20090629.htmlDEARBORN, MICHIGAN I will start with a story which I have heard a number of times over the years from some of the people directly involved in it. It reportedly occurred in Lebanon in the late 1950s. A young Armenian female schoolteacher had a suitor, the elder brother of one of her students. Encouraged by the favorable comments the younger sister had repeatedly made at home about her schoolteacher, the family had concluded that she might end up being a suitable mate for their elder son.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090627.htmlSat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090627.htmlKarine Ovsepian I sit alone with my silence, head to head, heart to heart, Though reasons vary today, but the labor of my words seems one and the same? I cannot stand beside it mute, for my thoughts are my hopes, And yes they are nameless, with roots that are shrewd, My hunger is for living lines, those, which I cannot pronounce out loud, My tongue speaks many languages; today’s is a hushed sweet dialogue, Dressed in the golden ray of beachside wind, As my stripped soul rests within its own arrogance, Today, silence seems my favorite fruit, my favorite mourn.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090620.htmlSat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090620.htmlNew Year’s day is approaching Short paced like a reincorporated baby All was built of blood till then Reduced to ashes through sculpted veins Oh, cosmic red dust don’t cover the roofs of my town even after the death of time Living water will flow out in its ring-shaped parks, The Conqueror’s soul will guard and star from above. The sorcery of fertilizing the burnt planets - Haik’s favorite word will always split From clear yards and festive rituals To warm freezing hearts filed in rows Fixed In the public square’s poternt memory.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090613.htmlSat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090613.htmltranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian The wind is knocking at the door shaking glass and window sill. Let me open it to try keeping that wild wind still. Oh, fine. The wind is inside now mixing papers, letters, lists with my poems on the desk stirring them hand over fist. Well. Let them blow away. All blow, outside the door, all mismatched and mis-marked perhaps to be seen no more. Okay, as long as work itself survives.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090606.htmlSat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090606.htmlRaiding my memory, to erase or explore You are naked, flowing in tight corners, raw You are pretty in smell, style, smile tall, thin, dark haired, almond eyed You are you, and inescapably, mine Harmony gnashes a wavy banner Towing our names emblazoned in the sky Love made with breakfast, launched through each other Fancy cabaret act at night, with feathers, star dust And stamina as diligent as mountain climbing racing bikeshttps://ann.org/ew/ew-20090526.htmlTue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20090526.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA During a recent ceremony in Yerevan, the Komitas State Conservatory of Armenia awarded the title of ‘Honorary Professor’ to master pianist Sahan Arzruni. In accepting the diploma, Mr. Arzruni addressed the student body of the Komitas State Conservatory, the premier musical education institution in Armenia. ‘Just as music is the life of our people, so too is an institution like this one the foundry of our musical culture,’ he said.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090525.htmlMon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090525.htmlThe end of Soviet Armenia dealt a heavy blow to the Armenian publishing industry. The republication of Armenian classics slumped, as did print runs for new books. But the lifting of restrictions led to a flood of new titles. Many are of no value. But there are plenty that, even when hugely controversial, widen and even create new space for debate and discussion of the manifold issues confronting men and women in the 21st century.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090523.htmlSat, 23 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090523.htmlI empty the old ones and find among deposits of fine dust, Layers of me at twenty, at twenty-five… A copy of 100 Years of Solitude in French, A collection of science-fiction entrenched around copies of Voltaire. Then notes in old travel books. Some souvenirs bought or found. Cookbooks with recipes of curry, hamam meshwi, Grandmother’s lentil soup and Mum’s mujjadarah, As I meander through them, I smile at my Present, knowing that it and the Future have a solid Past.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090515.htmlFri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090515.htmlfive dollar coffee, two dollar therapy, blue bus, gold line, blue pills, Hollywood sign Disney’s mousetrap behind Orange Curtain the future of western civilization is uncertain Echo Park and overpriced artists studio after Mi Vida Loca goes to video thrift turned vintage, bottle of water as third appendage brownstones in Bel Air, Oxycontin cocktails street merchants of Venice, tattooed arms like black licorice shaky beachfront property, make your first mil at thirtyhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090511.htmlMon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090511.htmlSomeday, when you are running to the train station, or when, you are strolling in the park, lazily, looking at the falling leaf, coming down from the blue sky, you will notice another pair of eyes, and you will wonder, if … enjoyment has yet another dimension with an unacquainted pair of eyes, then you will also ponder, whether we are moved by the forces of pleasure and profit alone, or whether we are driven by that illogical, undiscoverable, magical feeling inside us.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090502.htmlSat, 02 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090502.htmlMarch, 2009 Earthworms glide around crocuses, In and out Of soil black and soft, Wet with night’s rain And morning’s dew. Ants scurry up and down daffodil stalks Green and firm, Into buttercup faces That smile yellow at hyacinths pink and blue And heavy with the scent of spring. Robins chirp and flutter, Carry away twigs And blades of grass To make ready for speckled, Sky-blue eggs. Under the peonies Lilies of the valley bow, Knowing that soon The bumblebee will come To caress the roses.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090425.htmlSat, 25 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090425.htmlThe pain of blades of grass Growing under the asphalt Gnawing at their instincts At stolen layered light Through crevices and cracks With steamy breath – the rain Of uncrushed ambitions – barred Complexion, unseasoned Vexing grey grime Spit and urine nourished Grinding twin empires Ottomania, Russophobia Our ancestors endured, escaped, resisted So you can burn and smoke their fingers Reaching out on lurching nights to an addict’s rage, plea transfixerhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090418.htmlSat, 18 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090418.htmlPlaying hide and seek, Partially-spoken passion, Now a time-consuming, tired ache, How momentary chaos turns pale, As each breath gently curves Away, from phenomenal dappled vision. Could it be that life shivers briefly? Braking each and every magician, Exodus! Seems to be my prototype, Life shivers before my eyes, Emotions dress in exuberance, but Timeless happiness slumbers yet again. I walk into my infinite jungle, That is where I feel at home, Free to embrace my own silence, To roam, Chanting through the world, As my soul dances in its own composition, Without musichttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090404.htmlSat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090404.htmlSated enough with love and pain A girl is walking in the rain Through the last alley of a relationship. No urgent call will bring her back, She negates return to our time and tests, And the girl takes with her The last threaded spine of a relationship The light echo of her name marches In drunk, forgetful painlessness. I call out to her to insist Girl, take with you without regret my solidarity as a flower.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090328.htmlSat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090328.htmlI AM NOT 1989 by Alina Gregorian I am not Lancaster, PA. I am not a rubber band. I am not your nation’s capital. I am not fiscally responsible. Nor am I delighted to meet you. But I’d like to start flossing. I’d like to throw arrows at Utah. I’d like to sign my name here. I’d like to tell an ant colony to pack up and go home. I’d like to sew your mouth shut.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090323.htmlMon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090323.htmlI. HOVANNESS TLGOURATZI (ca 1360-1440) - POET OF LOVE THAT IS FLESH AND BLOOD The Armenian medieval poets were not prolific or if they were, little appears to have survived from their work. (‘Appears’ is here appropriate as there remain thousands of manuscripts still to be researched for possible poetic discoveries) Together with the smallness of the body of poetry, certain common features they share - the underlined secularisation of content, the predominance of homage to nature and love, and that in idioms that draw heavily on and are even defined by aspects of commonly inherited popular folk song and poetry - all these seem to dim the distinctions between the poets - without of course reducing the pleasure in their reading.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090314.htmlSat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090314.htmlIn memory of my mother, who was one of the orphans at Ghazir The battle was within and without kinder minds caught in the World War I frame. Ideals seem to have been lost along the stony path of fate children tread in that museum of orphans in Armenian, in Greek, and in Assyrian. Traveling from Switzerland, Dr. Kuntsler read beyond the vagaries of violence, beyond the ripping of pregnant bellies, the starved desert marching, the celebrating guns that wore the Ottoman seal.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090307.htmlSat, 07 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090307.htmlKhor Virap Michael E. Stone Khor Virap on a hill’s shoulder, not even reaching up to near-far Ararat’s ankles. Its wall and dome etched out. Square gravestones scattered at its foot, like so many children’s blocks, A boy sells doves, (turtle doves?). Ice cream and Coca Cola by Gregory’s vaulted pit, wall engrooved by ages’ reverent kiss. Genocide and Holocaust Michael E. Stone Genocide’s a hard word, killing a people holocaust too, whole burnt offering.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20090306.htmlFri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20090306.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA That an Armenian repatriate, American-born into a legacy of remembrance inherited from a line of survivors of genocide nearly a century ago, feels compelled to entitle his thoughts with a focus on Turkey– and not Armenia– reveals a larger problem, a gaping wound, and an imperative for closure long overdue on both sides of history’s tragic divide. The new Armenia, independent of its longstanding statelessness since 1991, is my everyday life, as are the yearnings of my fellow citizens for their daily dignity, true democracy, the rule of law, and an empowering end to sham elections and the corruption, arrogance and unaccountability of power.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090302.htmlMon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090302.htmlWorth a read February 2009 Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… FOUR GIANTS OF ARMENIAN INTELLECT AND LITERATURE A. The intellectual legacy of 12th and 13th century Armenian Cilicia K. H. Krikorian’s ‘Socio-Philosophical Thought in Armenian Cilicia’ (176pp, 1979, Yerevan) introduces us to the three dominant intellectual figures of 12th-13th century Armenian Cilicia - Nerses Shnorhali, Krikor Dgha and Nerses Lambronetzi.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090228.htmlSat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090228.htmlSome springs Have their own swallows, Which melodize The year, the time, Which is just life. Life has its melody, Its song, Which rings like a bell, Which is hung in our school… A note of happiness Hangs from its chime Sending tunes up my heart. It is with the same emotions That I illustrate bells On New Year greeting cards… I am resounding The melody of happiness, Which begins from our school And expands, Reaching our people and their time, Enter the classroom, Which is just life…https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090223.htmlMon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090223.htmlThe sprawling house is long gone, along with the dairy that his father ran in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City, but the memories (and tastes) Sarkis Bedevian has of his childhood in Jerusalem no doubt still linger. The sprawling house, a stone’s throw from the 500-year-old walls of the Old City’s Zion Gate (one of seven that punctuate the walls), has been bulldozed and replaced by a block of flats.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090214.htmlSat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090214.htmlDROPOSHPERE By Bedros Afeyan Blood banks of promises drop by Drop pass bastard sons of the deposed Gauged republic, genericized, disengaged I dream to see the warming sea Blazon nights and neon flares Hammering clamorous to ordinaire An empire gone un-adjusting Another – rising fumes and smog Billions of arms reaching for our waste Wider than wealth Brighter rectum than oil As we coil and vent Bolder eagles, unturbanned, Unheadscarved, aggregate To curse credit crevices Sloping, panting clangs Moaning delight in ancient Single note instruments of state Calming Cool Aid awaits Ribbon dancers at an Olympiad Brotherly destiny of Tibetan Pride or jest.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20090212.htmlThu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20090212.html“Out of the Cage,” is a collection of “sramid” or sharp and witty sketches by the renown Armenian theatrical ensemble that is built around the considerable talents of Vahe Berberian. This band of brave Armenian performers dare to repeatedly skewer myths and legends, stereotypes and comfortable self-medicating dosages of delusion which usually take the form of banner headlines in party organs, fervent and melodramatic official speeches, oft repeated and hackneyed slogans, categorically stated national goals and other crutches which divert our eyes from what is really going on and where we are clearly headed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090131.htmlSat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090131.htmlOne day I want to speak Italian Swim with starfish Fly a plane Write a book Play the piano Feel unconditional love One day I want to save the world Touch the moon Be a legend only heard of in stories One day I Will, Because I am the strength of Hercules One day I will But not today Today I am still a book Only half read A glass Only half full A gift Only half unwrapped A song Only half heard A dance Only half moved Today I am still a fruit Only half peeled A tree Only half grown A flower Only half blossomedhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090126.htmlMon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20090126.htmlI. FRIK (C 1230-1310) AN EARLY SINGER OF SOCIAL PROTEST One is not geared to expect much from Armenian medieval poetry. The Mongol crushing of the Armenian Bagratouni royal court in the 11th century and the predominance in Armenian life of a declining Church that had made its accommodation with conquering invaders left little room for the flourish of art and culture. Art however, as an effort of the imagination and as a concentration of energy and intellect, has a way of overcoming, at least sometimes, objective limitations and of flourishing outside the sphere of securely privileged elites.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090125.htmlSun, 25 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20090125.htmlAt the gas station store I saw a guy wearing shoes four sizes too big. I said, “Guy, why didn’t you buy those shoes in your size?” He ran out the store, down the road, into the river, “Guy no more,” I said, “Guy no more.” Bought a book called Neoplatonism: Pine Cones Are Our Friends. Read the first chapter then fed the fish with its pages. Wondered if the pines out back needed coats.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090118.htmlSun, 18 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090118.htmlArchbishop Nourhan Manoogian He is a spry 60-year-old, a dominating presence in any assembly, with a will that is pure forged steel, tempered with a keen sense of humor: qualities that have proved indispensable to him as Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the post that ranks as the second most important in the Jerusalem church. He has not been in the city long, but in those few years Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian has demonstrated that he has earned his place as a pillar of strength for the Jerusalem church, standing staunchly by the side of his Patriarch, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian (no relation).https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090107.htmlWed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090107.htmlThe global economic meltdown has diminished any hopes artist extraordinaire Avedis Baghsarian had held of staging an exhibition of his latest works. “According to the galleries and art experts conditions are so bad that they claim you can purchase masterpieces such as Picasso’s, for 1/4 the price of their estimated value,” he told this correspondent, echoing the current feeling in the worldwide financial market. But despite the setback, Avedis remains undaunted.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090101.htmlThu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20090101.htmlGladys Berejiklian If the Australian Liberal Party wins the next elections in the State of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian stands poised to get the nod for a coveted cabinet post, the first Armenian ever to come within touch of the circle of power in this country’s most populous state. She has already carved out an Australian first with her appointment as Shadow (opposition) Transport Minister. The prospective portfolio in a Liberal State government would be of a “toxic nature,” as one columnist here observed, but that’s still at least two years away.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20081229.htmlMon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20081229.htmlIn Oliver Stone’s movie ‘Nixon’, when the title character is faced with a group of young anti-war protestors in the middle of the night in front of the Lincoln memorial and questioned as to why he did not end the war in Vietnam as he promised during his campaign, Nixon is not able to give an answer, to which one of the protesters says ‘You can’t stop it, can you? Even if you wanted to … The system won’t let you stop it.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081227.htmlSat, 27 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081227.htmlTranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian On this the Feast of Navasart, on this the New Year’s start, I drink to you, my people, from the chalice of my heart. Whenever cloud or calamity has darkened our fate you stood as guardian Sassountsi, my people, my state. Whether your left hand bled or you lost the right you kept your head erect and kept our honor bright. You are the hope of Ararat and Aragats to see a new dawn where all their lands are free.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081220.htmlSat, 20 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081220.htmlAll HER life she’s felt trapped. Trapped, blocked, choked. No air, no life, no chance SHE tried to gasp for air But SHE was stopped, Stripped of the right Chained, buckled, beaten down NO! No SHE was told. And what was this word? This word that stopped HER? Why did it stand in HER way? Was it that powerful, this word? NO! No SHE heard until her final moment Until no more air was left No chance, no crack, No!https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081213.htmlSat, 13 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081213.htmlWe adore the american chaperones. Articles of american madness. Chaperone americans drive caravans to bowling alleys. They say, “darling pistol” and “lunch on the rocks.” We throw toothpicks at them behind fake shrubbery. We critique the way they wax their caravans how they drink their beer how they choose mauve seat cushions. We do this until foam hammers stick out of their mouths and their hair. Still they drink their beer.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081206.htmlSat, 06 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081206.htmlTell me something. Do you like the fall? Do you like the fall when the trees exhale haze and hues? The trees change their dress. Begin to undress. It’s time to be naked. Naked with the sun. The yellow sun. The pink sun and the violet. As a breeze passes through the arms of hefty trees. A leaf. A lonely leaf. Drops gently off a twig. This is the time for separation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081115.htmlSat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081115.htmlI LOVE YOU By Karine Ovsepian My eyes, Wide shut, Like an anarchist, Pitching and hustling My imagination of you, Open wide and pressed, To the bosom Of stinging curls, Running down my shoulders, My face, Tracing each and every Nook… Sensuality, from 1 to 10 - open end, A rolling drop of water, An imagined precipitation, A pebble in the sand Which loves embraces with the wind, Almost a wandering sigh, Vast, With each days corroded sun, In the eye of ripe moon, Like a breathless voice, Distant, A crunchy echo, Hissing upon my breast, Kin, from a distance Caressing my skin, A velvet tongue… Your vapor, Painting a new feeling, Within linings of my heart, Ever so confused, What a timing… Leisure, Lets you love me, Only when you want, Admiring beneath it all, I, My simple silence, Swelling, With millions and millions Misconceiving thoughts, It’s painful, But I love you!https://ann.org/orig/rb-20081113.htmlThu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20081113.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Pedestrian path that connects Abovian Street near Republic Square to the Opera House © Ruth Bedevian** Whether he designed a hospital, a public library, or any other kind of building Alexander Tamanyan, considered the founder of contemporary Armenian Architecture, was inspired by Armenia’s historic architectural legacy. He combined ancient Armenian design, the natural stone of Armenia, and the best of world architecture to create a distinctive Armenian national style.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20081110.htmlMon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20081110.htmlInside The Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, and regarded by many as the holiest relic in the whole of Christendom, has once again become the unwelcome theatre of an unsightly brawl between two brotherly Christian denominations. Though not a stranger to such flagrant eruptions, the extent of the violence this time repelled every one who witnessed the drama as graphically captured videos streamed it on world TV.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081108.htmlSat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081108.htmlIt isn’t melody or melancholy, Dread or a draped dungeon to flee When we state our pledge, ‘Tis of Thee Our Country, hillside beacon, brave, free When our faces, pigments, surnames strain Our limited, luxurious vocabulary When our ancestors, wars, treasons, failures Enslave our surfeit motility, evict, evince retreat When greed gropes our hopes and renders them Randian folly There comes a time for prayer, for grace and glory To penetrate the fog of flag-flung hypocrisy Hosannas to a nation shedding disgraced prejudice For a bright, young, industrious dreamer To set us free, let the past sink and heave For tomorrow will greet our ideals in destinyhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081101.htmlSat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081101.htmlWatching Steve serving at the Bar. He smiles with inquisitive eyes of ‘What can I serve you tonight’. `Pour that Wyatt*, my man. Will that go well with the stripped bass?' But first, tell me, how many love stories, sob stories, heartaches, smiles, drunks, tips, stinginess did you witness tonight? Randy takes over as Steve goes out for a smoke. The regulars are holding court around Norma and her multiple martinis.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081025.htmlSat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081025.htmlTranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian I am at home with the homeless and the mad, those who have lost their laughter and their land, the orphans, the wanderers, the dispossessed of nationhood, friends, and address, women stripped of modesty and shame and left desolate and maimed, those whose eyes dimmed looking at death, those with nothing to lose now except breath, those in doorless prisons in the dark, those charred by fires they did not start– they are my brothers.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20081020.htmlMon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20081020.htmlLONDON, UK ‘Daredevils of Sasun: Poetics of an epic’ (263pp, 2008, Mazda, translated into English by Peter Cowe) is a timely and erudite study of the Armenian epic born of the 7/8th century resistance to Arab occupation. On Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 October its English edition was launched first in London and then in Oxford by its author Professor Azat Yeghiazaryan Director of the Manuk Abeghyan Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081011.htmlSat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081011.htmlyou waste yourself on words and become a long sentence for the deaf a crooked reproach for the blind an absolute nonsense for the insane +++ By Sara Margaryan If you feel somebody inside yourself gnawing your intestines and biting a piece of your heart do not become a victim of false suppositions of pregnancy it may once devour you and live your life instead If you feel the pain being the cause of your nightmares change the tape of the consciousness uncover your soul get hold of the beast inside you and look into its eyes: if you see emptiness there - do away with it and if you see your own reflection thenthen I `m not your advisor.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081004.htmlSat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20081004.htmlDon’t worry, I will not forget I always will remember the stories you’ve shared Even the ones that hurt to think about Like how the Turkish children split Daddy Sam’s head open on the way to school one morning, just because he was Armenian The past is the past, but I will not forget it Grandma, don’t you worry, I will not forget your cooking It’s what always kept the family together I promise to keep us bound after you’re gone No one can cook dolma quite like you, But I will try to remember your recipe As it’s been passed down to mehttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080927.htmlSat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080927.htmlPASSWORDS By Diana Der-Hovanessian We don’t need a huge vocabulary. Say “Dikran” and the walls of Dikranagerd rise. Say “Ani” and a hundred church bells peal in a wild shower of sound. Say “Der Zor” and the Euphrates sinks to a dried blood dusty bed. With “Yerevan” multi-colored fountains bloom. Say “tsaks” and your mother’s smile crosses time like light. ARMENIAN The name does not mean much to us. We call ourselves Hai after Noah’s great, great, grandson.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080915.htmlMon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080915.htmlInside The Holy Sepulchre For decades, the triumphant triumvirate of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Latin Catholic churches, have stood firm guard over the panoply of Christian sacred places in the Holy Land, protecting, refurbishing and maintaining them. Often at enormous cost, the burden shared equally by all. It has been a practical and productive arrangement that has seen, among others, the roof of the Holy Sepulcher, one of Christendom’s holiest structures, restored to a brilliant display of inspiring color, after lingering as a painful eyesore buttressed by rickety scaffolding that soared upwards in an ungainly tangle of tubing.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080913.htmlSat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080913.htmlShe treads softly on the parched earth. He steps stoically on the rocky soil. The river Arax shimmers in the distance And age-old mountains called Zangezur stand watching. The couple passes the wishing tree Where strips of fabric hang, But they wish for nothing anymore And brush past tattered bits of dreams and faded shades of hope, Murmuring, “Wishes do not come true.” Down in the orchard Where fruit trees drink Murky water - Runoff from the mine - And piles of debris decay Near butterflies, shanties, and tumbleweed, Large, sugary pomegranates - crimson and yellow - lie on the ground Spilling liquid ruby and gold.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080906.htmlSat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080906.htmlWhen I die…have no pity No mercy…or regret … My darling…. Don’t put any flowers on my gravestone… Don’t shed any tears… They will be untrue and false… As you were to me… You never loved me I don’t want you to be sad… Let me rest in my grave… I want no one to come… Specially you… Don’t ask for forgiveness I will never forgive you. But…The truth is Your name was the last Word…that I whispered… Before I died.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080816.htmlSat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080816.htmlHe stood unbound, brilliant booming pitch Daring fame’s too short a lease to tire An overworked Queen and a burst poet’s appendix orphaned Crazy uncles, old world advice, newspaper boy in cafe’s Circulating telegraph messages on windy roads While genocide visited the Armenian Night He discovered San Francisco and New York Flustered wasps, street walkers, huddled denizens Gamblers, dancers, poor and burning Arabs, American foundation All the way up and down the Malaga vines.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080809.htmlSat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080809.htmlA page from the Gospel of Infancy Cricket is supposed to have originated some 300 years ago in England, but it is just possible that the game venerated all over the British Commonwealth, is older than currently thought. The story, told me by the distinguished Kaghakatzi Armenian professor Dr. Abraham Terian, was first released online by the Australian Associated Press, and has been picked up around the world, with both the reverent and irreverent, having a field day with the intriguing revelation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080802.htmlSat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080802.htmlDiscover the face placed on your destiny The past might be curious, enlightening, yet deadlocked It was said, ’there would not be’ its never late To learn the skill of discovery, it’s as learning truth it was said that ’ disappearance will occur after 2.5' What kind of unit is 2.5 love, separation, and infertility? A face will be discovered in a destiny, the past is deadlocked! At one stroke of a hammer solely to smash glasshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080726.htmlSat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080726.htmlVin Santo – sweet wine Made of white ripe grapes. Dip those biscotti – finish it off with that espresso doppio macchiato. Transport yourself to Florence – or some tiny Tuscan village such as San Giminiano, where the medieval towers cast the only shadows THIS side of Sienna. Think of all the people before you, who have admired these paintings at the Uffizi; Of all the people who have prayed at Santa Croce; Of all those who hoped one day to see underground portraits hidden since WWII.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080721.htmlMon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080721.htmlA TASTE OF ARMENIAN DRAMA - PART ONE I. GABRIEL SOUNTOUGIAN’S ‘BEBO’ AND THE AFFIRMATION OF HUMAN DIGNITY Gabriel Sountougian’s (1825-1912) ‘Bebo, a comedy in Three Acts’ (Selected Works Volume 2, 1973, Yerevan, Armenia) written in 1857 is the earliest of those contributions to the modern Armenian dramatic tradition that retain their value for today. A passionate affirmation of the dignity of all men and women it makes the case for honour and equality as conditions for decent human relations.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080719.htmlSat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080719.htmlMother from Egypt Father from Turkey Well, the land formerly known as Armenia And bearing that same blood from both All with large noses and ’ethnic’ features Daughter of immigrants She grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in Jersey City Where her parents sheltered her From the poverty and tragedy Yet, still no stranger to hard work She grew up hearing of what it was like back home Far from the streets of Jersey Where the blood of many relatives tragically stained the soil To be left in her roots And those of her husband Whose orphan mother and dark-skinned father Knew all too well They managed to make it to the States As they had to escape the fate That three young men Brought to millions In a new place, this young couple assimilate Losing the language almost as quickly as family Surviving by means of conformity To some degree But all for a better life This wife never forgot the memories Never forgot the recipes Never forgot the families And birthed two sons Who knew of the tragedies But were too far to relate To lost relatives Too far to understand Too few who knew So she grew into grandmotherhood With four legacies to be specific Knowing she must pass the torch As it’d once been handed to her Fueled by the internal flame That her relatives were burned for having Mother from Egypt Father from Turkey Born in America Still an Armenian Queen And I call her Gramshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080712.htmlSat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080712.htmlHomesick for your own land you left the university and splendor of Europe and traveled singing songs of home. You left singing “I go to the provinces of the sun, the fountain of light.” All the time it was you who was the light, the light you called “Blodstream of nature, the gown of day.” It was April, an ironic April of flowers reeking of death, not perfume, an April with the hyena panting in wait while you started out for “the founfain of light.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080705.htmlSat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080705.htmlIt’s atrocious to crave like this, Every thought a disturbed murmur, Naked words like burning candles, So invisible, yet burning at both ends. Craving with such a wondrous pain, Nights unveil solitude of nothingness, Two expressions with exquisite form, Who’s to preach at such hours human norm. Qualified perfection could address this desire, Hot is heat, but this is fire, Burning each branched majestic thought, Side by side, two blazing leaflet souls.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080628.htmlSat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080628.htmlHave I lived in life a jester’s dream? Soliciting in beggar’s garb Accentuated laughs and coughs. Unsuppressed incomprehension Swiftly lost and bought In a booth of lights? The crucible of truth plunged to its death After the fall The view from the Bridge With a salesman shared. Wright augmented play commence! Pen can head, heal and disgrace. College Park, MD (1987)https://ann.org/orig/rb-20080625.htmlWed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20080625.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA ‘There will come a time, when our yet modest student orchestra will proudly bear the honorary title of the Armenian State Orchestra.’ So accurate was the predicition of Alexander Spendiaryan in 1924 when he organized an eighteen-member orchestra consisting of conservatory professors and students and launched a concert. That concert established the confidence in this small nation of people that it could create a symphony and attract appreciative and enthusiastic audiences.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20080623.htmlMon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20080623.htmlArmenian Catholicos Guest of Pope Benedict XVI - May 6-10 Travel Wire THE VATICAN When my husband and I received an invitation from His Holiness Karekin II to attend the events of his third visit to the Vatican and his first fraternal visit with Pope Benedict XVI, we indeed felt privileged. It was only after our participation in these historical days that the full impact of privilege descended upon us and we both felt the need to share the fruits of this special consideration.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080614.htmlSat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080614.htmlARARAT AND YEREVAN By Michael E. Stone Over Yerevan Mount Ararat looms at dusk tenebrous, moon shines above its very peak, just like in tourist paintings. Then mountain fades into sky, and darkness is complete. BLACK MOUNTAINS By Michael E. Stone Here we go round the mulberry bush So quoth T.S. Eliot, But it’s a tree, not a bush, Grand, spreading, broad-leafed. At the bottom of the garden The neighbours’ branch grew over Could be climbed from our side and we did.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080608.htmlSun, 08 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080608.htmlIn the late seventies and onwards, when the Lebanese Armenian community started immigrating to the US and settling in large numbers in LA, one of the jokes was that they had gone from BH to BH. The former stood for Bourj Hammood and the latter for Beverly Hills. While they were from Boorj Hammood, many of them, they actually settled in North Hollywood and eventually migrated to Glendale or Pasadena or the San Fernando Valley.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080607.htmlSat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080607.htmlI was born bilingual but… The Armenian language is the music of my childhood, the sweet taste of everything that was home. It is my lost treasure, halved and bartered; the dream that comes to haunt the English language dream. It is the echo of the ages, the shadow of old giants, but palpable. Yes, we made it. We are part of it, this gift we are letting drift away.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080531.htmlSat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080531.htmlThe old woman Takouhi Watches the fly Climb up the window screen. She blinks As wind blows strands Of white hair across her face. Pressing her crooked finger Against the screen, She points To pink roses spotted brown, Half-shriveled tomato plants Sprawled on the ground. And she remembers… Her mother and father Dead in the fields, Her baby brother Tossed in the river, And her big sister Dragged away by men.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080526.htmlMon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080526.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Chronicle’ by Mateos Ourhayetzi (376pp, Armenian University, Yerevan, 1973) ‘That was the end of the land of the Armenians’ (Ourhayetzi, Chronicles, p99) Mateos Ourhayetzi’s (circa1050 - circa1144) ‘The Chronicle’ accounts for nearly two centuries of Armenian history - 952 AD - 1137 AD - and reconstructs an age of destructive transition from the collapse of the Bagratouni dynasty to the subsequent ruination of historical Armenia. Beyond this Ourhayetzi also traces the rise of new Armenian principalities in Cilicia from which there emerged later a new Armenian monarchy.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080517.htmlSat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080517.htmlMY FATE By Tanya Hovanessian My fate was to live as a human called the most able after God. My fate was to live in this fearful century. My fate was to have a dream I could not reach and to die without kissing even your eyes. I AM NOT A PAINTER but if I could just paint my eyes on canvas calling it Sadness I’d be famous. I AM A WOMAN NOT A FOOLhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080510.htmlSat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080510.htmlYour chant, Go ahead deposit its suffering onto mine, Let them sway cheek to cheek Their graciousness is already broken. Let your love be my tortured aftertaste, Your desire my powdered desert, Then bake a cake with burnt sand pebbles, Patching the cracks with slippery tears. Let your lips joyfully kiss silence, As I walk sinking into the abyssal oblivion, With my tongue quizzed by faint triumphs, Raging with spear of love obstructing my soul.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080505.htmlMon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080505.htmlA page from the register of births of Kaghakatzi Armenians of Jerusalem. For years beyond count they have been languishing undisturbed, save for an occasional peek, in the cavernous archives of the Armenian Patriarchate of St James, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Three fat tomes of painstakingly meticulous script, with frequent lapses into flowery forays, the official registers recording the births, baptisms, marriages and deaths of the denizens of the city’s Armenian Quarter, the Kaghakatzis.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080426.htmlSat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080426.html(Sans Slow Movement) by Dr. Bedros Afeyan Gliding in a desert of sound Cello here, piano there, Anticipation, A caravan under the sun Limited water supply Unkind draining ditches Parapets, parasols, vestibules Yet bars close and bars follow Repeats, shifts, gloom, ecstasy Brahms at the keyboard Marching through the cello Slicing infants, newborns In thirds, fifths and glissandi Yet bars close and bars follow Repeats, shifts, gloom, ecstasy Movement after movement, Emblazoned with emotion Breathing fire, yet recurrent Recycled, repeating past Its own beauty, A sonata for a repentant You and me.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080422.htmlTue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080422.htmlJERUSALEM For Christians all over the world in general, and the faithful who hold the fort in the Holy Land in particular, Easter should be the most sublime of all feasts in their religious calendar. But often it is not, its sanctity marred by internecine conflict. The festive season that begins with Maundy Thursday, which marks the washing of the feet of the 12 Disciples, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is meant to engender a rebirth of faith and belief in the religion of peace he preached two thousand years ago.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080412.htmlSat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080412.htmlWHAT THEY SAY IN KARABAGH For centuries we have fed it our blood and our bone. For centuries we have swallowed its bread and its stones. Nothing will tear us from this land that we call home. AT THE MINAS AVEDISYAN MUSEUM A fire like Gorky’s (What can be worse?) burning your life and all and all its work? I search your colors trying to find what was so threatening to a proleteriate mind?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080405.htmlSat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080405.htmlIf you feel somebody inside yourself gnawing your intestines and biting a piece of your heart do not become a victim of false suppositions of pregnancy it may once devour you and live your life instead If you feel the pain being the cause of your nightmares change the tape of the consciousness uncover your soul get hold of the beast inside you and look into its eyes: if you see emptiness there - do away with it and if you see your own reflection thenthen I `m not your advisor.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080329.htmlSat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080329.htmlIf a lamb were born in Armenia where it realized its innocence, would it be of the same heredity of genes and mystical whys as I? Would the cells of its nourishing blood be stamped Yerevan, the capital city, or would they decry the lost one slightly to the west? Would it imbibe pride with every drink of water as the people do? Or would it be the lamb that a mother calls– karnoog, she might say while patting affection’s fur– to a child with scrawny legs, hoping that home will be her religion?https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080325.htmlTue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080325.htmlPatriarch Torkom Manoogian of Jerusalem Armenians in the diaspora who originally came from Jerusalem are planning a reunion in the city of their birth over the course of this year and the next, seeking to relive for a brief spell, the heady days of their youth in the hallowed confines of the sacred Old City. They will be travelling mainly from North America and Australia, in time to attend the Armenian Easter ceremonies in the Holy Land which will be held towards the end of April.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080322.htmlSun, 23 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080322.htmlI dreamt I saw you in a dream You were white in dress, flowers adorning black hair You were singing, swinging, swaying from a key To key stroke of genius and elegy You sang of desire, of endless folly Having visions of sonnets The Bard would greet with envy You sang of love, abandon, menagerie You cooked and scraped and loved my company But every dream in dreams must end To reveal crusted truths in moments Before the taking of cakes and teahttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080315.htmlSat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080315.htmlPROSTITUE OF LOVE by Karine Ovsepian My head between my heart and essence I am a spinster, nothing more than a quintessence, I am the prostitute of love, The buoyancy of consolation of pain thereof, I am my own design, Who never procreated, not even one. I live in mans world, Where I exist and expire each day the way I am told, I crate my own mistakes, I sin and forgive with them no matter what it takes, Maybe that is why I am nothing but a spinster, Not a saint nor really magnificent.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080310.htmlMon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080310.htmlWhy we should read… You Rejoice My Heart by Kemal Yalcin English translation by Paul Bessemer (383pp, 2007, Tekeyan Cultural Association in collaboration with Gomidas Institute) (Distributed by the Gomidas Institute (http://www.gomidas.org/)) March 10, 2008 ‘You Rejoice My Heart’ by Turkish poet and novelist Kemal Yalcin is a remarkable record of his journey among Turkey’s hidden Armenians.To be properly appreciated however, in the first instance it must be read without reference to contemporary conflicts, debates or animosities that dog Armenian-Turkish relations.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080308.htmlSat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080308.htmlFirst you have to add all your expenses. An expense is any outlay of cash, or anything of monetary value which is deemed necessary to get you that which drives you; to repeat the noises you hear, to convey the feelings you live, to express the things you imagine, to transform the pain to laughter, to put tears in the eye of the cynic, to put a smile on a child’s face, that which you call inspiration.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080223.htmlSat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080223.htmlWrite something about life - You will ask me one day. It will probably be one of the quiet evenings When the nature dives into the sunrays And present itself to its utmost - Then you are mostly inclined To philosophical talks. I will not answer to your request Because I always write about life, Regardless of the form In which I present my writings: Not necessarily poetry but lines Without beginning or end.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080221.htmlThu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080221.htmlWhy we should read… ‘From the History of Armenian Social Trends’ by Vahan Rshdouni (560pp, Yerevan, 1956) The continuously growing economic inter-dependence of nations has not, as some had predicted, done away with the nation state as the principle form of international political organisation. Nor has it lead to the undermining of nationalism as a mainstream political ideology. Quite the contrary today nationalism in various parts of the world appears to be as forceful as it has been in the past and even more so, sometimes perhaps as a defensive reaction to the overwhelming power of the larger nations that dictate the direction of economic globalisation.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080216.htmlSat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080216.htmlThere was a woman once I knew Whose love could not smother but coo Poised and fragile, butterfly in flight Color fed, serene, as though untouched But soon a break, a turn to flush Like a giant gouache engulfed Bleeding sores, memories ill stored Disillusioned lanterns invaded by civil wars Promised quotients and debts unpardoned Propellants to sadden a shadow-grafted soul This hewn of binding hues heralds each morn Blessing thine escape, the grasp Divine A postponement for a vagrant troubadour Searching in breaths to shore, to shore Without implosion or demi-tour.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080209.htmlSat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080209.htmltranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian There is an invisible chain in the skies unseen as pain is unseen except in the eyes. The chain settles with the galaxies of night to buckle the stars each to each. They flicker like sacred candles and reach, but are tied to order and held separate by sight. You and I are bound like the stars by dreams, not by need. Always together, always separate. On the same course but orbits apart.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080202.htmlSat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080202.htmlOne grey winter morning I was hurrying To catch the metro train to my office, Which is in an out-of-the-way place. Suddenly I caught sight of an old man, Stooping helplessly over some broken, Dislodged steps, covered with icy glass. Miserable and confused, he looked around As if seeking for someone To help him pass. With pain in my heart I recognized my old professor, Our beloved mentor and instructor, Who taught us, among other serious things, How to be successful and honest in life.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20080131.htmlThu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20080131.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Zankel Hall, the mid-size auditorium at New York’s Carnegie Hall complex, is ideally suited for classical chamber music concerts. On the evening of Saturday January 26, 2008, however, a different sort of group, the Shoghaken Ensemble from Armenia, was spotlighted; it featured eight musicians who played native instruments, sang and danced. It appears that Carnegie Hall Corporation has decided to regularly invite such ethnic groups to showcase their artistic ability in a house designed basically for “serious” music.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080126.htmlSat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080126.htmlNauseating tedium in the lyceum Melancholy races, crushed dolls Imitating invaders, evaders Echoes louder than dendrous tentacles Starving the ecstatic dreamer The 200 miles an hour creations Coiled through the maze of viscous jammers, Welcoming their blades to an impromptu dance Carving up his tongue, his liver, the fire brand, Floating face down, crowned in rejoicing perversion, In frenzied monodromy, uncreased calm, vanity rising Vortices of vagrant collective virility, strapped on, deadly.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080120.htmlSun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20080120.htmlA bold new initiative afoot to preserve the unique history and culture of the Kaghakatzi Armenians of the Old City of Jerusalem. JERUSALEM, ISRAEL Kaghakatzi Armenians having a ball - half a century ago. The tiny community of genocide survivors and their descendants living in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, has taken a bold and determined step toward ensuring that their unique place in the history of this immortal city, is not irretrievably lost.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080114.htmlMon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20080114.htmlReading a particular poet is always an exciting adventure, sometimes demanding and painful, in places disappointing even. But it is always rewarding, invigorating and enchanting. As thrilling however are detours that are inspired by images, phrases and even whole lines that appear to be almost identical to ones we have come across in other poets. A case in point is Vahan Derian whose imagery and turns of phrase takes us to Bedros Tourian, Missak Medzarents and Hovanness Toumanian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080105.htmlSat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20080105.htmlYou told me once, That starlessness cures insomnia. Well, I blinded all the stars But stayed awake. Perhaps it was the punishment For my impudence, And a mere indulgence, That I was saved from death. If so, then I should appreciate it, Perhaps I could not I continued to seek feverishly All the possible ways to switch off my mind And plunge into darkness. I had no more stars To distract my painful attention - Yet I had them in my memory.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071229.htmlSat, 29 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071229.htmlTranslated from Armenian by Diana Der-Hovanessian You are real. And because of that, perhaps, I can walk under clouds and rain and not forget the sun. On the coldest days I remember there is fire somewhere after all. In the heat of sweltering days I realize that snow shimmers intact on the peak of Ararat. You are real and because of that I see beyond our room to taste life with two mouths, four eyes.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071222.htmlSat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071222.htmlRemember the curtains Mother? How they wrapped their arms around the sofa on windy days, how the blue-tongued ocean below our window licked the painted toes of French tourists in bikinis? Remember tea parties on the balcony, the red dress you sewed for me right out of the latest issue of Burda magazine? And then the missile’s cry, how its whiny trajectory fooled us as it lit up the summer sky during rooftop dinners.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071215.htmlSat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071215.htmlLala is little, Not because she is a child, She never finished growing. Forever her mother’s ‘baby,’ Her father’s ‘if only.’ She spends her days In the toneer room Where once a week Her mother bakes bread, Thin, round, flat bread–lavash– The first piece always For the Lord. Lala looks on As her mother bakes. She utters sounds Only The Lord and her mother understand. And her mother nods, giving her lavash– The second piece always For Lala.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20071210.htmlMon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20071210.htmlLONDON, UK On a cold and rainy November 21 2007 Wednesday evening some 40 people sat in London’s Gulbenkian Hall to listen to and watch Rouben Galichian’s excellent talk and slide show launching his ‘Countries South of the Caucasus in Medieval Maps - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan’ (220pp, with 82 maps and 24 details mostly in full colour). Spiced with wonderful historical anecdotes, the author’s tales charmed and educated his audience, urging them to join him in an enterprise of enlightening Europeans about Armenia’s history that is revealed through medieval maps of the world.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20071210.htmlMon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20071210.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. SHIRVANZADE - MEMOIRS AND TRAVEL NOTES (Selected Works, Volume 5, 1985, Yerevan) Shirvanzade’s work constitutes an honest and uncompromising artistic examination of the consequences of oppressive social, national and individual relations. Despite his detractors, who cannot reconcile themselves to his democratic and humanist nationalism, almost everything that this fine novelist wrote retains both artistic and intellectual value.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071208.htmlSat, 08 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071208.htmlLetters do fly and words often fall Symbols crinkle, dissemble, crawl White canvas with dark jaunty jesters Lengthy islands chain, drum in sequins Shallow sea beds teasing, resisting villipends. Paws prance with Poe, pensive parapets Dream Pamphleteers, stretch vortices into hymns Poe Am I, Poe do I crave, poem ending mopes To follow vilipensive, jagged ornaments. With a breath recirculant, heating brass instrument caverns – to sing, Like Delilah holding the severed head of an angel – to dance, For the earth to move under this very pen, rearrange its ugliest sins, Abandon its stabbing instruments at the altar of a trembling virgin’s vitrine.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071201.htmlSat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071201.htmlI look in the mirror… I see myself…. In the room 101… I WAS someone…. In every corner I see…. My hopes…my dreams…. And good times…. I feel the joy of your hug The thrill of your kiss… I want to cover myself…. But… I touch the mirror… The room is empty now…. The hopes… the wishes…. Are gone away…. The room is empty…. I look again….I see myself…. Hopeless….https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071124.htmlSat, 24 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071124.htmlWhen darkness covers your existence, When sounds ache like wounded heart - Forget attempts of false resistance, And give your life another start. If fails - you’ll see and feel its failure, But if succeeds - that’s your reward. Life smiles just only when you pay her, If not - await the fire and sword… February 2004-02-20 By Sara Margaryan If you feel somebody inside yourself gnawing your intestines and biting a piece of your heart do not become a victim of false suppositions of pregnancy it may once devour you and live your life insteadhttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20071121.htmlWed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20071121.htmlBACKGROUND On October 26, 2007, the former president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan announced his candidacy for president in the upcoming 2008 presidential elections to be held in Armenia during a major opposition rally at the Freedom Square, Yerevan. The rally was organized by the All Armenian National Movement (HHSh) in collaboration with Armenia’s People Party led by Stepan Demirchyan (HZhK) and Republic Party (HK) led by Aram Sarksyan (the brother of former Prime Minister of Armenia, Vazgen Sarksyan assassinated on October 27, 1999).https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071117.htmlSat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071117.htmlBirth, A mysterious alias, Why would I want to extinguish your sigh, When brazen soars are eager to embrace you, oh my. You force thousands of chariots Across my sequenced sky, Where love is best profane, A different rush within each dripping stain. I live with million follies, Which makes the sin my friend, Knowing, that living as a vagabond requires no pretense, I am domesticated animal - hence!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20071112.htmlMon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20071112.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. TIGRAN THE GREAT - THE ONE AND ONLY ARMENIAN IMPERIAL TYRANT In 2005 on the occasion of the 2100th anniversary of Tigran the Great’s (born c140BC - died c55BC) ascension to the Artashessian throne in 95BC, various conferences were organised to discuss the historical significance of what was the only Armenian imperial experience.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071110.htmlSat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071110.htmlJUSTICE By Maro Margarian Translated by Diana Der-Hovanessian There is something in this world called Justice. Its other names are Compensation and Restitution. But it is never called Punctual. On the contrary it always comes too late. Like a missed love, timed wrong, worse when it arrives than if it had never come. Causing more pain. There is something in this world named Justice that arrives late to find a new name on its door, Injustice.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071103.htmlSat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071103.htmlEat boiled wheat and pomegranate seeds to celebrate new teeth. This is only the beginning; not Genesis beginning but the start of the absurd list. Announce ‘sweet bath water’ to a newly bathed person, and they must give you their clean cheek to kiss. This is lucky and good. This makes God happy. Read your fortune in the dark maps left behind in coffee cups and believe it, but don’t bet on it; what you see is what you get.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20071101.htmlThu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20071101.htmlThe announcement of Armenia’s only former President Levon Ter-Petrossian that he is a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections raised many speculations about the election process and at the same time ended other speculations regarding the nature of those elections before Ter-Petrossian announced his candidacy. Before the announcement that he is a candidate on October 26, media and political observers in Armenia considered the presidential race as a one-man show where the election of the current Prime Minster Serge Sargsian was a done deal, however now the speculations and the bets have changed considerably as any observer of Armenian politics and media would concur.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071027.htmlSat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071027.htmlEvery religion is sacred and wise, It gives a divine description of the world, God has created for us all. It says we are the superior creatures on earth That must be kind, tolerant and right in all. But some people take it wrong, Making religion a source of hatred and war, Spreading enmity and evil over the world. Men of the world! Beware of that! No religion says we must be apart!https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071020.htmlSat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071020.htmlWe seem to have lost That affection for being, The love of discovery, Pleasure of seeing. We praise the misfortunes, And sink in depression, Feel comfort in lying, Performing aggression. The flowers lost Their fragrance and beauty. We live in the world Of time-tables and duties. We feel so bored In the silence of nature, That take to the forests Tape-recorders and pagers. With constant reproach And endless refusal ?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071013.htmlSat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071013.htmlWith the wisdom?s truthful grace. Prolonged oppression must exalt, Not to become chaotic revolt, From time to time one must bite the tongue, Before it bites a piece of old and young. Silenced vindications arise with the day, Painted in our own colors of dismay, As with each new brush stroke, We dress them with our unique smoke. Blueness in the sky, glimmer of the sun, At times with sweet words could be done, Yet double-shaded faces of missing hearts, Become nothing more but whispering of arts.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071006.htmlSat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20071006.htmlLET FREEDOM REIGN By Bedros Afeyan (To M.L.K. Jr.) The luxury of indifference Through the gospel of ignorance Made virtuous Who can love? And what is hate? In this blissful miasmal state? To witness all and merely shrug Choose to change channels In search of hearty laugh tracks Nations glued to little else Beat their drums and their chests We are free! Come the cries This is freedom. Free at last.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070929.htmlSat, 29 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070929.htmlTranslated by Knarik O. Meneshian To live, one must give completely– Strength, joy, fervor, and youth, Have no fear of pain, hold back tears, Forget smiles, love, and compassion. To live, one must defy death. What joy not to grow old! Time plays a joke in vain, And defeated, it passes you by unnoticed. Instead of walking, take flight–falling matters not, For he who falls from up high does not stay down.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070922.htmlSat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070922.htmlCall me genocide Call me rape Call me extermination Call me slaughter Call me massacre But never call me a lie The systemized, strategized murder of masses to a particular demographic The havoc The elimination, extermination planned to a nation The concentration camps…before Jews were stamped My people were cramped Into mass burial graves We were not born as slaves Yet forced to behave By means of obey A God that’s not ours And give our bodies for free And by give I mean take Because there’s nothing consensual about cold-blooded rape Followed by slaughter To mothers and daughters While the heads of men became trophies and sat on sticks Till all the blood drained out It’s straight sick As if that’s not enough They were put on display As a lesson to obey But the damage was done Before we could run Because we were forced to march Until the end was the start And the start was the end Starved.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070915.htmlSat, 15 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070915.htmlI looked for you under the barstool underneath my wine glass you were mine for one half hour stolen by an oil-streaked man in an olive-colored suit pinky ring winking who molested you with his eyes extracted you from the wedge of my pocket smoothed you out decoded you in the alley outlaw rhythm of my beating eyelashes my bracelet trailed your shapely limbs as I transcribed you from the smoky air found you floating above the candles let you fall out of your gownhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070908.htmlSat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070908.htmlIt was John who mentioned it first: “I’ve discovered Saffron Tea”, he said. And was quite determined that it should be “subtle”. “Tea is black”, he added, “just as wine is red.” I couldn’t agree more. Patty came in with a care package with IRAN stamped all over it: bags of prepared Saffron tea, 250 grams of Isfahani Mirzapore exported directly from EEEERAAAAN, green cardamom barely dried, and a package of saffron you can’t buy this side of the Atlantic.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070902.htmlSun, 02 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070902.htmlA stylized salt-cellar, in brown ceramic ovoid, a woman’s face, and a fringe of pottery hair on top hands at its sides. a marsupial Humpty-Dumpty with a pouch full of salt for flavour, and a pottery spoon.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070828.htmlTue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070828.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Book of Lamentations’ by Grigor Narekatzi (Editors - B Khatchatryan and A Ghazinian, 1124pp, Yerevan, 1985) For Asbed Bedrossian, tireless manager and editor of the invaluable and irreplaceable Groong/Armenian News/Network. Without Asbed’s early stubborn invitations and his subsequent wise guidance and critical acumen I would not have had the immense pleasure of gazing upon some the treasures of Armenian literature and sharing my impressions with who so ever wishes to do so.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070825.htmlSat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070825.htmlIf only I was a poet. I could portray the earth’s entire beauty And have my pen draw nature. But instead of lilies I find ivy That shrouds my potential And instead of the wind’s soft touch, I feel the heat from the fire of my trapped soul If only my stroke could show me my love And tell her that I miss her gentle touch. Yet my heart seems to take me to quiet pastures Only to lead me to a cliff and bid me adieu For you, my bitter flame, my sanity hangs on the edge Begging you to show me my future, so that my soul can rest todayhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070818.htmlSat, 18 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070818.htmlFractions of a life ring out Fractured morsels of tempting hearts Effaced apogees, elastic, nomadic chords, Crinoline forests of fine lights caress Fixed figurines brooding in the sky Helicopter blades heaving, tails raised Provincial police alerts garble on Prisoners grinding hope with lacrima, Lucy in the Sky carved lacerated labia. Music menaced memories on a garrulous journey Rapacious service, fragile in industry Masses sing for mercy, unrehearsed To evoke a bursting flow of triumph total Global, grotesque, orgiastic as Carnaval.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070811.htmlSat, 11 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070811.htmlLike feathers falling from a torn pillow, Snow flakes tumble Onto streets and walks, Bare trees, withered grass, dead flowers; Onto roof tops, telephone wires, and the occasional clothesline. In the frosty cold, Quiet beauty shimmers everywhere, And I remember the lady in Gyumri. I never saw her face Nor heard her voice. Did she laugh or cry much? Did she dare to hope or even dream Amidst the poverty and shabbiness That had become a rite of passage For many in that far away place?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070804.htmlSat, 04 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070804.htmlmarch to death an ancient civilization native language silenced. Look at lost cultures! Manuscripts where our shame is sheltered, sealed within the walls of fear of being different! organized persecution, segregation religious intolerance, and color differentiation, government organized race annihilation, the definite death on the unending desert sand. Now we are tired to overcome this new threat. This new partition, based on the ability to spend cash on Berger King, Pizza and movies, or charging our future on such classy items as, Four Seasons, Disney’s, health spas, or searching connections with jazz, rap, or Yo Yo Ma.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070730.htmlMon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070730.htmlOrdination ceremony of three new priests in Jerusalem. The golden threads of the sun rappel through the high windows and entwine the velvet mists of incense floating in the air, before settling on the forms of the three figures kneeling before the cross and the bible. The candles on the resplendent altar flare as if in joy at the mysterious age-old ceremony being enacted before them. Their heads bowed in obedience, the three young men prepare to take their final vows as newly ordained members of the priestly brotherhood of the Armenian Patriarchate of St James in Jerusalem.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070728.htmlSat, 28 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070728.htmlSome call it a vase & some call it a vase I alternate depending on what mood I’m in I’ll choose to say vase today But regardless, it’s symbolic of a people A great people that were displaced Like the pieces of this broken vase Scattered & distorted Picked up & aborted Moved & confused But they remain the same Different pieces of the same vase Many linking to one One land.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070721.htmlSat, 21 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070721.htmlClose your eyes and think cha-cha-cha; close your eyes and think of me swaying left to right to the rhythm of the music. Close your eyes and imagine me. Dec 7, 2006https://ann.org/orig/ak-20070720.htmlFri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20070720.htmlNone will deny that when a person dies, many of the links between that person and the past are severed. But links can and often do survive thanks to family, friends and scholars, but they are ‘really’ valuable to posterity only to the extent that someone can perpetuate them with a high level of fidelity. Obviously, the more precise the connections that can be sustained the better. It is the task of historians, of course, to reconstruct and interpret the past.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070714.htmlSat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070714.htmlYou praised red roses raised for Vartavar. And in return I sang sad singer’s songs. You said: Your country’s gardens are unmatched. Search near and far In spite of flinty land your roses burn. Vartavar’s red rosy wreaths are wherever you turn. Just like hail spangling mountains, dales, their flames have scorched our fields and burned our homes. Look, where endless blood was let. So many bled. No wonder that our roses blaze so fiery red.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070709.htmlMon, 09 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070709.htmlWhy we should read… `Khoja Capital: the social & political role of merchant capital among Armenians' by Leo (373pp, 1934, Yerevan, Armenia) PART TWO: THE INDEPENDENT LORDS OF KARABAGH AND THE WARS OF 1722 - 1728 A substantial portion of this work is devoted to the early 18th century Armenian uprising in eastern Armenia, led most famously in Karabagh by David Beg. In his evaluation Leo offers as opinion some of the more preposterous Stalinist prejudices of the 1930s.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070707.htmlSat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070707.htmlA drop of a dew…. And memories of lost love……. Gives my heart hope to stay on… To go by the days…or even months… To walk through the life… With the reminder of your loving touch… warm smile… they give me strength to go on…. But when my heart cries…. Of the sweet memories of the past… I feel no sunshine no dew .. I feel only my tears … Running down my face… The conflict I had been through.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070630.htmlSat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070630.htmlSawdust, a stream of litter on the floor, the door inside the outside door ajar, the contents of each dining room drawer emptied, strewn as if a giant had poured out everything. I ran screaming to call 911, surveying the chaos inside the bedroom, the lingerie a tide of silk and nylon flowing to the hall. “Table silver, all jewelry, an old photo of my father at four in a village dress, the only thing his mother saved, pressed on the inside of a brooch, and old cameo, my mother’s, my great aunt’s rings.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070623.htmlSat, 23 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070623.htmlUp Climbs the shepherd With his flock. “Hey, hey!” he calls, Tapping his stick on soil and rock Up The mountain Aragats. Higher, A shepherdess In a billowy dress With hair tucked under her scarf Sings as she stirs a pot Hanging above flickering flames Near a canvas tent And strips of wool dripping, drying on a rope In the summer wind Sweeping across the mountain, Through rocky fields, green pastures, and alpine flower meadows Of blue and white and pink and yellow.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070616.htmlSat, 16 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070616.htmlThrough a hidden socket on the wall A curled up parchment, timeless scroll Heaven grinds wagons, wailing wings Bumbling euphorias, doubter’s tambourines Revelation mounts the Keeper of the Tower of Song Muttered drones paint septuageneric fauna Winking as if twenty bodies strong Soot eyes smile, widen Till tears fill his feathered pen Revelations mount deeper The Keeper of the Tower of Song To smile in irony’s chords With Dead Sea tentacles Leading the chorus dandelions In a pop country Pentecostal scream To usher in recantations or murmuring retreatshttps://ann.org/orig/ak-20070611.htmlMon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ak-20070611.htmlMary C. Masterson, Daughter of Harput Consul William W. Masterson, Dead at Age 92 Special to Groong by Abraham D. Krikorian and Eugene L. Taylor LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Many readers will be familiar with U.S. Consul Leslie A. Davis who served in Harput (actually Mezereh) from 1914-1917. The slim volume “The Slaughterhouse Province, An American diplomat’s report on the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1917” (Susan K. Blair ed., Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, New Rochelle, NY, 1989) has now assumed a special place in genocide literature as a classic.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070609.htmlSat, 09 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070609.htmlIt was light, like thin air a vague suspended state where everything could matter less or anything could matter more compared to others, distant, detached hazy others.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20070607.htmlThu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20070607.htmlBackground: On May 12th Armenia held its widely anticipated parliamentary elections registering a major progress in the conduct of its elections and improvement in the transparency of the electoral process. Several thousand Armenian election observers representing dozens of local NGOs and political parties were joined by more than seven hundred foreign observers from CIS, EU and other European structures, invited to Armenia for the same purpose. Despite a number of registered voting irregularities that occurred at some polling stations where several of them resulted in criminal investigations by the Ministry of Justice, and continuous accusations by the radical Armenian opposition of government’s complicity in inappropriate acts constituting electoral fraud, such as bribing of voters at some polling stations and questionable methods of facilitating voter turn out, such as driving voters to the polling stations in mini vans and buses rented or owned by specific political parties taking part in the elections, the overall conduct of parliamentary elections in Armenia has received positive assessments from accredited foreign observers representing CIS, ODIHR/OSCE and PACE.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070604.htmlMon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070604.htmlWhy we should read… `Khoja Capital: the social & political role of merchant capital among Armenians' by Leo (373pp, 1934, Yerevan, Armenia) PART ONE: Armenian émigré capital and the character of Armenian nationalism Leo’s ‘Khoja Capital: the social & political role of merchant capital among Armenians’, for all its gross faults, including the most atrocious 1930s orthography (which of course was not Leo’s personal responsibility) is an exceedingly valuable history of Armenian commerce in the 17 and 18th centuries.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070602.htmlSat, 02 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070602.htmlEyes? so unprompted, so carelessly vagabond, Could they be the worst imprisonment of a heart? Could they be the wondrous glory of each and every start? Eyes? so ridiculously forged with fiercest thoughts, Dreadfully proud of miseries captivated within a breeze, Their random dance seems a weaponless tease. Eyes? embattled obnoxiousness of past hopes and dreams, Beyond reported facts and diffused believes, Embedded freckle of inseparable clothed nightly thieves.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070526.htmlSat, 26 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070526.htmlToday I will make bread: Butter. Eggs. Olive oil. Water. Milk. Flour. Salt. No yeast. Baking powder instead. Knead lightly, roll out, cut into small portions. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown. Rejoice. Poor orphans, your mothers and fathers are dead. No more your good-smelling grandfather. No more your grandmother, her wise and angry voice. Hold out your hands, dear ones. Let me fill them with bread.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070520.htmlSat, 19 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070520.htmlARMENIA: The Deathless Tree By C.K. Garabed The seeds had been planted upon the peaks of Ararat by Noah the progenitor. The waters of the Tigris and Euphrates nourished the roots of the seedling tree. The trunk grew modestly at first and bent with the winds of change. But sturdily it grew until it became a cordon of rings so mighty that not the Parthians, nor the Assyrians, nor even the Romans could uproot the tree.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070519.htmlSat, 19 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070519.htmlTranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian If one is to die let it be lion-like fighting off death to death’s last strike. If one is to live let it be the same way so that two million don’t disappear in one day.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070512.htmlSat, 12 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070512.htmlFor my Grand Mother Pergruhi Alahaydoyan 1912-2006 Who survived the Armenian Genocide By Shushan Artinian I held her hand and gave her a smile; Alas, she’s far off, many a mile. She thinks I’m a friendly neighbor, When in fact I’m her loyal grand-daughter. “What’s my name?” I asked her, “Darling” was her unsure answer. “What is your name?” was my second question, Her silence increased the tension. She did not remember her own name, Nor the place from where she came.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070510.htmlThu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070510.htmlLONDON, UK At a gathering in London’s Armenian House on Wednesday 9 May 2007 Bob Biderman Managing Editor of Black Apollo Press launched the publication of an English language edition of Gougen Mahari’s (1903-1969) controversial 1966 masterpiece ‘The Burning Orchards’. To describe the event as a publishing phenomenon is no exaggeration. For the first time it makes available to millions of readers an epic novel from of one of the most outstanding 20th century Armenian writers.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070505.htmlSat, 05 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070505.htmlShe dices the onions finely. A construction worker, 25, falls to his death. She adds the coriander, cloves and ginger. A soldier, 21, walks over a roadside bomb. She removes the meatballs from the fridge A journalist, 43, gets shot thru the head. She stirs the sauce over a low fire and adds a few tears to the pot.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070430.htmlMon, 30 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070430.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK A few weeks ago, on April 14, I was invited to listen to cellist Jian Wang perform Chinese composer Huang Roa’s concerto ‘People Mountain People Sea’ at New York’s Miller theatre. However, the real revelation for me was to hear – during the same concert, cleverly named ‘Pocket Concertos’ – Emma Tahmizian to premiere Sebastian Currier’s Piano Concerto. I knew about Emma, but had not heard her perform.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070428.htmlSat, 28 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070428.htmlEffervescent, glutinous, elastic, ornate Equivocal endorsement, heart belt, hosted head Dismal doubt for the sincerity of the sinner Drowns the premise of the sin grinders instead. Make a fish smile or a lion swim Let a muscle twitch or a battle blossom Let the country sink in jingo driven jungles Far away desert gold protected by our armored castles. Let history deplete the motives as its narrative tussles Crucial facts obliterate the dust of their threats divine Politics presume pretension will gurgitate revisions Till brown masses of pint size braggarts make Texas logic lord and prances.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070414.htmlSat, 14 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070414.htmlReaders - they are my only secret: gentle readers, avid readers, concerned readers willing to correct me whenever I stray from the straight and narrow, eager to remind me that honey catches more flies than vinegar (so does manure, but never mind about that now). Writers of the past were not as lucky as I am. During the Soviet era, for instance, the only advice our commissars had for our writers was a bullet in the neck.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070413.htmlFri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070413.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Eve Beglarian is one of the most extraordinary and strikingly unique musical voices in New York. Described by The New York Times as a ‘remarkable experimentalist,’ she composes in ways that defy verbal description or explication. The daughter of the late Grant Beglarian, a former Dean at the University of Southern California, Eve has recently become interested in her Armenian roots and began studying and composing music inspired by her heritage.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070410.htmlTue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20070410.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Composer Tigran Mansurian is anointed with the chrism of Armenian music. During the past two weeks, New York audiences had the opportunity to hear two local premieres by this distinguished composer: Con Anima for string sextet at Merkin Concert Hall on March 27, and Agnus Dei for clarinet, violin, cello and piano at Weill Auditorium at Carnegie Hall on April 6, 2007. Con Anima, composed for viola and string quintet and commissioned by the Concertante ensemble, is in the form of a modified concerto grosso.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070407.htmlSat, 07 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070407.htmlThey ask me to be involved. I send 50 blankets, 100 bars of unscented soap and 1000 pencils for schoolchildren. I can’t send my shock. They ask me to shed tears. My river overflows. My dry eyes sigh. My morning juice sours. I see double sometimes. They ask me to spread the word. I type too fast. My images are pasted on the past. My daily trek is vexed. Memory still consults my mind.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070402.htmlMon, 02 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070402.htmlWhy we should read… ‘To the Desert: pages from my diary’ by Vahram Dadrian English language edition translated from the Armenian by Agop J Hacikyan, (408pp, Taderon Press, London, 2006) Anyone interested in the debate on the Armenian Genocide has good reason to say a big thank you to Agop J Hacikyan for translating and to Ara Sarafian from Taderon Press for editing and publishing this English language edition of Vahram Dadrian’s ‘To the Desert: pages from my diary’.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070331.htmlSat, 31 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070331.htmlSONG OF THE SHEPHERDS By Knarik O. Meneshian Up Climbs the shepherd With his flock. “Hey, hey!” he calls, Tapping his stick on soil and rock Up The mountain Aragats. Higher, A shepherdess In a billowy dress With hair tucked under her scarf Sings as she stirs a pot Hanging above flickering flames Near a canvas tent And strips of wool dripping, drying on a rope In the summer wind Sweeping across the mountain, Through rocky fields, green pastures, and alpine flower meadows Of blue and white and pink and yellow.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070324.htmlSat, 24 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070324.htmlUnrefined columns of human stance, Tragedy & drama within a glace, Enough attempted spice and glamour, They all dress in personal rare grammar. Composition of each tilted soul, Somehow tends to make another whole, Like the meaning of each prediction made, Becomes their daily flimsy masquerade. A piece of finale, a piece of remorse, Imitation becomes their driving force, Some yielding multiple divisions of love, Yet some with a silent aloofness thereof.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070317.htmlSat, 17 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070317.html(for those who can make the ultimate sacrifice) Contrary to popular belief there is no good war or bad war. There is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in the first place. This is an attempt to take you out of the boundaries of virtue, and evil, to a new horizon a wider perspective. Please be careful and don’t assume that I might be fair, unbiased, educated, unprejudiced, or any other meaningless thing like that.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070312.htmlMon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20070312.htmlTHE PRIESTESS (in Armenian with English subtitles, 35mm, 109 minutes). Directed by Vigen Chaldranian. Written by Anahit Aghasarian and Vigen Chaldranian. Produced by ArmenFilm (Yerevan, Armenia) and Symphony Studios (Hollywood CA), Mel Metcalfe III, Sahak Ekshian and Vigen Chaldranian Producers. Marine Sargsyan plays the King’s all powerful sister. Vigen Chaldranian plays the ancient manuscript scholar and Mihr the Pagan god. Rouzan Vit Mesropyan plays the title role of the Priestess and the modern day car accident victim/amnesiac who channels her.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070310.htmlSat, 10 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070310.htmlAnd later discussed serious things. They leave, cutting the roots that Tie them to the land where their ancestors And the greatest of the Armenians lived They leave because the times are hard, Because those in charge aren’t able To provide and secure their lives. They go with their families and even clans, Leaving behind only the feeble and meek, Who are unable or unwilling to endure The shame and fuss of that unworthy enterprise.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070303.htmlSat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070303.htmlZahrad, Armenian poet whose real name was Zareh Yildizciyan was born in 1924 and educated in Istanbul. He was educated at Mekhitarist schools and attended medical school for a while. He became a poet known for short, epigrammatic, witty, modern verse. His work was trend setting, wry and playful but with a sharp edge. He died in February 2007, in Istanbul. The poems below were translated by Diana Der-Hovanessian, American born poet, who tells a funny story about him: He had been writing to her for years, in English, even sending valentines, etc.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070224.htmlSat, 24 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070224.htmlHey Turk! Did you think you disposed of me? That your conscience was clear because you erased your memory? That you could wash your mind of its historic bloody stains? Did you think you could eradicate my name as you did the inscriptions on the old stone churches in your midst? Did you think you could teach your children lies and then have them repeat your words and make them sound like truths because they came out of the mouths of babes?https://ann.org/orig/rb-20070219.htmlMon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20070219.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Yervand Kochar Museum Entrance Since its creation in 1959, the statue of David of Sassoun has been one of the most outstanding landmarks in Armenia. Adorning the Yerevan Railway Station Square, this monumental work was created in brass (wrought copper - an alloy of copper and zinc) by a master genius, Yervand Kochar (1899-1978). He was an artist whose innovative works attest to incredibly remarkable talent in three genres - painting, graphics and sculpture.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070217.htmlSat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070217.htmlHrant Dink, in memoriam By Krikor N. Der Hohannesian They snuffed him - Turkish style, a crowded street in Istanbul three bullets in the brain point-blank, draped his corpse in a white shroud weighed down with bricks at four corners, left him lying there for onlookers to gawk - to what end? Horror? Or, This Is What You Get for Being Un-Turkic? He was a journalist just like you, hairig, and just like you seeking dialogue, no sinister agenda - quite the contrary, a life’s quest to opening doors to the blackened rooms where suffering abides, where grudges are held tight to the pained heart, where decades later old wounds still fester.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070210.htmlSat, 10 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070210.htmlOn the train, A lady reads- Short story. In gratitude for cleaning his cage My dog- Invites me in. Yellow roses, In Clay vase- Wait. Winter storm Traffic jam ‘Come to Florida’. Claims the billboard. After long time searching For a peaceful place, my cat- Rests on the loudspeaker. Her brasserie Hung on the wash rope- Lone summer. Autumn leaves Greet me from under my Knees Silent snow Silent mosquitoes Tea.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20070201.htmlThu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20070201.htmlThe assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on January 19 in Istanbul galvanized two nations in ways that no analyst or political leader could have fathomed. While all the sides, Armenian or Turkish, agree that what happened was a tragedy, there have been many different interpretations and reactions to Mr. Dink’s assassination. It should be pointed out that while most of the reactions and actions were spontaneous, there were cases where a conscious attempt was discernible by groups to appropriate this tragedy for political ends.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070129.htmlMon, 29 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070129.htmlA lone deer comes to my backyard, She used to come with a large vanguard; Raising her ears at the smallest sound, She warily grazes the grassy ground. I do not know what happened to the others: Her timid sisters and her horny brothers. I observed this one when she was a newborn, I recall her running through the shrubs of corn. They used to come at the dusk and dawn Before we started to mow our lawn.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070122.htmlMon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070122.htmlFace down in a manger, draped in a white sheet of shame Turkey cuddling its colors by three silver bullets in the activists head Hrant Dink sang his praise of Turkey and the land he loved Blending his Armenian heritage, a sliver of his ancestral pride. He wrote polemics, reportages and op-ed pieces in Agos and tied Ballads to broken bonds beyond turpitude, beyond poisoned blood He signed his name to pleas of reason as best he could portend He believed all feuds could be mended, our agony surpassed by surprise attacks Status quo infracted, threats refracted, faced down, absolved.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070120.htmlSat, 20 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070120.htmlTime to forget nature’s mannerism and remember that earth is not an enemy. Time to recommend soil that gobbles seeds and gratifies us with the command of plants. Time to plant our reprimands and gather the green of their leaves for an appreciation. Time to suspend the negative moments like dangling participles to a sentence that will obey. Time to repair the crafts that need new glue; even flour mixed with water will do.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070113.htmlSat, 13 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070113.htmlTranslated by Knarik O. Meneshian It was a bright morning in spring When we met… You gave me a red rose And said, “A jewel for your breast.” The day was so clear, so light… I had nothing But my heart And said, “Here, a memento for you.” With my undying heart You rejoice and rejoice… But your fragrant red rose, Jewel for my breast, lived only for a day.https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070112.htmlFri, 12 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ah-20070112.htmlEarly snow over the Old City Courtesy: Custodia di Terra Santa As members of the tiny enclave of Armenians in the Old City of Jerusalem celebrate Christmas on January 19, in accordance with a centuries-old tradition, they will be looking forward to perhaps one of the most decisive years in the history of the region. What does 2007 hold for them? What can the spiritual leader of this enduring bastion of diaspora Armenians, Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, tell them in the message he will be delivering from the Grotto of the Nativity, in Bethlehem, as the clock strikes midnight?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070106.htmlSat, 06 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20070106.htmlSomewhere, long ago, in an ancient, rocky land, there was an old man warming himself by a fire. He was alone. The world he knew had died - his world: the people he loved, gone, the children playing in his village, gone, the village itself, gone. Only the sun remained, and the wind and moon and sea, and the rocky ground that led down to the sea. His only companion was his fire.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061230.htmlSat, 30 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061230.html(Twelfth Century Armenian Miniature) Turning her body away from the angel she almost closes her book. One hand holds her collar tightly to her throat . Part reluctant, part afraid, she cannot help looking at the branch in the angel’s hand about to bloom, flowering with the word made flesh, mystery made truth, and God made ours, blossoming as she will with the seasons that will never be the same, as every woman knows.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061223.htmlSat, 23 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061223.htmlYou might as well be Lebanese If you set your clock to a war Bombed bosom of thine brother’s barrage Fastidious religious banners, lust, lore. Poised in prayer on the head of a silvery pin Exploding sperm banks evict the middle road As Eastern quest to questions ring Channeling Western coffers Abducted news and queues: Kill, kill, kill and be killed in between. Governments come and go speaking of ethnic effects of dominohttps://ann.org/orig/rb-20061219.htmlTue, 19 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061219.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Entrance and courtyard to Isahakyan House Museum of Gyumri (© K. Vrtanesyan) In 1979 a most honored guest, the Armenian-American writer William Saroyan (1908-1981), paid us a visit here in Gyumri (known then as Leninakan), proudly declared Susanna Mnasaganyan, Director of the Isahakyan House Museum of Gyumri. When he saw Isahakyan’s desk, he knelt before it, kissed it and said, “Bury me here!” Lyric poet, Avetik Sahak Isahakyan, who earned the respect of his nation and whose career was long and prolific, is honored with two house museums.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061216.htmlSat, 16 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061216.htmlwhile the farmer thinks of the children who already grew to leave the land behind to search for a home. Like a newborn the farmer looks at the spring sky full of promise when the produce will be ready to sell when the fruits will ripe full of promise.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061209.htmlSat, 09 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061209.htmlIndifferent to reasons, that are misled hallow spaces, Consciously masquerading life, Wrapped in clean linen stories, Put away, Like two-hearted swans, Single body of expressions, Distressed with realms of control and pleasure… Indifferent to weakness, A culpable mind thirsts alone, Mixed thoughts sprinkled everywhere, Unevenly, preserved with muteness of life, Thinking to themselves, Disputing irrelevance of worth, An insignia of incomplete existence, Prey to avarice… Indifferent to pandemonium, All reasons burn at both ends, Derelict moon dressed by each rising sun, Kisses plague of each day, It slivers skin to thin layers of ice, Depraved, Living insipid life, Adoring antiquity of flesh and bone…https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061206.htmlWed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061206.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Display of ancient earthenware and carpets located on the First Floor To keep the promise that I had made to the museum (and myself), I returned to the National Folk Art Museum of Armenia that I had visited in October a year ago. Located at 64 Abovian Street, it is a short cab ride - or a healthy stroll uphill (if one is predisposed on a sunny autumn day) from Republic Square to the end of Abovian Street.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061205.htmlTue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061205.htmlMG2 Productions in association with Isis productions UK, BBC Television and the Raffy Manoukain Charity, present the movie “Screamers” featuring the rock band System of a Down (SOAD), conceived Grunwald and Tim Swain, and directed by Carla Garapedian. This movie is woven around the System of a Down international rock concert tour in 2005, SOULS, 90th Commemoration of a forgotten genocide. We see excerpts from their Los Angeles, London, Donnington and Amsterdam concerts.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061205.htmlTue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061205.htmlTravel Wire GYUMRI, ARMENIA ‘The alien world will give you no shack. But even if it gives a palace under the sun, If you do not have a hut in your homeland, You are still a forgotten orphan under a foreign moon.’* – Hovhannes Shiraz Great niece of H. Shiraz, Narineh Khachadurian (© K. Vrtanesyan) In May 2003 I was browsing through a commemorative publication of the Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum while waiting outside the office of His Holiness Karekin II in Etchmiadzin.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061202.htmlSat, 02 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061202.htmlGod gave me birth once and seated me on the leaf of a big plantain I grew up and turned into the original image given to the first human maid - Eve What are my further doings?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061125.htmlSat, 25 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061125.htmlThere is an old tale About a boy An only son Who fell in love with a lass. ‘You don’t love me, You never did,’ said she to him. `But if you do, go then And fetch me your mother’s heart.’ Downcast and distraught The boy walked off And after shedding copious tears Came back to his love. The girl was angry When she saw him thus And said, ‘Don’t you dare come back again Without your mother’s heart.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061118.htmlSat, 18 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061118.html“Love is not all. It is not food nor drink.” Edna St. Vincent Millay Nor is food love, but palate’s sport alone. Even with ceremony, without toast or vow, it is just means of keeping flesh on bone. But table and altar are confused somehow. We substitute our food again, again for rites of love. Look how this buffet sinks with golden fowl and platters of grain and candles for our eyes to drink.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061116.htmlThu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20061116.htmlTravel Wire Armenian Church in Brussels (© R. Bedevian) On our most recent trip to Armenia my husband and I made a stop over in Brussels before returning to the USA. Our taxi cab turned right onto Kindermonstraat and with no trouble at all we found Eglise Armenienne Apostolique Sainte Marie-Madeleine. Father Mesrob Barsamian, ordained in Holy Etchmiadzin and a former staff bearer for His Holiness Karekin II, was the guest celebrant.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061114.htmlTue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061114.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… I. HAGOP BARONIAN’S ‘THE HONOURABLE BEGGARS’ ALIVE AND PRACTICING TODAY Whatever any final judgement critics may make on the artistic quality of Hagop Baronian’s (1843-1891) ‘The Honourable Beggars’ (Selected Works, pp5-104, 1987, Yerevan, Armenia), they must still account for the immense and long-standing popularity of this story of social parasites, hypocrites, poseurs and cheats flocking around wealthy Abisoghom Agha to relieve him of the contents of his wallet.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061111.htmlSat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061111.htmlUp Climbs the shepherd With his flock. “Hey, hey!” he calls, Tapping his stick on soil and rock Up The mountain Aragats. Higher, A shepherdess In a billowy dress With hair tucked under her scarf Sings as she stirs a pot Hanging above flickering flames Near a canvas tent And strips of wool dripping, drying on a rope In the summer wind Sweeping across the mountain, Through rocky fields, green pastures, and alpine flower meadows Of blue and white and pink and yellow.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061104.htmlSat, 04 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061104.htmlIt was light, like thin air a vague suspended state where everything could matter less or anything could matter more compared to others, distant, detached hazy others. But what mattered more, was this one person, this individual, who was not just one anymore, since she was composed of; her, me and the entire world together. Not together like in an alphabet soup, but rather like a beautiful collage of none prescription inclusions of very special feelings, sensitivities made of delicate sentimental mental states, specifically made for this utterly uplifting occasion, which should not be called an occasion because it is more of a preoccupation, an overgrowth of involvement, deprived and eager to conquer lost time and space, it stretches beyond the heart, empowers the mind, with thoughts beyond the acceptable and the imaginable, it ignites the soul, which now conquers memory, it propagates creativity, it harnesses imagination, it liberates dreams.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061028.htmlSat, 28 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061028.htmlPulp Diction CAN I HATE A TREE? By Bedros Afeyan Can I hate a tree for its immobility? Can I hate its arms outstretched, hesitant, unprobing, Surrendering to the sun’s trajectory The prevalent winds and nothing firmer More abstract or nurturing than photochemistry? Should I hate a tree for the living decay it taunts and wears Its molds, folds, corrugated skin ready to peel and crack And sag with sap, without heaving variety in its dreams?https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061024.htmlTue, 24 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061024.htmlThe interviews form part of continuing research by Onnik Krikorian on Armenia’s largest minority and the division within the community regarding ethnic identity. Interviews that form the basis for later articles are made available through the Armenian News Network ` Groong in the interest of maintaining a plurality of differing views on this sensitive matter. ONNIK KRIKORIAN YEREVAN ARMENIA Interview with Dr. Christine Allison, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061021.htmlSat, 21 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061021.htmlThere is power in silence. To speak, to tell all, is to make everything known, providing for closure and the ability to move on, to heal and forget; but, to say nothing is to keep our bond contained, and thus maintained. There is suspense in silence. The things left unsaid and unexplained remain so always, creating a forever connection, a pact based on unspoken words that should have been uttered long ago.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20061016.htmlMon, 16 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20061016.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Sofya Melikyan, a talented and skillful pianist, performed on Sunday, October 15, at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. A native of Yerevan, Melikyan moved to Spain as a teenager, studying initially in Madrid and later in Paris. She is currently getting her Master’s Degree at the Manhattan School of Music, working with the veteran piano teacher Solomon Mikowsky. Her performance on Sunday was her official New York debut.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061014.htmlSat, 14 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061014.htmlUnloading boxcars on Erie Street for quick money taking anything that came along always on the run which was anywhere and going because I never stood still and sold siding, shoes, awnings, pots & pans you name it whatever came around the block I jumped and rode it until I got bucked or bored waiting for that one train the great chance to ride the rattling rails down that track U.https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061011.htmlWed, 11 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061011.htmlThese interviews form part of research on the division within Armenia’s Yezidi community regarding identity and reports that some Yezidi schools are refusing to accept new school text books printed in Cyrillic and a language recognized by the Armenian Government as ‘Yezideren’ or ‘Ezdiki.’ ONNIK KRIKORIAN YEREVAN ARMENIA Hasan Tamoyan, Deputy President, National Union of Yezidis, member of the National Minority Council, and Head of Yezidi language programs on Armenian Public Radio.https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061009.htmlMon, 09 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20061009.htmlHasan Tamoyan is Deputy President of the National Union of Yezidis, member of the National Minority Council, and Head of Yezidi language programs on Armenian Public Radio. ONNIK KRIKORIAN: Perhaps we could start with introducing yourself? HASSAN TAMOYAN: Everyone knows me. Just represent me as Hasan Tamoyan, but if you want I can tell you my title. OK: Please. HT: So, I am an Honored Journalist of the Republic of Armenia, Head of the Yezidi Programme on Public Radio, Editor of the Yezidikhana newspaper, in the President’s Office I represent the Yezidi Community on the Coordinating Council for National Minorities, and I am Aziz Tamoyan’s Deputy in the National Union of Yezidis.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061007.htmlSat, 07 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20061007.htmlIt’s how we turn our hips To face the looming day Ready to learn in a lurch To mark the scents of sorrow In revolutions per sunrise Undulations per sunset lost. To be a waking animal at nightfall A sleeping tinkerer by day To meet the hips that turn and jerk To accentuate these mournings of May. The salty air evades Cannery turn to Mall The merchants are asleep, The truckers in revolt, Yet I cannot sleep nor read At hours of my choice.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061004.htmlWed, 04 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20061004.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Longing’ by Anahit Sahinian (Selected Works in 3 Volumes, Volume 2, 496pp, Yerevan, 1988) I. ‘Longing’ is the second volume of Anahit Sahinian’s trilogy of Soviet Armenian life that stretches from the 1930s to the late 1950s. The main stage has now moved from the ‘Crossroads’ of urban Yerevan (see ANN/Groong - The Critical Corner, 24 May 2005) to rural Armenia. Sahinian here constructs a panoramic overview fixed with rich detail, particularity and authentic characters.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060930.htmlSat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060930.htmlor pulled off my face. No one ripped my belly. I was not taken to Istanbul for either harem or experimental hospital. No one nailed me on a cross saying, `Now let your Jesus save you.' No one made me servant or slave. No one had me crawl like a dog or grovel for a piece of bread. My soul did not wither or fold its wings choosing to drown in the Euphrates rather than bear another day.https://ann.org/orig/ok-20060925.htmlMon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20060925.htmlRostom Atashov was born in Tbilisi, capital of the Republic of Georgia in 1963, and received his law degree from Yaroslavl State University in Russia in 1987 and worked in the Prosecutor’s office after graduation. He returned home to Georgia in 1988 and joined the Ministry of Justice, sitting several terms as a judge. He currently serves as President of the ‘Union of Yazidis of Georgia’ NGO, the larger of two Kurdish organizations in Georgia.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060923.htmlSat, 23 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060923.htmlA trip to the Native American village I like feathers because they are pretty. I like to talk to Santa Clause because I like my Christmas Tree. There are nine pumpkins in the village My friends play with me I like to play with toys, Martin Luther King saved the world. I like my friends and my aunt I like to swim in a hotel pool. I like dinosaurs because Triceratops eats plants.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060916.htmlSat, 16 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060916.htmlI was a poet when celestial rings Of burning clouds hissed for me Danced around campfires as nymphs, Called for rain Or overcast predictions Of sexual digressions Committed to paper In defense of the word supreme — The Word, spring like and nurturing. I was a poet when sense sank into a samovar Pouring sensibility through a cup of blinding tea And Leotards jumped in unison to frighten gazelles Across the screens of mundane melancholy.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060911.htmlMon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060911.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Collected Works’ by Bedros Tourian (Library of Armenian Classics, 1981, Yerevan, 456pp) LOVE’S REVOLT Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. – Dylan Thomas The Romantic label has been readily wrapped around Bedros Tourian (1852-1872). But this enchanting poet is of no school but his own. He died before he was 21, producing only the slimmest volume of poetry: altogether 43 pieces, including mere verse written for the patriotic occasion, as well as drafts and variants.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060909.htmlSat, 09 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060909.htmlBeauty to me is red, Drinking the dew from poppies - Breathing gentle narcotics, Flying with ladybird. Beauty to me is red. Beauty to me is white, Bridal imagination - Purity smells carnation. Churches - eternal light. Beauty to me is white. Beauty to me is blue, Sea in the sky’s reflection, Moonstone without fractions - Born as it is, not glued. Beauty to me is blue. Beauty to me is black, Smoggy deserted towns, Masks on the gloomy clowns, Pearls on mulatto’s neck.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060902.htmlSat, 02 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060902.htmlTrey Ellis would probably call me a ‘cultural mulatto,’ and you’d probably agree; America is not the dream, it’s where you sober up (with a bad hangover) and get (de) familiarized to the color of your skin. But sitting here on Baghramian Ave., squinting my eyes at couples perched at their tables I wonder if they ever think of their next bold move' and if (my) morbidity ever discomforts them.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060826.htmlSat, 26 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060826.htmlWe will never leave the picnic at Thompsondale our mothers ever beautiful in their summer dresses Our fathers with straw hats and colored suspenders The blanket spread upon the meadow cane poles strung bobbers dancing over the slow moving stream The grape leaves gathered in the basket will never be taken home the sandwiches will be eaten again and again And clouds will gather and part the sun will rise and recede night will come And then tomorrow again and againhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060819.htmlSat, 19 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060819.htmlWhat, might I ask, are the three? Cowardice Selfishness Immaturity Perhaps the three are her, you, and me. . . the three that will forever haunt your dreams, like the Holy Trinity you gave up, as if nothing. You say she is your queen, with her wide nose, fat thighs, and ugly moustache. What about the princess you denied as your own? The little girl who will always be yours, no matter how hard you try to say no.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060812.htmlSat, 12 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060812.htmlI am not I, But why? Cool face, black hair, An icicle of moon, Holds me up above the water As day passes by passions canal, All nights become personal. I am the ship out on the sea, With a drunken heart, My lips red as dried out roses, Calling absent fate, All so subtle, so intimate. I raise my cup in an empty room, In this light my heart seems transparent, No sirens, no traffic lights, Not even you, just I, Transparent as gauze.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20060807.htmlMon, 07 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20060807.htmlNew York, New York During a single weekend in early August, two very young fellows won over New York music-lovers, while filling Armenian hearts with unbound pride. The pair, both born in Yerevan in 1985, were violinist Sergey Khachatryan, performing at Avery Fisher Hall, and composer Tigran Ayvazyan, who had a composition featured at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Friday, August 4 marked the New York debut of 21-year-old Sergey Khachatryan, who performed a staple of the violin repertoire, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra under the baton of Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060805.htmlSat, 05 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060805.htmlOur narratives are fresh detached roots Dangled drips of negotiated reality Dispersed in alien geopolyphony Flowering at the edges of volcanic ashlands. Our narratives are frail identities Molested yet sold in street trade Molding Garry’s Hadison’s and Aznavour’s Pealed Garabedian, Heditsian and Aznavourian Mere traces of a chorus fallen land. Our stale narratives, cataloged fresh, fresh Die with each veneration, dragging choice privations Chanting dignity, justice and christian destiny Fermented jackets of indifference, self absorption Inviting every label, model and color of extinction To metastasize a small vineyard of apricots and dreams Into bewildered banality, Los Angeles, Yerevan Hemorrhaging Hye** identity haunted past The volts of historical heresy.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060724.htmlMon, 24 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060724.htmlPART THREE: An Armenian communist as world poet [ Review PART I | Review PART II ] Yeghishe Charents’s poetry (here Collected Works Volume IV, Yerevan, 1968) has a compelling quality, fashioned as it is with driving energy and with a spirit of bold confidence that usually accompanies human endeavour only at its freshest. Whether he writes about his life and loves, about Armenian nationalism, the Bolshevik Revolution, about the degradation of culture during the rise of Stalinism or about the act of artistic creativity itself, he pours into his work all the contents of his eternally tempestuous soul and all the inexhaustible zest that he had for life.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060722.htmlSat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060722.htmlXXXXXXXX By Sara Margaryan They say that I should look above And see the planet Mars At night it burns on brown sky And marks it with its orange light They say it happens only once In sixty thousand years That Mars appears on the sky And come so close to Earth They say and I believe them But oh, I don’t see it Here the sky is dark Here the stars are drunk Here I don’t fly Here I don’t have Armenian skyhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060708.htmlSat, 08 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060708.htmlI prefer to keep myself sorrowful and gloomy by giving my happiness to the gliding breeze. I like to let my endeavors falter and fail by tripping over my last step of accomplishments, abandoning titles by forgetting the roster of my skills. At the critical moment when you are depending on me, I rather cry like a newborn, in witness of the awesome stature, strength, and fame of strangershttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060701.htmlSat, 01 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060701.htmlTranslated by Diana Der-Hovanessian and Reprinted from the Christian Science Monitor (A poem for the April 24th anniversary of the genocide by the Turks) Today let everyone of us for a minute forget blood and tears and we will not have two million sorrows. Today, this once, let everyone of us have only kindly thoughts and we will have two million feelings that are pure. Today let everyone of us keep a pulsating star in mind and we will have a sky of two million stars.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060624.htmlSat, 24 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060624.htmlWe climbed the hill, My brother and I, We climbed until we reached the top. In the distance stood the mountains called Verdugo. The California sky was bright, And the air was crisp As the March winds stirred On this first day of spring. Despite the winds, It was peaceful here, Among the rows and rows Of old and new Level-with-the-ground headstones. In the distance, Lay red flowers - another headstone to be placed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060617.htmlSat, 17 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060617.htmlThe best part of school was the window I looked out of?over the seen and imagine spaces there and beyond The school bell never sounded or announced its arrival inside my head I heard only the trees and birds singing and what the wind said Across the schoolyard tenement noises with cars passing and talking trucks everywhere The rag and tin man on his horse-driven cart and the excited fireman?https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060612.htmlMon, 12 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060612.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Antranig and His Times - Volume II’ by Hratchig Simonian (832pp, Gaysa Publishers, Yerevan, 1996) ‘Not to know anything about Antranig is equivalent to knowing nothing about one’s own modern (Armenian) history.’ So wrote the great 20th century poet Barouyr Sevak in a 1963 article urging Soviet Armenian historians to restore Antranig to his rightful place in history. Hratchig Simonian’s two-volume biography ‘Antranig and His Times’ leaves us no excuse not to know.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060609.htmlFri, 09 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060609.htmlThe south wind rises stirs leaves among Fresno graves I am reminded of past storms ruined raisins the two of us walking through muddy fields bending over trays stuck to the ground in perfect rotting rows father and son using simple words to express amazement hide disappointment convince ourselves next year will be betterhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060603.htmlSat, 03 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060603.htmlInstallation by L. Bourgeois, 1989 Like two commas that cut a flight of words into halves these, too, are fat and slow guarding the stairwell with their Sphinx eyes wrinkled in stagnation there is no exit for them. But you still can whisk through to the stairs hidden so well behind the screen, first, train your feet and then grow a feather with each step. Note: This poem appeared in The Spoon River Poetry Review, Winter/Spring 2005.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060527.htmlSat, 27 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060527.htmlyou live in a city where stone scrapes the sky where the starts are hidden behind the roofs you live in a city where the smoke of cigars makes the nostrils loose where the motion leads the crowd where the snow melts in mouth caught in air and coughed out I sleep on grass of emeralds and eat unripe and dusty plums right from the trees I share bread with funny ducks and quite seldom smoke cigars ?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060520.htmlSat, 20 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060520.htmlThe sun is brighter. The air is warmer. The grass is turning green And tiny buds can now be seen. Rising from A long winter’s sleep, We turn to ebullient thoughts Of the coming spring. A time to reflect Upon springs of yesterday. A time to dream of Springs of tomorrow. Spring - the anticipation Of life anew. Spring - the realization Of life’s enigma. February 2005https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060517.htmlWed, 17 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060517.htmlThe announcement on May 11, that Artur Baghdasarian will resign from his post as the speaker of Armenia’s parliament and that his party, Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) will withdraw from the ruling coalition has redrawn Armenia’s political landscape significantly. The schism between Orinats Yerkir (OY) and the ruling coalition - comprised of the Republican Party of Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) - has been escalating over the past several weeks when Baghdasarian stepped up his criticism of the government on the latter’s both foreign and domestic policies.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060515.htmlMon, 15 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060515.htmlBarooshian’s Mythistorima II New York artist Martin Barooshian’s relocation to his home-state Massachusetts is being commemorated by a retrospective of his work at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts. Spanning over half a century (1956-2006), Barooshian’s body of work, like that of many artists, passes through definable periods, yet his work has a distinct continuum. Traces from Greek mythology merge or reappear in altered form to be further explored.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060508.htmlMon, 08 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060508.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… THE ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN WAR OF 1918 Armenian-Georgian relations figure hardly at all in public discussion. Yet in their enduringly fraught character they have been and to this day remain important to the fashioning of Armenian nationhood and are also significant for the future stability of the Armenian state and the region as a whole.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060506.htmlSat, 06 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060506.htmlOne Your face is the autumn light shining Through leaves hung by frozen Branches on the early harvest time Wetness of your lips reflect sunlight Gleaming on the horizon yellow Purple clouds laugh while their hems drop- The early rains of morning flood Two She lies down next to me and I see Her cloud blossom breasts Tinkle by the breeze blowing Across the sheets. Then I walk down the staircase Of her marble ribs and find a meadow Shadows extend towards east… It will rain soon.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060429.htmlSat, 29 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060429.htmlYou were not only the uncle of the man I most admired, you were also the uncle I longed for but never had. You were the jewel in the lost desert of the San Joaquin, in that city for which you and your nephew held the only promise for me, being your troubled admirer and friend. Like me you prized writing above all other human activities, and also like me you had done nothing about it yourself.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060422.htmlSat, 22 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060422.htmlThe old woman Takouhi Watches the fly Climb up the window screen. She blinks As wind blows strands Of white hair across her face. Pressing her crooked finger Against the screen, She points To pink roses spotted brown, Half-shriveled tomato plants Sprawled on the ground. And she remembers… Her mother and father Dead in the fields, Her baby brother Tossed in the river, And her big sister Dragged away by men - Long ago, When the heavens screamed As the earth flowed red On land where her people lived.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060415.htmlSat, 15 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060415.htmlWhat if all the poets were rounded up and killed? What if all the priests were executed? What if all the men in the country were drafted and then shot in front of ditches they themselves had dug? What if the government said; In two days you must leave your home and belongings taking only enough for two days on the road? What if all the pretty girls were raped?https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060412.htmlWed, 12 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060412.htmlTwo New Must See Documentaries, One by Andrew Goldberg, the Other by Laurence Jourdan It has been a long struggle. Especially starting in 1915, and lasting the length of WWI, Genocide was perpetrated, premeditated, systematic, targeting Christian (non-Muslim) populations of the villages in Anatolia, in the Ottoman heartland, displacing and wiping out the Armenian (and Assyrian and any other unassimilatable) infidels (called Gyavoors in Turkish). Who organized it? The Ittihadists, members of the Committee of Union and Progress, better known as the Young Turks.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060411.htmlTue, 11 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060411.htmlBalance of Power in South Caucasus and the Probability for Resumption of War in Nagorno Karabakh BACKGROUND In the weeks that followed the failed Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations in Rambouillet, the Azerbaijani government spared no time or energy to carry out major war propaganda through every media outlet in Azerbaijan. The constant barrage of threats against the republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh were rather unprecedented in their consistency and ferocity compared to similar remarks made by the Azerbaijani authorities for the last few years.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060408.htmlSat, 08 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060408.html“Have ye read the wondrous story A Transcendent page of glory! As it happened in Armenia In the province of Sebastia ‘Tis a tale of women brave Choosing Death, themselves to save From the Turkish soldier’s lust From his satyr passion gust Three thousand drank the poisoned cup Others, no poison left to sup, From crests of hills they leaping fell Into abyss of gorge and dell. Their fathers, brothers, husbands, sons ‘Gainst Turk’s artillery and guns Seven and twenty days methought Had battle waged and stubborn fought The foe, of arms well provided Whilst their meager stock exhausted Yet fighting still they heroic died.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060403.htmlMon, 03 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060403.htmlStarring: Tom Mardirosian (from HBO’s OZ) Nadia Mahdi Jeff Biehl Herb Rubens Directed by Sarah Benson Music composed by John Baboian By Bedros Afeyan “The Perils of Politeness Live On” by Bianca Bagatourian is loosely based on the famous Armenian, satirical, 120 year old set of thematically linked anecdotes by Hagop Baronian titled “Kaghakavaroutian Vnassneruh”, which roughly translates to Losses or Setbacks Caused by Politeness, or better yet, What You Lose By Being Too Polite When the World Around You Is Not.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060401.htmlSat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060401.htmlThe word, ‘Turkish,’ so sweet, so brutish. The word, ‘Armenian,’ in the roof of your mouth. We make love between turns we take to say them, these two words like stars in singing constellations burning the distance between them, utter each consonant, suck each vowel like the tail of an oud, thrust each syllable, purse the Turkish lip like sugar, mention that Armenian is more gauche, like a horse, a spit in the dark.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20060327.htmlMon, 27 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20060327.htmlTravel Wire Father Guregh Talian (© K. Vrtanesyan) Standing tall and serene with gentle, yet penetrating eyes, Father Guregh Talian greets me, a visitor from America. Shepherd to his flock for the past nine years, he begins to explain in a soft-spoken manner, ‘Sourb Katoghike (Holy Universal) Church , has 4th century roots. The first structure was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 and by 1890, the second edifice was finished.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060325.htmlSat, 25 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060325.htmlYour thick, black, sweaty hair. Your crooked, toothy grin. The nervous stutter of your voice. The smell of pencil lead and soap. The rough touch of hands well used. Of all the things Still tattooed in my memory Of you It is the slumped curve Of your shoulders and back As a paternal hand Pushed you the other way And you scurried from me, Carrying my life with you .https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060321.htmlTue, 21 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060321.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… BERJ BROSHIAN: 19TH CENTURY ARMENIAN NOVELIST: CONSERVATIVE OR PROGRESSIVE? Nineteenth century Armenian novelist Berj Broshian (1837-1907) continues to suffer a terrible reputation. In his own day critics such as Leo derided him as a dyed-in-the-wool conservative with no artistic talent. In the thirties of the Soviet era crude Marxists condemned his novels for failing to depict the Armenian peasantry as a ‘revolutionary class’.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20060320.htmlMon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20060320.htmlNEW YORK, NY The 4th annual “Lionel Galstaun Memorial Concert” took place in the sanctuary of the St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church, Westchester, NY on Sunday afternoon, March 19. Pianist Natalia Kazaryan of Tiflis, Georgia; mezzo soprano Solange Merdinian and violinist Sami Merdinian, both from Argentina, were the featured artists. Mr. Merdinian opened the program with a dignified rendition of Tartini’s Violin Sonata, also known as “The Devil’s Trill” for the fiendishly tricky double-stop shakes in the last movement.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20060320.htmlMon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20060320.htmlOrbeli Brothers - Illustrious Family, Extradordinary Achievements, Pride of a Nation. Travel Wire TSAGHKADZOR, ARMENIA Orbeli Brothers Monument (© K. Vrtanesyan) Despite the light drizzle of rain and overcast clouds of a late October day, Geraseem and Marineh Megerdichian stood on the portico of the Orbeli Brothers’ Museum in Tsaghkadzor and eagerly greeted our party of three with warm smiles. Before we introduced ourselves, Marineh candidly revealed her curiosity and queried, ‘What is your interest in the Orbeli brothers and why have you come here today?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060318.htmlSat, 18 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060318.htmlRain, making my soul thunder, With solemn darkness of insanity, It crises with composite hunger, Against passion of naked sanity. It stands with despicable foes, Corrupted by the bosom of remorse, With each effectual drop, It makes hearts flip and flop. Its exorbitant desires are a maze, Within each drop a hidden gaze, With it?s mortal obedient sense, It drills deep into soul?s incense. It dresses in divine compassion, With power of obsolete fashion, It caresses sinful and stony hearts, Creating blind pieces of fine arts.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060311.htmlSat, 11 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060311.htmlIn relation with you The sweetness of life ripens, Becomes enjoyment and happiness, Becomes tasty with bliss¦ Flashes and illusions¦ Flashes and illusions¦ Become real as Light and warmth¦ Light and warmth¦ That is how life becomes actual, Which is an inexhaustible ending Of expectations¦ Eternity is devotion That cannot be defined by meaning, Be conditioned by causality, By moral or social values¦ Plunge into my bosom, Do not worry with the story of survival, Because we are the convicts Of an inexhaustible ending¦https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060304.htmlSat, 04 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060304.htmlstrangers in our own untranslatable paradise we wait for the discovery of new colors and hues to depict what we felt. Taking refuge in intensely personal emotions so extraordinary, that when we try to verbalize we sound like babbling toddlers. we have our daily routine blanketing the deep stillness of treasures so rare planted in each of us by the other defying dimensions of time place and destiny in the clear shiny night the stars keep on singing the sparkling songs of the cricketshttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20060301.htmlWed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060301.htmlForeign Peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh: another source for stability or cause for concern? BACKGROUND As the negotiations for the resolution of the Armenian-Azeri conflict over Nagorno Karabakh continue, a series of public statements were recently made by the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Chairman of OSCE Minsk Group Karel De Gucht and Project Director of International Crisis Group Sabine Frezier[1] that indicated that the possibility of deploying foreign peace keepers in the conflict zone is currently being discussed.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060227.htmlMon, 27 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20060227.htmlWhy we should read… ‘I Want to Live: Poems of Shushanik Kurghinian’ Translated by Shushan Avagyan, AIWA Press, 2005 ‘Shushanik Kurghinian: Selected Works’ (Yerevan, 1982) FREE SPIRIT, REBEL AND REVOLUTIONARY `Soar high rather than walk, no matter that you may fall. Those that fall from heights never lie prostrate for long.’ (p339) Shushanik Kurghinian (1876-1927) was an outstanding poet. But she has received little or no recognition. Although also a socialist with some stirring poems of labour’s rebellion to her name, she remained a dim star even in the Soviet era.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060225.htmlSat, 25 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060225.htmlChess is war in measured unit steps Beauty brought from a silent clef Freedom from drones of cliches Offering illusion, freshness. Chess is unownable, yet community makes Trickling progress, sudden death Mocking comprehension, bounding past instinct space Chess is grand pilgrimage from aging to progress. Yet there is only one chess, with chess its nearest profit. 5-11-97 Livermore, CAhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060218.htmlSat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060218.htmlTo freeze that frame When our hearts spoke aloud To etherize a crowd Shan’t it be the same By and through the seven lands And the four, which make the seas Through the eternal, sterile sky Whispers mimicking an April breeze I’d steel the rings of Saturn Mt. Olympus from Zeus Horns of Beelzebub would be mine As the wings of Seraphs I’d make thine The moon I’ll have with butter The sun with toast and tea The rest I’ll swallow whole Just to have your eyes Mesmerized Upon mehttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060211.htmlSat, 11 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060211.htmlYou closed your eyes after giving a new dimension to kindness to love after stretching your arms beyond your own body to touch a sufferer to soothe a wounded soul. You closed your eyes to grow wings of cherubs so they would take you sooner to mitigate hunger and ease agony as if your mission would never be over as if you would not be allowed to rest. They called you Mother because a heart in pain always came first because you were there for every need.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060204.htmlSat, 04 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060204.htmlWhite fluffy cotton balls, Carrying the poplar’s seed, Gather in cracks and crevices Along the lake’s front. The Island, they called it, in Sevan, But bound to the shore now, A hill, the churches on the top, Pop-up book cut-outs. Across, above the lake’s low green shoreline, Snow in the mountains’ folds, Mountains’ cotton ball seeds. Sevan’s Snow Lake Sevan’s bluish water shines like burnished steel. Hills low as huts are dappled with shadows shaped like Rorschach tests.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060131.htmlTue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060131.htmlSince 1994, shortly after its independence, Armenia signed tax treaties to avoid double taxation of income and profits with 27 countries. In many ways these efforts reflect the expansion in economic activity in Armenia, and the flow of foreign investments. Tax treaties deal with problems that arise when residents, individuals and business entities, of one nation earn income in another country. More specifically, these agreements set out a framework for the tax treatment of income and profits flowing between Armenia and treaty partner countries.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060128.htmlSat, 28 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20060128.htmlBackground With the coming of the New Year, Armenia came face to face with a problem that may undermine its national security as a viable and sovereign nation-state. The problem in question is the role played by major business monopolies in Armenia and their ability to undermine the positive performance of Armenia’s economy. Among many, the problem that is most acute is Armenia’s heavy reliance on Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, for the deliveries of its natural gas to the country.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060128.htmlSat, 28 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060128.htmlSHIFTING THE SUN By Diana Der Hovanessian When your father dies, say the Irish, you lose your umbrella against bad weather. May his sun be your light, say the Armenians. When your father dies, say the Welsh, you sink afoot deeper into the earth. May you inherit his light, say the Armenians. When your father dies, say the Canadians, you run out of excuses. May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060121.htmlSat, 21 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060121.html‘Sir Orfeo’ is an English poem in the tradition of a Breton Lay. In its day, it was probably performed orally to music as well as read. The author of the poem is unknown. The oldest copy of ‘Sir Orfeo’ is found in the Auchinleck manuscript which dates to around 1330-1340 A.D. As its title suggests, the poem is an English adaptation and reworking of the popular Orpheus myth, the most famous version of which is found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060114.htmlSat, 14 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060114.htmlFollow me. Under the moon, Where we usually meet. Follow me. Shattering stones Will fall from the roofs. We will never be happy together, But today? just follow me. Pure, innocent? don’t utter a word. The petals faded. Follow me. I don’t play games, I don’t stay sober. I wait for the impossible. Reward my patience. Follow me. I still believe in you, my angel, Your empty eyes? immortal glimpses.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060107.htmlSat, 07 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20060107.htmlShall we turn to blogs, I asked, cybervision like a knapsack on my aging back? I’ll write of the many countries that have weighed upon me, one taking my arms and another taking my legs another my taking my head. Altogether they’ve used my conscience for their bed. I spilled hope of dry afternoons on the child that was Turkey and changed its face to Syria. They are strangers to me now.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051231.htmlSat, 31 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051231.htmlAnd she answered, Memory is the paper that cannot be erased by erasing.–Diana Der-Hovanessian, from The Riddle, 1994 This is a true story she says stepping up to the lectern slowly each step bearing ninety seven years of weight. The audience (cough) at once black crows signing to each other (cough) (cough) we walked at night we hid at dawn buried (cough) ourselves under the sand not to be found by the gendarmes (cough) she is almost blind behind the thick lens–that night we lost two girls Manush (cough) eleven and (cough) Zabel (cough) their bodies hanging (cough) (cough) each morn(cough)ing above my bed, their ton(cough)gues ripped out, (cough) their hair burn(cough)t.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051231.htmlSat, 31 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051231.htmlPART FOUR: ‘Pagan Songs’ and the art of living `Only he can grasp the enchanted Dream Who drinks both of the incense and the muck of life Who is a Being kneaded both with light and mud A Being, also, who is created with a tear.’ (p324) ‘Pagan Songs’ (Selected Works, Yerevan, 1984) was the third and last volume of poetry that Daniel Varoujean was able to personally prepare for publication in 1912, three years before his murder in 1915.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051224.htmlSat, 24 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051224.htmlTranslated from Armenian by Diana Der Hovanession To prepare a Christmas tree you need two things. First the tree itself and then the ornaments. To decorate a Christmas tree you need tree things. Beside the tree and the ornaments, you need hope for a string of good days about to begin. Actually to decorate a Christmas tree you need only one thing: eyes to change tinsel to diamonds. To decorate your tree then, take my wishes for the New Year: wishes for more illusions.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051217.htmlSat, 17 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051217.htmlCollectively we stand Or think we do. Collectively we hope Declare the sword Inferior to the pen Or ink or feather. High in reason, sure of measure We serve our lord Sweetened self interest Illusion of duped masses Making their gains into our profit. Sloganeers, marketers, steeped in musk We regurgitate faithlessness As conviction, Markovian prediction Of endless struggle For good old liberty And apple pie freedom As billions die slowly.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051213.htmlTue, 13 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051213.html“The Genocide in Me,” (54 min.) by Araz Artinian, and “My Son Shall Be Armenian,” (81 min.) by Hagop Goudsouzian The Passing of the Torch to Very Able Armenian Filmmakers Who Tackle the Genocide Story Head On, Very Personally and Universally at the Same Time Immensely successful documentaries have been released on DVD, both from Montreal, Quebec, Canada where two Armenian film makers have chronicled very personal journeys into the Hell of the Past, stoked by the future, informed by the peaceful surroundings of the calm that is Canada itself.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051210.htmlSat, 10 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051210.htmlYou know where Winnipeg is don’t you I was born there. I worked with my father On a farm, we raised cattle I had nine sisters. Come here, Let me tell you a story; One day we were killing cattle, With my father you know I was tying them tight with ropes To keep them still, you see? And my father told me, ‘I’m gonna Kill the next one at the spot where you look at the animal’, and you know, I was looking at the animal right in the eye Guess how old I am?https://ann.org/ro/ro-20051205.htmlMon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20051205.htmlArmenia has a long and proud tradition of education and training in mathematics and the sciences, as well as in the arts and music. Given the very same historic legacy, however, Armenia began its independence in 1991 endowed with very few professionals trained in finance, management science, and economics. The absence of such professionals and training institutions has left its marks on the governance and management of the economy, with consequences so deleterious that they raise doubts on whether Armenia will become a fully functioning economy any time soon.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051203.htmlSat, 03 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051203.htmlMY GRANDMOTHER, 1974 By William Michaelian My grandmother sings Arravod Looso eats batz hatz and cheese all day watches soap operas with cross-eyed American girls wearing lots of makeup stealing each others' husbands having their babies amot she says I can’t believe my eyes what are they doing who are these women why do they want to show everything when I was young my mother wore three dresses at a time a girl would fight to preserve her honor I remember Siranoush Gulian took her own life when she was violated her poor mother lost her mind and these girls look at them they keep their mouths open like prostitutes you can read their minds here have some grapes sit we’ll talk how are things at school turn that thing off these filthy Americans make me sick please sit by me tsakoog.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051126.htmlSat, 26 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051126.htmlMy students are writing math poems invented by Aram Saroyan and named by 6th grader Laurie Burke. They are adding Loneliness to Happiness and getting Poetry. They are multiplying Twitching by Six hours and getting School. They are subtracting You from Me and getting Nowhere.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051119.htmlSat, 19 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051119.htmlYou are my daily mastering lie, The throne to my hearts thunderous sigh, The mind with soar transported fear, Watchful fire burning within oceans bed, which I can hear! You are the tune of my newest song, The words embraced within transparent lust of wrongs, The hand that rocks my worldwide cradle, My dream, my thorn, and melodious battle. You are the blessing of my daily thoughts, The invisible mortal, my souls suspicious want, The chain over my guilty façade, which I eagerly desire, Muted, infant lips which I would silence with passionate fire.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051112.htmlSat, 12 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051112.htmlThe child relaxes As the home fires are lit And all the night lies outside. Fades the fields, the grain, But dares not reach its bony fingers out, To touch the fire. Sit down my young friend. Winds are chill and chafe around you, Howl as if their hungry questions, Will not cease upon the shutters of the windows, Windows that close out the night. But I —– Can not see the lights that call you.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051107.htmlMon, 07 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051107.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. I. FABRICATED HISTORY IN THE SERVICE OF PAN-TURKISH CHAUVINISM Some books are valuable for outlining a problem or exposing some dangerous intellectual subterfuge even if they fail to give adequate rebuttal to the arguments they seek to challenge. One such book is ‘The Falsification of Armenian History in Modern Turkish Historiography’ (192pp, 1995, Yerevan) by Manuel Zulalian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051105.htmlSat, 05 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051105.html‘It is yours,’ I said. ‘Yes, it is mine,’ you agreed. Your belly will grow and I will read poetry to your swelling, pink flesh. I will nurture you with Hayastan food. We will be as one. ……………….. silence ‘It is yours,’ I cried. ‘No, it is not,’ you muttered. ……………….. nothing.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051029.htmlSat, 29 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051029.htmlKurt Vonnegut said: `We all are inmates On the planet Earth’. If that is it, Shouldn’t we thank guards For every bit of goods? For job and family, For friends and for health, For love and for food. And when step by step They take goods away, We still appreciate The miracle of life And the hope to revive. We all are hostages On invisible stage, We are brought here Against our will, Let argue with me Who was born with smile.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051022.htmlSat, 22 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051022.htmlSipping tea at Le Cafe See bamboo chairs Reflect sorrows of afternoon, Dust bursts off my tongue Songs of bygone Sheepish glance at shady glass. Then, for the fourth time I observe the clock- Have a date with the Mountain Will he come by? Trumpet blasts at crow’s tune Air is intense- spit and angst Blow the throats of Disguised pawns Breasts sigh as girls Slide at sideways tide Stains surface on my white tie A frog mourns a lost lagoon- Have a date with the Mountain Will he come by?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051015.htmlSat, 15 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051015.htmlDo you love the world you live in? Have you ever caught your own mind on despising it? If yes, have you ordered yourself Immediately to stop it? No? Then don’t you think you still lead a hidden hypocrisy? Myself a wonderer, I always loved them - Shabby, with searching eyes, Curious, miserable at times, Shadowy, like ghosts, Proud in their purity of mind - Beggars.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051010.htmlMon, 10 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20051010.htmlPART TWO: On the sober gentlemen of Armenian nationalism [ Review PART I | Go to PART III ] Yeghishe Charents came of age in an era of mass slaughter, of World War I and the Armenian genocide. By the time he was 21 the Young Turk government had murdered one and a half million Armenians and emptied western Armenia of all its indigenous Armenian population. Of Armenia there remained only a rump in its eastern sector, a tiny stretch of arid rock upon which was founded the first independent Armenian state for some 600 years.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051008.htmlSat, 08 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051008.htmlGrandmother, the city is cold, I’m coming home to you. Walking, walking on concrete, I have begun to feel like it. Grandmother, I’m coming home to you. To the smell of wood smoke in the air, And animal tracks in the snow. To the feel of earth at my feet, And pebbles in my hand. To the song of birds, And the rhythm of uncut grass Rustling in the wind.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051001.htmlSat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20051001.htmlDissolved pupils of the eye floating in search of melted conscience, pitiful, disdained mermaids turning in automatic dishwashers lost fragments of clouds deodorizing laundry bleached charcoal sitting in a powder state waiting for enough liquid vapors to solidify again under the transparent shelf below the garlic salad next to the peeled watermelon, artificially engineered to render seedless almost like the cat pruned and clawless. Dissolved intellect dwelling in cynicism discovering new explanations for all the wrongs the useless expenditures, the failing grades, The decaying health, the dull morale… failing intellect queued up at the entrance, of the comedy clubs, the dance Mecca’s the unemployment lines, the stadiums, and finally at the SAT-college admissions or was it registration line Defrosted purpose made of diluted pupils to see only here and now can find no value in the past nor can envision the promise of a futurehttps://ann.org/ew/ew-20050927.htmlTue, 27 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20050927.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Eerie. Desolate. Haunting. Perturbing. Those are a few of the words that came to mind as I listened to Suren Zakarian’s “Island of Lamentation,” performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble under the baton of Joel Sachs at New York’s Lincoln Center on Saturday, September 24. As Dr. Sachs remarked after the concert, “You wouldn’t want to be in his mind as he was composing it.” One of Armenia’s “middle generation” composers, Suren Zakarian is a musician of considerable note in his native country.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050924.htmlSat, 24 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050924.htmlCross-stones of Armenia, sprouting from beneath the churches, with arms cut-off dark, mute grooms, that orphaned slouch underneath the sun, in solitude, in ache, in stiffness, in crystal elegy, in stoic calm, as rows of brides with slit throats and broken hymens, desperately crowd the rivers in springtime, impatient to reach the Caspian shore. Stones of Siamanto, each one marrying a bride on the page, relentlessly in wait for a first kiss or a stolen word frozen on her terrible lips.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050917.htmlSat, 17 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050917.htmlLong ago, on a street corner in the city where I was born, there was a dump truck full of large green cabbages parked in the mud. The driver of the truck raised the bed, forming a mountain of cabbage on the ground. Suddenly, from nowhere, several dozen women appeared, as if they had been waiting beneath the pavement itself. In exchange for their tears and in some cases a few small coins, the truck driver, an unshaven man in his sixties, handed cabbages to the women.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050912.htmlMon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050912.htmlNEW FOREST CODE & RELATED LEGISLATION Armenia’s Endangered Forests This spring a series of discussions began in Yerevan and several regions (“marzes”) of Armenia focusing on the draft new forest code. These discussions, organized by Armenian Forests NGO with the support of an Open Society Institute public policy formation grant, have sought to engage key NGOs and others in the realization of this proposed Code and related implementation. These discussions were aimed to inform and prepare people for the introduction of the draft code in Parliament.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050910.htmlSat, 10 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050910.htmlI am thirteen years old. Forever. Pasternak said he was fourteen. But I am younger. Just starting but no longer a child. And aging fast. Although the world stays new and wet behind the ears. I just begin to understand that I will never understand. And I am in love as if for the first time with the written word. This affair began when my grandfather promised me that true love would always be returned.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050903.htmlSat, 03 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050903.htmlWithin numberless folds, A short silence summons me, As joy and fear rebounds my heart, With clusters of jocund music and airy crowd. Within such rebellious rout, I swarm within the air of arched pavement, As the thick airborne silence becomes the daily dew, I can’t help but wonder if your presence will charm me anew. Within the dimensions of hollow salt, I taste your existence summoning my unstructured heart, As I level within spaced arches of expatiated and conferred self, Your immenseness as a frequent visitor becomes the setting sun.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050827.htmlSat, 27 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050827.htmlIn 1905, as Armenian villages slept in Anatolia Vaguely suspicious of coming escalations in atrocities Invitations being readied to be evicted of their vibrancy, Forced marches to the Syrian desert To starve, to be raped and shot To perish for all eternity Branded by Genocide’s call An Imperial Ottoman decree Executed by the Young Turks of the Ittihadist Party A Swiss patent office clerk revolutionized the pace And essence of scientific discovery Bypassing the halls of exulted Academe Stagnant in drops of self importance and mortal rivalry.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050820.htmlSat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050820.htmlI was an observant guest In Shell Island Today. The bay was full of Countless shells. The waves every second Were tossing out in haste New-new piles of Scallops Empty shells; Some-colorful, some-pale, In various measures And shapes, New-new piles of Scallops Bare shells… The children were playing Carelessly with them, Peopl were collecting Fancy shells, And the oceans itself Tireless and endless Was conducting the shells’ crashes on bays…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050813.htmlSat, 13 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050813.htmlFin de Siecle Cycles of sickle strokes Hammered in red Coronations of single cell Members stranded at the Altar of alabaster Communes corrupted Cast, cranial discussions Effluvia of national pride Pleasanton, CA 11-24-99https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050810.htmlWed, 10 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050810.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Jalaleddin’ by Raffi (Collected Works, Volume 4, pp7-63, Yerevan, 1984) Raffi’s literary talent is evident in this his, very first short novel, an excellent English translation of which by Donald Abcarian will hopefully be available soon. In Jalaleddin Raffi already proves himself a master of the exciting adventure story that is at the same time a serious piece of political agitprop delivered to high intellectual and artistic standards.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050808.htmlMon, 08 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050808.htmlA Hair’s Breadth From Death: The Memoirs of Hampartzoum Mardiros Chitjian. Taderon Press London and Reading, 2003, 433 pages. ISBN: 1-903656-30-3 Distributed by Garod books. WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSSETS As 2005 marks the 90th anniversary of the Genocide, Armenians around the world have mobilized with greater intensity to commemorate what their ancestors were subjected to in the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, they condemn and combat the cruel and pervasive denial of the Genocide, which claimed the lives of over a million innocent victims.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050806.htmlSat, 06 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050806.htmlIt looked easy enough. One foot. Then the other. Step. Over the threshold to the other side. The door looked open, even welcoming under its arched frame. Start. One step. Two. Why count? Go. I did. Ran in fact. But didn’t reach the other side in the same shape I began. The glass door dividing here from there neatly as I walked through my impatience bounced me back. I got up, shook off the shock pretending accidents are planned.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050803.htmlWed, 03 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050803.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Where and how did Modern Armenian Literature and public education come about after centuries of feudal life? This thought kept hovering over me as I continued my visits to Armenian authors’ house museums in Armenia. Where did these authors go to school? Who were their teachers? In turn, who did these authors educate and what contributions did they make? With these queries, I share this cursory and modest extraction of what I have come to appreciate as a third generation Armenian-American.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050730.htmlSat, 30 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050730.htmlThe absence of pain is so fragile, that, being afraid of destroying it, I clinch my fists and try to memorize every second of its peacefulness. Then it gives way to pain again and, unable to touch my own fingers, I perceive them as bearers of unknown strength and energy. And I leave them clinched, my teeth shivering, my eyes wide open, and my mind occupied by the most impossible of the dreams: to start living in memories, memories of the fragile absence of pain.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050725.htmlMon, 25 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050725.htmlA REVIEW OF “I HATE DOGS/BACK TO ARARAT” A forgotten genocide: Two Documentary films Two superb documentary films, certainly in the must see category, are available on DVD for the whole world to get acquainted once again with the Armenian Genocide and its indelible traces on the generations of its survivors and their children. They are the work of the husband and wife documentary film making team, Pea Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian of Sweden.https://ann.org/ew/ew-20050725.htmlMon, 25 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20050725.htmlNEW YORK, NY Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Ballet and Orchestra is touring the United States in July and August, appearing at the Met Opera during the first two-weeks of their engagement. Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus is one of the four spectacles presented in New York City, to be followed by performances in Wolf Trap, VA and Orange County, CA. “Spartacus” remains one of Bolshoi’s popular favorites, both in Russia and abroad. Although during its 1975 tour, Bolshoi presented excerpts of the ballet at Lincoln Center; the present performance is the premiere of the entire score in New York.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050723.htmlSat, 23 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050723.htmlUnder the pine trees, Around the juniper shrubs, White bells hang silently From green domes. Each time I pass them, Each time I pick them, Sweet chimes of spring Fill the air. February 2005https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050716.htmlSat, 16 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050716.htmlThe realization of the loss made me feel hopelessly useless I was fearful, vulnerable, motionless, incapacitated by my inability to move, to go, to leave! A sudden sense of primitive humanness assaulted into my existence, shaking, shattering, and ultimately reshaping all pre-learned notions of reality, and acceptable norms of behavior. There I was ready to use my arms, legs, and teeth to break into that locked door, I was ready to scavenge any road- side dump to find a tool, which will help me open that metal and glass access …https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050711.htmlMon, 11 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050711.htmlPART ONE: Of human potential, human solidarities and the loss of innocence [ Go to PART II | Go to PART III ] On the 11th of July 2005 and always, for Vahe Berberian human and humane, spirited and gifted, pained yet light, colour and laughter giving soul brother to all good people. ‘I am everyone and what is in everyone, is in me also.’ –Krikor of Narek `Ones self I sing, a simple separate person, Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050709.htmlSat, 09 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050709.htmlIt is appalling news! you will say and make a phone-call to your close friend to spread the rumor she will in her turn call her close friend and they will all in their turn call their closest friends until one day you will receive a phone-call from one of your close friends with that appalling news which by that time you will have forgotten about and then you will take the phone-receiver.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050702.htmlSat, 02 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050702.htmland no witnesses left except those who were small children and not burned or smashed against the walls, small children old enough perhaps to walk young enough to be carried but old enough to recall once there were tables where they were fed before they had to walk, walk, walk, small children who had fathers once never seen again, grandmothers who did not last the walk, small children who survived deserts, mountains and thirst and were never apologized to or acknowledged by the world that they existed, except by small poems.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050628.htmlTue, 28 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050628.htmlWhy we should read… THE OTHER VOICE Armenian Women’s Poetry Through the Ages Translated by Diana Der-Hovanessian [AIWA Press, 2005, 153 pp., ISBN: 0-9648787-4-7] Many centuries ago, the Armenians used to celebrate the second Saturday of October as Surb targmanchats ton, the Saint Translator’s Day. There would be great festivities, wine and folk music, circle dances and poetry recitals. Ironically, in the modern days we celebrate wars, not language, literature or those who safeguard our culture and pass it on to the coming generations.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050627.htmlMon, 27 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050627.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Cilician Armenian Miniature Painting - XII-XIII Centuries’ by L A Azarian (300pp,16 Colour & 134 B/W illustrations, Yerevan, 1964) Though certain of his methodological and aesthetic principles are debatable, Soviet era art historian L. R. Azarian’s ‘Cilician Armenian Miniature Painting’ makes very satisfying reading, and for the untutored amateur one can even say exciting reading. Those wishing to contest particular judgements and evaluations of his are free to enter the fray.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050625.htmlSat, 25 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050625.htmlI needed fox Badly I needed a vixen for the long time none had come near me. – A. Rich, ‘Fox’ (1998) I AM fox. I come from Silence. My triangulated face has ripened in the dark fields of the Republic. My burnt-yellow eyes have prayed for Midnight Salvage. My lacerated skin has dreamt of a Common Language. I AM vixen. I hunt alone. I sharpen my teeth on Lies.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050618.htmlSat, 18 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050618.htmlIn Vienna once an empire’s capital, Nazism’s home of Strauss and of strudel, At the airport two young, black-haired, bearded rich boys, a priest with wife and children, some families loaded with parcels, And we two otars, sit Waiting for a plane To Yerevan.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050614.htmlTue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050614.htmlWe have been experiencing so-called democratic revolutions around the world today. These opposition movements from the Caucasus to Central Asia, from Iraq to Ukraine, are toppling the old regimes and their state structures. Inexperienced opposition movements and their leaders are taking over the state and have continued to control the entire society on behalf of democracy in the Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Iraq, Lebanon and many more countries both now, and more to come [1].https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050611.htmlSat, 11 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050611.htmlor Aram, foundation of the Armenian roster of names. The living room that served my teens served me your melodies, 33 rpm records spinning a hypnosis to sweeten my coffee. I filed the melodies alphabetically–Gayane and Masquerade then– imagining ballets with toes of Armenian lore and boots of Caucasian dances. The intonations tended to me when convenience was curt or when my mother knitted acrylic or wool for afghans. My responses were carded and sheared and ready to spin the wool of negatives into something cool.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050604.htmlSat, 04 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050604.htmlWe lived a life behind these walls. Brothers united by blood and sacred theme, our mission was to wait and watch and pray through summer’s dust and winter’s ice and mud, and through the sweet, sad longing of autumn, and spring’s blind, erotic dance. Now, we are gone. But the walls remain, solemn and gray, bearing the scars of man’s sad war upon himself. In crevices, generations of windblown seed put down roots, then spring forth like a boy’s new soft beard.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050528.htmlSat, 28 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050528.htmlI saw trees hanged head down in the lakes, I saw lawns that covered up the dumps. I heard footfalls that pecked the stillness of night And faded away in the jaw of the dark. I saw it, and someone else has seen it, I heard it, and someone else has heard it. What we’ll do that will be a test¦ I saw the sun burning the unprotected Who worked without breaks and without hopes I saw rains that washed away the traces And a thunder that muffled all the cries for help.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050526.htmlThu, 26 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050526.htmlEDUCATOR AND POET WHO IMPACTED GENERATIONS - HOVHANNES HOVHANNESYAN Travel Wire ETCHMIADZIN, ARMENIA It was a sunny day with a perfect dose of April breeze as we alit from our cab at Komitas Square and entered the courtyard of the Hovhannes Hovhannesyan House Museum in Etchmiadzin (formerly Vagharshapat), Armenia. Mariam Maghakian, a veteran docent, introduced herself and invited my friend, Gohar, and me to explore the home. It is somewhat reminiscent of the architecture of the Aksel Bakuntz House Museum in Goris in that it was built in traditional Armenian design of its day with a large wooden porch and thick stone walls.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050524.htmlTue, 24 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050524.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Crossroads’ by Anahit Sahinian (Selected Works in 3 Volumes, Volume 1, 608pp, Yerevan, 1987) I. Contemporary Armenian novelist Anahit Sahinian, now 88, is much underrated. In discussions of modern Armenian literature her work is almost completely ignored. Yet ‘Crossroads’, her first major novel published in 1946, is an accomplished work: intellectually stimulating and sometimes even bold in its critical overview of life in Soviet Armenia during the late 1930s and 1940s.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050523.htmlMon, 23 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20050523.htmlTravel Wire ASHTARAK, ARMENIA Greeted by the Director, Armida Ghambaryan, and resident docent, Evelina Ghornakchyan, my friend Gohar and I, were treated to a first class tour of the Perj Proshyan House Museum at 4 Proshyan Street in the delightful town of Ashtarak which extends itself on the banks of the Kasakh River 20 kilometers northwest of Yerevan. Ashtarak, which means ‘Tower’ in Armenian, is the capital of the Aragatsotn Province and has spawned many Armenian luminaries , including, among others, Gevorg Emin, Smpat Shahaziz and the beloved Catholicos Nersess Ashtaraketsi [Nersess V (of Ashtarak) 1843-1857].https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050521.htmlSat, 21 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050521.htmlOur existence seems to be loaded With so many paradoxes With so much absurdity. We pretend enjoying life… Early mornings We rush to the toilet. Wife and husband we exchange few words Around the coffee table. To keep our shape We escape the breakfast, With an empty stomach We are drown into freeways To be at work on schedule… At lunch we have time or not To chew a sandwich… Maybe few phone calls To the friends we missed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050514.htmlSat, 14 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050514.htmlA long caravan of trucks equipped with CBs cushions and flees large roaring metal insects on wheels wheels spinning eighteen at a time and dreams. Hartford to El Paso is a long way to go after prescriptions for the criminally insane after treatment and the forgetting of pain before the “howdy mams” and in between the meals 13 times she rode them blind while they rode her and passed her around.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050507.htmlSat, 07 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050507.htmlPast the mountain Aragats, Beyond fields of cabbage and potatoes, The mooing of cows, and the call of roosters, Amidst rocks and stones and dusty roads, Past twisted scraps of metal and concrete chunks Heaped on a winding path Near rushing water, An ancient church - Marmashen, Blackened with candle smoke and time, Stands crumbling In the coolness of moss And tall grass Bowing in the wind near royal tombstones.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050430.htmlSat, 30 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050430.htmlThe land where my people lived once was being shown on TV for its pristine beauty for having vast stretches of untouched nature and scattered remains of the ruins of an ancient glory. The fertile land that I was forbidden to touch the picturesque mountains that I haven’t climbed were being showcased on TV to encourage tourism and entice new peoples to settle the depopulated land My land etched in my soul with its rich heritage and history was on sale together with the enslaved souls of my ancestors.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050424.htmlSun, 24 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050424.htmlfor the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by the Turks By now we should have finished grieving. By now we should have found some peace. By now there should have been atonement and the pain slightly eased. By now witnesses are almost gone. And the lies about our bones believed. By now they thought we would be forgotten. and our blood dried to dust and blown. By now they thought the smoke and fire would be either greened or stone.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050419.htmlTue, 19 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050419.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Murad’s Journey’ by Zabel Yessayan and Murad (96pp, NB-Press, Yerevan, 1990) ‘MURAD’S JOURNEY’- A PAINFUL WITNESS TO THE 1915 ARMENIAN GENOCIDE Entitled simply ‘Murad’s Journey’, this booklet is amongst the most moving and most chilling of witnesses to the 1915 Armenian Genocide - a sobering, shocking, troubling account of human barbarism and the process of dehumanisation that it sets in train. The story is narrated by Sebastatzi Murad and recorded by Zabel Yessayan.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050416.htmlSat, 16 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050416.htmlYou open your eyes ? A child with colorful dreams. The rays of the sun Make your dark deep eyes Lighter, brighter and take away Their adult sadness. Those were the last rays You have ever enjoyed, girl! The gunmen rushed into the room ? The sun turned into a cloud, groaning At your helplessness to understand? Oh, little girl! Close your big black eyes! Those taken away Will never be back again.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050411.htmlMon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050411.htmlAn Armenian Love Story: An Interview with producer David Grillo and director Larry Moss of Beast on the Moon NEW YORK, NEW YORK Beast on the Moon, a drama about newly married Armenian Genocide survivors making their way in America post-World War I, opens Off Broadway April 27th at Century Center for the Performing Arts. Since it first debuted in 1995, the play has been produced widely around the world, recently winning awards for Best Play in Buenos Aires and Paris in 2001.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050409.htmlSat, 09 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050409.htmlVulgar sweet perfume in thick glass bottles And an aura of grey cigarette smoke Hazing the pale damsel; Strengthening her mysterious, black and white reign. Cold hands on the balcony with martini During Los Angeles hail with lightening And thunder. Transparent, thin bed sheets like nets that capture me; Leave me hers. Deceptive and lying; Hypnotizing with vanilla lovely, nicotine ugly breath. Her laced, colorless self with feet dressed in heels Emitting sagacious and shrewd intuitions With grace.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050404.htmlMon, 04 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050404.html“My Brother’s Road, An American’s Fateful Journey to Armenia,” and “The Right to Struggle, Selected Writings of Monte Melkonian on the Armenian National Question,” Edited by Markar Melkonian, Second Edition, ASIN # B0006F3P4C the Sardarabad Collective, San Francisco, 1993. Armenian News Network / Groong April 4, 2005 By Bedros Afeyan In two remarkable books, a diasporan Armenian can have the question answered: How could I have helped the Armenian cause? Or in Armenian, ’tserkess inch gookar vor?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050402.htmlSat, 02 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050402.htmlI am the prisoner Of the barbed jail Of my own doing. My prison cell Isn’t the creation Of the Circus master’s Oppressive mind… It is the handwork Of square minded Robot like humanoids … Wow! What a pleasure Leaving very soon With my prison guard To the far away shores On vacation To recuperate From the stressful routine Like the enchained beasts Of the famous circus To move my forgotten existence From one country to another… No matter where the show goes The program is the same The metal bars And the prison guards too Nothing has changed from my destiny… During the short life span Only the spectators And the stage is changeable… The guards are closely watching Weeps on hand Leaning to my cage’s door…https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050331.htmlThu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20050331.htmlIn the upcoming days, the Armenian parliament will be discussing a bill that proposes to permanently lift the constitutional ban on dual citizenship in Armenia. This would seem like a perfectly logical thing to do in the Armenian context, something that would finally unite the divided nation in the wake of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. A noble thing to do, indeed, if only the bill were not doomed to fail in the parliamentary vote.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050326.htmlSat, 26 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050326.htmlThe ghetto in Athens were I was born and raised has been torn down and paved over. The school in Venice where I was educated has been converted to a hotel. Even so, they continue to live in my memory and dreams. Canada, where I have spent most of my life, has so far failed to enter my dream world. From my days in Venice I remember Garo Basmajian, a pale sickly boy of fifteen from Marseilles who knew the PETIT LAROUSSE by heart and could identify a Rossini overture as surely as a Mozart symphony and a Beethoven sonata.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050323.htmlWed, 23 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050323.htmlANALYZING THE BEAST In my analysis of Kalinoski’s Beast on the Moon, I will reflect upon the treatment of key recurring themes such as the internalization of catastrophe, the inability or unwillingness to grasp the reality of events, and the acting out of the origins of trauma inflicted upon the human psyche. Furthermore, I will draw parallels between the act of Genocide and domestic violence, – the first being harnessed by bureaucratic indifference and hard-line fundamentalist ideology, the other driven by unresolved trauma.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050321.htmlMon, 21 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050321.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value& ON THE IDEOLOGY OF MODERN TURKISH NATIONALISM Published in 1926 Zarevant’s ‘For A United and Independent Turania’ was the first substantial Armenian language study of the ideology of modern Turkish nationalism. It needs to be said at the outset that this valuable volume is rather diminished by an absence of adequate referencing and citations whether this be to prove a point or establish a view.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050319.htmlSat, 19 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050319.htmlExternal revolt is a way to bring about internal freedom? Jim Morrison No. It’s not the freedom, It’s self-satisfaction, It’s homage to oneself, It’s the whim of desire. External revolt? Who cares? Who worships? If the earthquake is here And you are not under ruins. Then what? Cigarettes in the cave? Empty bottles and hiccups after sunset? Rattling roofs and trampled insects? Overthrown thrones and bloody puddles? No. It’s not the freedom, It’s self-deception, It’s beauty in brackets, It’s a road “to graveyard” External revolt for internal freedom?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050312.htmlSat, 12 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050312.htmlPracticed trickle of bickering sickles Forge fickle theoretical nuances Oblivion or ovation, vivid vindication Verily weakened weightless wagons Circle sand dunes afoot horses Chirping Arizona’s sun burdens Dormant lament in thousand yelps Musically adroit chafing chaps Tailored suites of quarter notes descend To portend the entrance of brilliant Mazes of mended and sewn sleeves Held to a machined mountain Bellowing effervescent froth forms adscititious invitation To light collective madnesshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050305.htmlSat, 05 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050305.htmlI felt the heat of your lips in my spine… My body desired you- powerful and nihilist. I dreamt to have the tattoo of Eternity on my breast. I crashed the panes of the windows and wandered nakedly to seek my totem. I embraced the blue adagio of time… Over there I see puritans… At a distance fire, faces… Taboo… taboo… And a gray wolf. A wounded gray wolf. A howl… owoo…owoo… Blood in the snow…https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050228.htmlMon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050228.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Antranig and His Times’ by Hratchig Simonian (752pp, Gaysa Publishers, Yerevan, 1996) For Donald Abcarian, translator of Raffi and upright thinker whose help here and elsewhere is valued immensely. February 28, 2005 By Eddie Arnavoudian This hefty first volume of Hratchig Simonian’s two-volume biography of Antranig is no hagiography. The author pulls no punches as he considers the life and times of this most extraordinary Armenian guerrilla commander; ‘warts and all’ as Oliver Cromwell put it.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050226.htmlSat, 26 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050226.htmlThey will definitely reappear among the brightest of the stars when the urge to discover blasts the dust of ignored durations. Humans only recently began observing the traveling light and gave them names of heroes from a legendary past soon the heroes and the stars were sold to the philanthropists with loved ones, not loved enough. If only there was some light In thoughts or even instincts You would be able to see, stars.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050219.htmlSat, 19 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050219.htmlThe anemones of my childhood bleed from downy stems. Their blossoms grow seasonless with paper flower speed, springing suddenly to bend and flow over their mossy bed. I bend to pick them before I go home again, dropping rootjuice red behind me in pink milk stains as if my footprints bled marking yesterday’s terrain. The anemones of my childhood bleed, scattered from their source like rain over the past where I retrace time that has become a place.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050212.htmlSat, 12 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050212.htmlPlucked her gasp from an azure dream The dancer is an incarnate song, alluring, She interprets a sublime mystery By her graceful stature of a princess. The soft tune breaks off the clouds And cracks suddenly like a thunder, Crashes indomitably, full of fire, Which burns feelings and love. The soft modulation slides again, Asking for caresses and consolation, Nestles on my chest with jealousy Unveiling lust and consummation.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050207.htmlMon, 07 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050207.htmlPART THREE: The poetry of righteous rebellion `There will be a special page in the book of life for the men who have crawled back from the grave. This page will tell of utter defeat, ruin, passivity, and subjection in one breath, and in the next, overwhelming victory and fulfilment…' – George Jackson Soledad Brother ‘The Heart of the Nation’ (Selected Works, pp63-206, Yerevan, 1984) was Varoujean’s second volume of poetry.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050205.htmlSat, 05 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050205.htmlIn my dream, the men breaking rocks tell me the old man is crazy. I say, “What old man? None of you is over thirty.” “You know,” one says. “The Armenian.” I smile and light a cigarette. It’s true. Every Armenian I’ve ever known is old. The damn fools are born that way. I go to where the Armenian is working. I stand behind him and watch awhile as he steadily, patiently, breaks rocks.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050131.htmlMon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050131.htmlGARDEN DWELLING Turkey/USA, 2004, 29 min, Beta SP) If you find yourself between the moon and New York City on February the 5th, 2005, at 6 PM, you might want to go to the NYU Cantor Film Center in the Village and give “Garden Dwelling” a go. There you will listen to 25 minutes of snippets of Armenian, garbles of Turkish, formal Arabic mangled between a Turk and a Lebanese Armenian, neither of them aware of that which they do not know, some French in the hands of a Lebanese Armenian woman and now a French “archeologist,” or so it seems, and lots of English spackle to attempt to hold these mutterings together.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050129.htmlSat, 29 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050129.htmlShe sent you nine love letters, nine granules, nine seeds from a pomegranate, nine warm teardrops melting in your palm - Unopened, in stamped envelopes they sprouted and grew long hair waiting in patience on your bureau, while you were in Europe, sampling the best schools, mingling with the best minds, the intelligentsia in Leipzig: Dear brother, in your eyes - an impenetrable night, how many dainty images are still imprinted?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050122.htmlSat, 22 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050122.htmlIn his monastic veil he seemed to be a black walking mountain. He was serious and used to sleep on a pallet. He didn’t like this-worldly noises and ran away from crowds. He adored pantomime. …Once I opened my palm and asked him to tell my future. He took my hand and drew to his lips. His look was mysterious and elegiac: ‘I am not a prophet,’ he whispered.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050115.htmlSat, 15 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050115.htmlThe wife was begging me To get ride of that ugly bunch Of awful fake flowers Planted in the old pot Resting not long ago Over the balcony’s White coffee table That had ruthlessly deceived A young humming bird I drove to the nearby Old Japanese nursery Bought some young violets To change the look Of east side balcony… I added some fertilizer To the dry gardening soil And with lot of pain Transplanted the flowers And suck them With my sweating And why not, A lot of plain tap waterhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050110.htmlMon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20050110.htmlOn the other side of the grand building of the National Art Gallery of Armenia, there is a small wooden door on Manukyan Street that leads me to the quiet halls of the Museum of Art and Literature named after Charents. It is hidden from the eyes of the random passer-by, unnoticed the metro station. Its location makes perfect sense - hidden behind the Gallery - it isn’t supposed to be a tourist attraction, it’s a center for research and studies.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050108.htmlSat, 08 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050108.htmlThere are moments in life When things cease to matter. Such moments are rare and valuable, But they cause the worst of the pain. When sun burns with its utmost heat, When you hold a hand And it becomes the most precious thing in the world, When the degree of despair is uncountable, Yet there seems to be no grief acknowledging it. Thus comes the solemnity of the most banal paradox- The intermingling of the purity with evil, Life with death, Scorn with excitement.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050101.htmlSat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20050101.htmlAs we all try to look ahead Trying to focus further on We cannot help but wonder of yesterday Lingering for a moment In the experience of it all Will tomorrow be better? The ever present question Lying dormant in our subconscious Woken up by memories We try hard to capture Will the flowers bloom In the fields of our varied lives We remember the seeds sowed In the earth of our memorieshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041231.htmlFri, 31 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041231.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Universal History’ by Asoghig (456pp, Armenian University, Yerevan, 2000) ‘So peace and prosperity reigned in our land of Armenia.’ (Asoghig, The Universal History) Tenth century historian Asoghig, known also as Stepanos Asoghig of Daron, offers the reader a view of the peak of Bagratouni power and glory. Following Traskhanagerdtzi (The Critical Corner, 1 August 2004) Asoghig takes the story of this new Armenian royal dynasty to the start of the 11th century, to 1004.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041225.htmlSat, 25 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041225.htmlAccording to Tacitus, Tiridates I, the king of Armenia Went to Rome in 63 AD by land, refusing to pollute the sea. Robert Thomson, Harvard University On Vanatour on New Year’s Day, arise and bless the coming hours. On Vanatour on such a day the doors unlatch and deck themselves with winter flowers. On such a day King Drtad whom the Romans called the Magus, started on his journey west on his black horse sent him by his Mazdean brother the Parthian king, following the sun westward on his dark horse that trailed the year.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041218.htmlSat, 18 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041218.htmlLit like a spotlight, the moon directed attention onto the fast moving clouds of the dry skies. A cat was waiting on the top of the roof, for the perfect moment to hop on the moon. It was such a pleasure to watch the highlights focused on the naked curves and the openings in the clouds, against a background of dark blue, as they danced to rouse and seize attention without demanding a mandatory entrance fee or a minimum number of drinks requirement.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041211.htmlSat, 11 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041211.htmlPOEM FOR EVERYONE (Amenapoem) By Yeghishe Charents, Translated by Ara Baliozian PROLOGUE I - poet of Hayastan - Fogbound land Haunted by death - I now sing To all! I sing Once more But why must I sing alone? I, alone, and not they - Who lived through and overpowered These rough stormy days. Under the sun, in the dust. On foggy days dripping wet. They strive, combat, and toil In the grime of the soil.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041209.htmlThu, 09 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041209.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Antonina Pavilaitite was 21 years old in 1944 studying law in Vilnius University, Lithuania when the Soviet authorities arrested her and sent her to Siberia. It was there in exile that she met and married Gourgen Mahari, another victim who was exiled from Armenia to the GULAG twice in his life (1936-1947) and (1948-1954). Gourgen Mahari is still remembered in Armenia today by those old enough and by youth who have been taught by their parents and grandparents.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041208.htmlWed, 08 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041208.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA The rain was unrelenting the day my friend, Gohar, and I took a cab that took us from Republic Square to the highest part of Yerevan, well beyond the Cascade, to the birthplace and museum dedicated to Khachatur Abovyan. At the time that Abovyan was born, Kanaker was a small village on the outskirts of Yerevan. Today it is part of the city. There are several interpretations of the name’s origin, one being that it was the name of one of Noah’s sons and when the Ark landed and the waters ebbed, Noah’s son settled here.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041207.htmlTue, 07 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041207.htmlTravel Wire ZANGAKATUN, ARMENIA Zangakatun is in the Ararat Province which one reaches by driving south easterly from Yerevan for about 40-45 minutes. Nestled in this rich agricultural part of the country is this bucolic village which is dry and hilly and where tamarisk, buckthorn and spurge grow naturally. It is here where the larks, wrens and finches nest and where the home, museum and final resting place of Baruyr Sevag (1924-1971) is found, one of Armenia’s most beloved poets.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041207.htmlTue, 07 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041207.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Selected Works’ by Shirvanzade (368pp, Yerevan, Armenia, 1982) Armenian novelist Shirvanzade (1858-1935) has perhaps been treated with undeserved disdain, by myself among others! This at least is suggested by a reading of three works published in this collection, a novel ‘Namus’, a play ‘In the Name of Honour’ and a long short story, ‘The Artist’. I. ‘Namus’ (1884) was Shirvanzade’s first novel. Its treatment of some of the consequences of the primitive cult of honour that was the cause of so many domestic tragedies in late 19th century Armenian communities is impressive.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041206.htmlMon, 06 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20041206.htmlTravel Wire VANADZOR, ARMENIA I was warmly remembered by Razmig Boghosian, Director of the Stepan Zoryan House Museum and a member of the Union of Armenian Writers, and Juliette Yeghayan, former director (1981-1992), as I stepped into the foyer of the museum at 24 Stepan Zoryan Street, Vanadzor, Armenia. It is a beautiful pink stone (tufa) house with an inviting courtyard adorned with apple trees, rose bushes and a bust of the writer by sculptor Marat Minasyan.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041204.htmlSat, 04 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041204.htmlDays shall come and days shall go and like a leaf upon a tree we too shall fall and mingle with the soil. It seems that such thoughts occur more than once when Life takes on more shape and form, but like a storm it does pass until again we see another leaf fall from a tree. Once more, we wonder, What is Life? Just then, memories of long ago whirl by– “…it seems like only yesterday when we…”https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041127.htmlSat, 27 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041127.htmlI have never seen the sky with bursting fountains of bombing. I have never seen that parade of stars coming down on the night city. Am I considered happy after all? Or have I missed something important? I have never, never in my life seen wounded children. March 2003, Austria When chaos rains? What happens in the chaos? It rains? My space is mine, But I don’t need it As I am alone.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041120.htmlSat, 20 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041120.htmlDoomsday Vestiges Apocalyptic images, sickening grimaces, what planet is this? Homes burning, stomachs churning, loved ones yearning For the lost souls Terror Pervading Soldiers raiding, structures cascading, hopes are fading Symbols crumbled, bodies jumbled, humanity has stumbled Into madness A Nation’s Pain Deeply felt, fellow humans hearts melt Fear and dread, so many dead, a rage of red Runs through my head Those who paid with their lives today, I salute them.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041113.htmlSat, 13 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041113.html(Through DDS’s Symphony No 15) Prance in darkness, harness moon stream Rolled, ragged flaws, fuming mid beam Evolving, orchestral, Rossini interrupting Russian claws, streaking, fear covered Bristling, censored, sagacious steamed windows. Amidst official optimism State delusion of the proletariat Believing, shoeless, shivering madness Talent, escaping as exhaust fumes Doctrine chanting fur hats and Furrier brows on the vulgar river Floating fans in Vodka barges. Illuminated by floodlights Dogs with sentinels Joy of men perspiring Crima facie movements Framed in brass melody Heaving cello warnings Menace to reveal The secret of the farce But not its remedy.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041108.htmlMon, 08 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041108.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. I. ‘IN THE FURNACE OF LIFE’ - THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN ARMENIAN NOVELIST The first volume of Shirvanzade’s autobiography ‘In the Furnace of Life’ (Shirvanzade, Selected Works, Volume 5, pp6-223, Yerevan, 1988) is studded with wise and witty observation that evokes something of the conditions of the time and brings to life some of the men and women who contributed to Armenian politics and culture in late 19th century eastern Armenia and the Caucasus.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041106.htmlSat, 06 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041106.htmlThis morning more than ever I am seized by an irresistible longing to speak my mother tongue. I search for an Armenian, any Armenian, with whom I can speak. If you understand this strange, irresistible longing, please help me. I would like to meet an Armenian, any Armenian, even an alienated one who has forgotten his mother tongue. Let him remember a single word only; and let our paths cross so that I may say to him: Are you Armenian?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041030.htmlSat, 30 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041030.htmlThe tawny autumn Is a flirting girl, Which throws away shirt and skirt And strips. Is it of hot? She opens her smooth breasts, Dainty legs, And her marble hips, Barely leaving A pale fig-leaf As cover… The breeze gusts, Heaves, rumbles bashfully, Sinning furtively… The tawny autumn in her puberty Is a flirting girl, And I don’t know Does she keep, or Throw away The fig-leaf? The lusting shy Does not look, Does not see…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041023.htmlSat, 23 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041023.htmlWith such unfathomable comfort And a prayer on my lip do I recall The soulful chants of your churches, My far off homeland! With a pain as burning as the silhouette Of my lover’s face do I recall - Your meadows, rivers and valleys, And the opulent fragrance of thyme - Submissive to a mysterious law My ears are still accustomed to long For the sound of your solemnly lucid Language - oh, so glorious.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041016.htmlSat, 16 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041016.htmlWatching the news in Istanbul I understand nothing; But the weather forecast is easier. Temperatures and winds in different towns, Names from all the centuries, From all the human layers, Of which the Turks are top. Mostly, if I know them, It is in their old forms: Sinope and Trebizond and Ephesus, Kars and Van and Erzerum. Greece on the west, Armenia on the east. And Constantimople straddling the two continents.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041009.htmlSat, 09 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041009.htmlthe pomegranate crushed underfoot is empty of its blood-red juice. careless harvesters do not know “unless a seed fall and die…” uninformed they stripped the land. one small field now is bare, but all the earth the blood received; absorbed the tears, the blood, the pain. blind marauders could not envision life springing forth, imagining it dead and gone. all-wise Vinedresser sympathetically tending sees; finally the soil watered with tears no longer red, but greening.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20041006.htmlWed, 06 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20041006.htmlSUMMARY On September 18, 2004, former Defense Minister of Nagorno Karabakh Samvel Babayan was released from maximum-security prison in Shushi after being pardoned by the person whom he had been convicted of trying to assassinate in March 2000, Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasyan. Samvel Babayan had spent a total of 55 months in detention, having been sentenced to 14 years during a trial in Stepanakert in February 2001. The release of the former military leader and acclaimed hero of the Artsakh war Samvel Babayan was not given an official explanation.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041004.htmlMon, 04 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20041004.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. I BEDROS TOURIAN - POET, INTELLECTUAL AND NATIONAL ACTIVIST A. S. Sharourian’s measured and erudite enthusiasm for his subject makes this critical biography (‘Bedros Tourian: his life and work’, 362pp, 1972, Yerevan) of 19th century Armenian poet Bedros Tourian a pleasant and educative read. Tourian’s literary reputation was established in his lifetime (1851-1872), acquired critical acclaim during after 1890 and has never since flagged.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041002.htmlSat, 02 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20041002.htmlthese words I once typed. Your eyelashes opening the sun in the east pushing horizons like twin Alexanders. I love that night. (Should I say “loved”?) Now in your time I am as still as Alexander, but you reading open all boundaries like the conqueror moving east.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040925.htmlSat, 25 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040925.htmlI go down the stairs. The staccato of my high heel shoes Echoes in the lobby of your office. It’s raining outside. I turn over and notice your profile Behind the Venetian blinds. You are not smiling. The silence of separation is stretching between us. The amulet- You gave to me last summer. I was in my blue dress… Your fiery look was sliding down my bare shoulders. I will never be back (I feel it in my bones).https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040922.htmlWed, 22 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040922.html“The Armenian Genocide: A New Brand of Denial by the Turkish General Staff - by Proxy” (With Reference to Edward J. Erickson, Ordered to Die. A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001, 265pp, $67.95) Ottoman Turkey’s significance in the overall picture of World War I and its outcome is underscored by three landmark events associated with that war. 1. The inordinate endurance of the Turkish army in the face of enormous handicaps, such as the scarcity of a host of indispensable resources, an antiquated system of roads, a wholly inadequate transportation set-up, and widespread epidemics among the recruits that nearly crippled the force structure of that army.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040920.htmlMon, 20 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040920.htmlWorth a read… Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding. Yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value. I AN ARMENIAN INTELLECTUAL IN EXILE - VASKEN SHOUSHANIAN’S ‘DIARY’ Vazken Shoushanian’s riveting ‘Diary’ (1999, 412pp, Yerevan) blends personal confession with political commentary, literary criticism, journalism, the short story and the dramatic dialogue. Free of self-delusion and a self-praise it touches on both universal human concerns that are characteristic of all Shoushanian’s work and on issues of Armenian politics and culture where he communicates a mature sense of national pride untainted by preposterous pretension or chauvinist excess.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040918.htmlSat, 18 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040918.htmlwhat’s the use of looking beyond the transparent glass when you cannot let your soul travel out and away from you, to experience the wildness of the forests, the infinity of the skies, the uncertainties beyond the first horizon. and don’t you look at me like that! I am not the one who can show you how! you have to give birth to your love within you! as for me, well I …https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040916.htmlThu, 16 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040916.htmlAziz Tamoyan is the President of the National Union of Yezidi in the Republic of Armenia. This interview was held at the Union’s office in Yerevan on 13 September 2004 and is part of a follow-up series of interviews to work on the division within the Yezidi minority in Armenia conducted during June 1998. ONNIK KRIKORIAN: Perhaps you could start by introducing yourself… AZIZ TAMOYAN: Mr. Krikorian, this is the Yezidi newspaper [opens page to show census figures]…https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040915.htmlWed, 15 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040915.htmlHranush Kharatyan is the Head of the Department of National Minorities and Religious Affairs in the Armenian Government. This interview was held in Yerevan on 6 September 2004 and is part of a follow-up series of interviews to work on the division within the Yezidi minority in Armenia conducted during June 1998. YEREVAN, ARMENIA ONNIK KRIKORIAN: Perhaps I could start by asking what role this department has in relation to national minorities living in the Republic of Armenia?https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040914.htmlTue, 14 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040914.htmlAmarik Sardar is the Yezidi editor of Riya Taza, the oldest surviving Kurdish newspaper in the world. This interview was held in the Riya Taza office in Yerevan on 25 August 2004 and is part of a follow-up series of interviews to work on the division within the Yezidi minority in Armenia conducted during June 1998. YEREVAN, ARMENIA ONNIK KRIKORIAN: What is the present state of the Riya Taza newspaper?https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040913.htmlMon, 13 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-20040913.htmlHeydar Ali is the Caucasus Representative of the People’s Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel). This interview was conducted at the office of the Kurdistan Committee in Yerevan on 24 August 2004 and is part of a follow-up series of interviews to work on the division within the Yezidi minority in Armenia conducted during June 1998. Translation from Armenian to Kurmanji Kurdish and vice-versa was provided by the Yezidi Head of the Kurdistan Committee, Charkaze Rash-Mstoyan.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040911.htmlSat, 11 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040911.htmlSergei sat poised always in the sable, sultry Los Angeles evening Whose benevolent stars sewn from ivory tulle were the only elements Which did not threaten to devour him His silhouette traced in grey nicotine residue His black denim clad aristocratic limbs Into the sweltering Southern Californian climate Into the soot colored composition of the night. Spliced with a silk georgette skirt, Swaying, rustling in the inconstant morning breeze A five year old frame sashayed toward a building, Where they taught me only to forgethttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040908.htmlWed, 08 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040908.htmlWhy we should read… Bishop Sebeos’ ‘History’ (288pp, Antelias, Beirut, 1990) In the annals of Armenian history, 7th century Bishop Sebeos’ chronicle records a particularly bleak period. After Khazar Barpetzi’s 5th century ‘History’ that closes the classical Golden Age of Armenian writing, we have no other historian until Sebeos who, writes his own in 661AD, and covers in detail the period between 589 and 661. Sebeos’ voice is radically different to that of his predecessors.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040906.htmlMon, 06 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040906.htmlTHIS DARK THING: TWO ONE ACT PLAYS 51 pages, ISBN: 0-920266-32-0 EXILE IN THE CRADLE 87 pages, ISBN: 0-920266-28-2 Blue Heron Press Kingston, Ontario, CA, 2004 http://www.blueheronpress.ca/ The Armenian Genocide As a Fruitful Setting for Theater, a Mirror into the Psyche of Diasporan Armenians, and Many Other Ponderous Questions Besides. Armenian News Network / Groong September 6, 2004 by Bedros Afeyan (Dedicated to the memory of my mother, Anaiis Afeyan, a daughter of Urfa, who sacrificed, suffered and shared her courage and love incessantly)https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040904.htmlSat, 04 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040904.htmlThough the weeds grow thorny, and spindly vines enmesh your tombstone, you are not forgotten. Today, we’ll pull the weeds and vines, toss them to the winds, then plant red roses to adorn your epitaph. We’ll sow a mantel of blue forget-me-nots to shade you from the sun, and trim it with orange marigolds– torches for a moonless night. And in the late, late autumn, when all has turned brittle and brown, you’ll not be forgotten.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040828.htmlSat, 28 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040828.htmlWalking through the rain Towards the sun, the sun in its decline ? Can you grasp a ray? Measuring the steps from home to woods ? Woods with no end. Murmuring? the dead leaves, River beneath the slope, Tender yellow flower drops In the brownish dry leaf sea. Can you hear the rain On the tree crones? Can you name the bird above? Its song is its triumph, Triumph of the nature, Alive over the dead.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040821.htmlSat, 21 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040821.htmlHave you ever felt like giving up, like you’ve had about enough, although your goals may seem so distant, you must remain optimistic… And I don’t need your help, and I don’t need anybody else, I will achieve my goals, and I’ll do it on my own… Working my hands down to the bone, as you can see, and I know I will succeed, Things may seem like there out of reach, but I’ll just extend my boundaries…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040814.htmlSat, 14 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040814.htmlThey feel safe here, behind these walls as they sit reminiscing, in silence - the seven of them, perched on antique rugs, saved from a Syrian desert. Wrinkles carve memories too atrocious. Have they forgiven? Nobody knows - they are whispering, as if in a secret world telling each other stories of gathering wool in the lost country of dreams and bread.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040807.htmlSat, 07 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040807.htmlMired in melodic madness Searching for a booth Zephyr garden pendants Planted in logic’s rotten tooth Hazing haunted scented trails led by glandular grandeur, Easing past despair Towards a reve folle. Innocent of all crumbs Drumming lustful revenge Mauve tangential excuses Perdition of granular loss Punctual reverberations Ebbing by notes fausses Charming violence quizzing Encrusted barbarous barricades. Davies Symphony Hall San Francisco 7-4-04https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040801.htmlSun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040801.htmlWhy we should read… ‘History of the Armenian People’ by Hovanness Traskhanagerdtzi (400pp, University of Yerevan, 1996, Armenia) Hovanness Traskhanagerdtzi (c850-929AD) was an altogether remarkable historian of an altogether remarkable age - the 9th and 10th century re-establishment of an independent Armenian feudal state after nearly four centuries of statelessness. As well as being an erudite scholar, Traskhanagerdtzi was also the leader of the Armenian Church and an energetic politician centrally involved in the life of the times, working to repair inter-Armenian dissension or seeking to stay the hand of renewed Arab aggression.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040731.htmlSat, 31 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040731.htmlDid you bring me a handful of soil from the homeland, forgetting that it’s earth from the same planet as the American, not Venus nor Mars nor Saturn but only dark soil with its own minerals– the old kings and queens still meting out memories like party favors, the sisters directing the roundness of eternal bread, the brothers coaxing the seeds with unlearned plow and buffalo, the merchants mingling with magnificent ships?https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040728.htmlWed, 28 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040728.htmlTravel Wire We visited Hovhannes Toumanian’s boyhood home in Dsegh on our June 2003 trip. That was an epiphany for me. It was at that time that I recalled Father Diran’s appeal to learn more about our Armenian authors and to celebrate our Armenian literary heritage year round. When I returned last year, I undertook the task. It has been and continues to be a wonder-filled journey with one discovery after another unfolding.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040724.htmlSat, 24 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040724.htmlYou envelop me Your sweet smell Permeates in the air Hold me tight Yes Tighter Do you feel my heart? Beating Against your chest It is trying to reach Your heart Is it whispering? What is it saying? I lift my head From the warmth Of your embrace I look up You look down Isn’t this divine You whisper to me Your lips moving Without uttering much sound I do not need to hear I nod in sweet agreement Shyness entering my heart My lips curl into a half smile My eyes roll a look over your body Playfully Give me your hand I say Not with words But with my hand We do not need words Our gestures say it All Words would only Slice through This beautiful silence No It is not silent Here Do you hear The beat The beating of my heart Aching Longing To feel yours Beating Pounding with desire I am yourshttps://ann.org/orig/rb-20040720.htmlTue, 20 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040720.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA It was a very hot, sunny summer’s day in the latter part of June when my friend and I knocked at the door of 26 Zarubian Street, Yerevan, Armenia. One cannot visit Armenia without hearing the name Isahakyan. It is a ‘household’ word, for Avetik Isahakyan is an icon of the Armenian people. He lived a long and fully productive life, creating poetry and prose that has found its way into the heart and soul of his people.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040717.htmlSat, 17 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040717.htmlhigh on the clouds there was this one droplet of condensed clouds, almost liquid, water it was, and as soon as the milkiness of the steam in it began to disappear, the globule started to see. And it was the first thing, the pear shaped pearl of water saw, down there high up on the very top of a tree a green leaf … this leaf was different from all the others, the ones on the same tree, and the ones on the various nearby trees.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040715.htmlThu, 15 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040715.htmlTravel Wire YEREVAN, ARMENIA Usually it is very hot and dry in Armenia during the month of July in Yerevan, Armenia. However, it rained heavily throughout this one particular day during my last visit. My friend Gohar had a morning to spend with me before she met her students to teach English lessons. She and I sported our umbrellas and boldly walked up Abovian Street from Hotel Armenia. We reached our destination - 29 Abovian Street - where together for one hour we mused over the life of a man who had lived and worked at that address in what is today known as the Derenik Demirdjian House Museum.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040714.htmlWed, 14 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040714.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Burning Orchards’ by Gourgen Mahari (624pp, Yerevan, 1966) A rude fate has been fashioned for Gourgen Mahari’s (1903-1969) impressive 1966 novel of pre-1915 Armenian Van, capital of the historic Armenian province of Vasbourakan, set by the lake of the same name and now in Turkey. When it was first published, ‘The Burning Orchards’ fired furious controversy as its depiction of Van’s Armenian revolutionary movement and its armed resistance to genocide offended both patriots and nationalists.https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040712.htmlMon, 12 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/rb-20040712.htmlTravel Wire Recently my husband and I returned from a two-week visit to Armenia. Every time that we visit, we encounter new people, places, events. On this trip I had a personal mission to visit as many of the Armenian authors’ House Museums as our schedule would allow as I am presently writing monthly installments about Armenian authors for the St. Leon Armenian Church newsletter (Lradoo) at the request of Father Diran Bohajian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040703.htmlSat, 03 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040703.htmlAs long as I have only one reader and even if that reader insults and curses me, I will continue to write. It has happened more than once that after insulting me for years some readers have apologized. If one brainwashed dupe can be deprogrammed two may follow. To those who accuse me of entertaining messianic ambitions, I say: A messiah promises a kingdom in heaven. I promise nothing but the recovery of one’s powers of independent thought.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040629.htmlTue, 29 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040629.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Armenian Pantheon’ by Professor Levon Katcheryan 284pp, USA, 2001 A History of Armenian Pagan Deities Professor Levon Khatcheryan’s ‘The Armenian National Pantheon’, a comprehensive history of the major pre-Christian Armenian pagan deities, fills a gap. Examining the religious institutions, organisations, temples, ceremonial traditions and rituals that developed around Armenian pagan gods, he shows them forming a broad and complex cultural, ideological and political foundation for Armenian society.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040628.htmlMon, 28 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040628.html[in English] Farrar, 1992, 323 pp. One of Andrei Bitov’s compelling travel memoirs, “A Captive of the Caucasus” is divided into Lessons of Armenia: Journey out of Russia, which was written between 1967-69, and Choosing a Location: Georgian Album, written between 1970-73 and 1980-83. Both Lessons of Armenia and Choosing a Location started as travelogue essays focusing respectively on ancient and modern Armenian architecture and contemporary Georgian filmmaking, but eventually evolved into a full length book.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040626.htmlSat, 26 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040626.htmlA young hummingbird Poor thing Flew all the way To the balcony Of my apartment On the third To imbibe the nectar From an artificial flower That I have implanted In the humid soil The day before When the lilacs in the pot Suddenly died… To their detriment, The hummingbirds of this world Will find out one day That man made flowers Beautiful no doubt Lack the feeling Or sentiment No odor no soul No need for pollination We shouldn’t come too close They might eventually With their subtle ways deceive The shrewdest among us And yet the worse They will fool innocent birds Without having any remorse…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040619.htmlSat, 19 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040619.htmlIf you put your large piece of pizza Back on the plate for a while, Maybe you will hear my words, Trying to penetrate into your mind. Maybe you will see the flash of my eyes, When I look at you, reading letters Sent once by me, so long ago. If you put away your glass of juice, I will be able to present you With an unforgettable taste of nectar, I will dance the taste of the spring And will turn into the summer heat, If you only put away your book for a while And take off that ugly hat, I will see your eyes more clearly And will smell your short brown hair Just before you go to take shower.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040614.htmlMon, 14 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040614.htmlSev Shoon Arts Center was founded in 1991, in response to the art community’s need for a printmaking studio in Seattle, WA. It is owned and operated by Dionne Haroutunian who came to Seattle from Switzerland in 1985. Since then Haroutunian has become an active member of the Ballard community, organizing and reviving the discipline of visual arts through various projects. Locally known as Ballard ArtsWalk, this monthly celebration of the arts has brought together a dynamic group of artists and craftsmen over the last decade.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040612.htmlSat, 12 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040612.htmlA Poem by Hovhannes Shiraz Translated from Armenian by Knarik O. Meneshian Snow falls, flutters down like angel-wing feathers upon my mother’s grave. Snow falls, piles high like a tombstone on the distant grave. Snow falls, and God gently lays snow flake upon snow flake so that my mother, pained long ago by Life, will not hurt again. Snow falls, and turns to marble. God Himself carves my mother’s tombstone.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040605.htmlSat, 05 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040605.htmlWe no longer wear out our shoes; We somehow outwear them. Fashion, style… you know! We now wear out the highways, The tires, The airports, And even the seas, Face and belly and all. We have no nostrils For the scents of flowers; But we inhale Through nose and mouth All the fumes Vomited by cars and machines, Jets and rockets, etc…. We have come a long way Indeed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040529.htmlSat, 29 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040529.htmlAh, but to find a strand in for the night Made with pains and glands to recover In search of a coiled fleshy rose–desire Camouflaged in pure abandonment’s pyre. Ah, but for the gliding strength of fountain tops The magic hour, enchanted growls Disciplined dancers with a flying chalice Ears bleeding with pleas for more farce, more prowess. There will be time for surfing and downloading That a click will ultimately reversehttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040522.htmlSat, 22 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040522.htmlInstallation by L. Bourgeois, 1999-2000 Trapped in a white dress of crochets I step forward to hold his thick arm. I am offered the blush apple tartness, served on a silver hook. I take a small bite. Juices trickle down my chin onto the bleached lace of my bridal dress stains of blood. Poison seeping through all inside my veins. He gently lays me down into the crystal coffin. Our marriage bed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040515.htmlSat, 15 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040515.htmlThe rain, a green mask over Storrow Drive; the night, making a Rambrandt portrait of your face; the river, dark enough to be another lane; you, on the driver’s side; I, beside you, mis-reading signs. Was it last night? Last year? Last week? I was playing Mother, saying: fasten your seatbelt hoping you’d repeat the same to me. You explained: Accidents happen too fast for preparation. Enjoy the direction. Goals are what we need.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040513.htmlThu, 13 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040513.htmlAfter weeks of promises to force President Robert Kocharian out of office, the opposition parties in Armenia started a series of protests and demonstration first in various cities of Armenia and then in the capital itself. Although the opposition parties managed to have a united stand, the protests have yet to achieve their goals. The ruling coalition, on the other hand, condemned the attempts of the opposition party to “destabilize” the country and supported the regime’s actions to disperse the protesters and bring the country back to order.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040510.htmlMon, 10 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040510.html‘Essential Elements for Armenia’s National Security Doctrine: Part I’ Armen Aivazian’s ‘Essential Elements for Armenia’s National Security Doctrine’ is a welcome and thoughtful contribution to an urgently needed discussion about the present and the future of the Armenian people, the post-Soviet Armenian state and the Armenian nation. Accounting for the political, military and economic realities of the post-Soviet world order, Aivazian argues the case for a powerful and independent socio-political and economic-military strategy that could secure the long-term survival and development of the Armenian state whose existence is threatened by hostile neighbours and by global political developments.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040508.htmlSat, 08 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040508.htmlIncoherent voices stemming from awareness require gratification right at this minute when the present is not realized. The result is this headache which you sanitize by naming it an ‘unbalanced state’ a hangover as if placing stinking garbage in a transparent plastic bag. You understand of course how different it is, watching the fish from the transparent side of her prison, when you witness the view, knowing well that you don’t have the right to see the animal in that fashion, penetrating the intimacy of her routine without her permission and just for that, she takes your casual glance, bewitches it into a gaze, your awareness lost, and with mesmerizing motions, conquers your consciousness, now you are in a most unselfish stage you want to give everything generously she rejuvenates and recharges her vitality feeding on your abandoned awareness, as you stare at her dexterity, until there is only .https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040501.htmlSat, 01 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040501.htmlSculpture by L. Bourgeois, 1996 Unhidden from the rest, in the daylight, the black widow sways on her eight spoke-legs unmoving the eye, a spy of some sort, she is weaving her silk net, spraying each thread with a pungent secretion from her moist canals - a sack of venom, using the ejaculate to attract the prey. A trained hunter, this recluse knows how fast her bait can work!https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040424.htmlSat, 24 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040424.htmlOnce there was, and never was, my grandmother’s stories began the way all Armenian fairytales begin: Once there was and never was, a village, at the end of the woods, a small village roofed with cranes and smoke. Once there was, and never was, at the roof of a mountain a village called Tadem, where everyday, a shepherd boy passed the house of a woodsman at the edge of the town.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040419.htmlMon, 19 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040419.htmlWhy we should read… ‘XXth Century Armenian Literature: issues and authors’ Azad Yeghiazarian is a relatively little known name in Armenian literary circles. Yet he is an impressive critic, judging from the essays gathered in his “20th Century Armenian Literature: issues and authors”. Published in 2002 this is cheering work by someone who has evidently resisted the ephemeral fads and fashions of post-modern and often meaningless aesthetic theories. Yeghiazarian’s essays are examples of fine balance and considered discussion.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040417.htmlSat, 17 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040417.htmlThe sun sank lower, As the train tracks curved, The day passed slower, As my thoughts they churned, The city had vanished, When my last breath was drawn, Though I still felt the damage, As I reached with my arms, I tried my very best, To snatch but one wisp of air, For I had been blessed, To catch one last scent of her hair, It’s strange that the flavor of last autumn, Still lingers on the back of your tongue, But how you can lose someone forever… I’ll miss you… so long.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040410.htmlSat, 10 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040410.htmlIf not calling you My little crazy girl Somehow will liberate you From the sense of guilt That our society has built In your sub consciousness. Then so must it be… That senseless action Isn’t a salvation Neither an option Which will no doubt Bring destruction To the fine relation That has emerged From the scraps of our past… Not calling each other Will not solve any problem Will not heal any wound Will only deepen our sorrow And stress our loneliness Will destroy the beauty Of this unique relation And will not make us Perfectly sound person…https://ann.org/ew/ew-20040405.htmlMon, 05 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20040405.htmlNEW YORK On Sunday afternoon, March 28, 2004, the annual ‘Musical Armenia’ series presented two relative newcomers to an audience at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, in New York City. Pianist Karine Poghosyan was at her best playing Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata, capturing the turbulent ebb and flow of the score with passion, technical mastery, and precise pedaling. Her piano sound was pleasant and rounded (aside from a few banged notes), and her emphasis on a recurring chromatic motif anchored the multi-sectioned composition, weaving it convincingly into a seamless fabric.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040405.htmlMon, 05 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040405.htmlOver the past several weeks the Armenian political landscape has been filled with calls for power change. These calls made by the opposition might not have been taken seriously by many political analysts however the way the government and the ruling coalition has been reacting to it tells a different story. The super-charged political atmosphere is also marred by incidents of beatings and arrests of not only opposition party members but also independent human rights activists - an event which might be an indicator of the governments’ nervousness and inability to deal with dissent.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040403.htmlSat, 03 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040403.htmlPruned War of Words Pare down a pear tree Compressed arid autumn fog An abandoned nest Sake Song Trained seal sing a hymn Drunken solemn vows of love Winter bears its claws Shinkansen Bullet’s blinding wings Winds of sorrow fire your strength Prairies simply end Kabukichu at Shinjuku Strictly reptilian Escapable ambition Running on running School Girls of Tokyo Subway or full train cell phones adorned with dolls New Kabuki maskshttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040327.htmlSat, 27 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040327.htmlHe passes the places As others pass their years. He doesn’t keep diaries, He doesn’t take photos. This symbolic existence Becomes his daily obsession, He treats his own ‘self’ As a reflection in the rain puddle. Who can stretch a hand for help? Who can make his life more meaningful? If the birds stop singing, Will he become more unfortunate?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040320.htmlSat, 20 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040320.htmlYou asked: What flower blooms in winter? And you asked: What snow falls in summer? And you asked: What paper can never erase by erasing? Once in old Armenia there was (or perhaps there never was) a custom for choosing a bride. Whether the girl were pretty was not so important as whether the girl had pretty ways. And that was not so important as whether she had people who smiled the way your people smiled.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040317.htmlWed, 17 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040317.htmlThe brutal murder of the Armenian army Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian in Budapest in the hands of his Azerbaijani colleague Lieutenant Ramil Safarov on February 19, 2004 raised many questions and eyebrows. The nature and context of the killing itself were both horrendous and indicative of the continued hatred and mistrust between the two nations. The killing also occurred while the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on Karabakh have been in stalemate and it symbolizes the difficult path that both countries face to reach a peaceful resolution of the conflict.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040313.htmlSat, 13 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040313.htmlIt is green, It is blue, Mixture of horizons In deep sky: They are your eyes in my sight. When I catch your glance It is the ether Where I get lost, Serene and peaceful And inviting as desire. It is warm… it is hot… I am breathless: It is your scent in my gasp. The moon falls And scatters gold dust: It is your hair on my chest.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040308.htmlMon, 08 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040308.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Hadji Murad’ by Hagop Oshagan ‘101 Years’ - a trilogy of Hadji Murad (pp7-95), Hadji Abdullah and Suleyman Effendi (471pp, Antelias, Lebanon, 1996) A FICTIONAL SOCIOLOGY OF THE ARMENIAN BANDIT AND FEDAYI ‘Hadji Murad’, a short novel written by Hagop Oshagan in 1933, is a compelling tale of love and passion, rural banditry and nationalist politics in the late 19th century Ottoman Empire. A work of many and diverse themes it yields generously to examination, contemplation and consideration.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040306.htmlSat, 06 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040306.htmlToday was a morning - to morning, Today was a day - to day, Today will come a night - to night, And you will be the only one Who has ever been informed And will ever be informed About such stupid and clever miracles As living, and dying, and smiling Because you’re yet the only one Who can watch my day and laugh Instead of crying and blaming myself For wasting the treasures of the daylight And spending the best years of life On dark curtains, endless row of books And innumerable calls from non-friends Who are aware of my hobby - conversing You will laugh, because you’re my own reflection In the mirror by the night table where I put All the things I need at night - pencils, Mug of beer, a thick book without text - blank, A telephone receiver and photo-album, And sometimes some medicine against headache You live in that mirror and laugh at my faults.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040301.htmlMon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040301.htmlA MAGNIFICENT FEAT Three talented and relentlessly driven curators (Anahid Kassabian, Thea Farhadian and Hrayr Anmahouni) together with seventeen Armenian Film Festival (AFF) committee members and nine tireless volunteers, pulled off an amazing feat after two years of struggle, in a span of three days, February 20-22, 2004, here in San Francisco. They managed to present on the big screen, in a lovely venue (Delancey Street Theater, 600 Embarcadero) a wide variety of authentic and compelling faces, voices and spirits of Armenians and Armenianness through the medium of mostly experimental and independently produced cinema.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040228.htmlSat, 28 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040228.htmlI sit here Surrounded by your blood I did not know them last year But yet I feel so close You gave me life And while sitting here I am keeping that family light alive. How strong the feeling is That bond Which you taught us to keep Through your feelings Your kindness Your light Your generosity Finally, yourself…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040221.htmlSat, 21 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040221.htmlTranslated by Khatchig Mouradian It is raining, son, the autumn is wet, Just like the damp eyes of poor beguiled love, Go and shut the door, close the window too Then come to my side, let’s sit together In silence supreme. It is raining, son, Does it sometimes rain in your soul as well? Does your heart get cold? And do you shiver When you think about the bright, bygone sunhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040214.htmlSat, 14 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040214.htmlDo you want to go back to your previous lover? Are you serious about falling in love again with the person of so many years ago? All you have to do is to be friends with me, then become intimate a little bit and wham, or swish all of a sudden it will come back to you, and you will realize that you and your ex belong together. It’s not a theory it has been tested.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040209.htmlMon, 09 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040209.htmlA HISTORY OF ARMENIAN WOMEN’S WRITING: 1880-1922 301pp. Cambridge Scholar’s Press, 2003 If you are a diasporan who attended an Armenian high school, you probably learnt about the Awakening [Zartonk], in your Armenian literature class, possibly read a short story from Zabel Yesayian and/or Sibyl, and the name Srpuhi Dussap may ring a distant bell. If you were instructed in the Eastern Armenian tradition, you will surely be familiar with the proletarian poetry of Shushanik Kurghinian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040207.htmlSat, 07 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040207.htmlWhen destiny Crossed our path, Stroked by your beauty The purity of your soul The brightness of your thought I, as a destitute lover Wanted to spend The rest of my days Adoring you As goddess of love To fly at your side In eternal blue sky… To be your companion In time of distress As well in happiness You could always lean On my shoulders And when you are Submerged in ecstasy When you suddenly feel Your heart will explode And your mind will blow From the tenderness Of my caresses And the touch of my lips To the unexplored curves Of your virginal And gorgeous body… I will be at your side For the rest of my life Adoring you!https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040202.htmlMon, 02 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040202.htmlWhy we should read… “Revolutionary Figures” by Antranig Chalabian (463pp, USA, 1991) Antranig Chalabian’s ‘Revolutionary Figures’ (also available in English) collects together short biographies of legendary Armenian guerrillas (Mihran Damadian, Hambardzum Boyadjian, Serob Aghbiur, Hrair-Dzhoghk, Gevorg Chavush, Sebastatsi Murad and Nikol Duman) that together constitute a critical and thought provoking introduction to many aspects of the 19th century Armenian revolutionary movement. They range across its internal organisation, its tactics and strategy, the struggle between its opposing trends, its relation to the population, the issue of alliances with Kurdish and Turkish dissidents, the role of the Church, as well as elements of the broad social and political context for the movement’s development, successes and failures.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040131.htmlSat, 31 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040131.htmlSepia colors animate Vanquished vacant signs Resplendent needle threads Of discarded promises Made in haste before The unprotected intimacy That leads to the grave Warning sign language Of Jazz Not lacking in pizzazz Or sizable praise Beat by beat Drummed into A nation’s consciousness Hear it said Bled, fled.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040124.htmlSat, 24 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040124.htmlThrough the daytime light it seems tiny and full - the night turns its diminutiveness into a mysterious space - dark yet dimly lit, it resembles the chorus on the backstage - the important but modestly shaded component of the performance. The cosines of the streets acquires a special color - the color of night, mixed with the yellowish shop-windows, greenish pubs and different shades of the brown-gray. It has nothing of the brightness the big cities sparkle with: advertisement sheets, illuminations - simplicity of noble lanterns makes a touching composition with the full moon, or, more often, its complete absence.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040122.htmlThu, 22 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20040122.htmlFor more than six months, the South Caucasus has been locked in a significant period of political transition. Each of the region’s three states, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, has faced a daunting set of internal obstacles and challenges during this transitional period, compounded by a varying degree of incomplete or weakened statehood, systemic corruption and a pronounced trend of authoritarian rule. Each state also faces greater insecurity and vulnerability stemming from the dramatic shift in regional geopolitics in the wake of the new post-September 11 strategic landscape, and remains hostage to the course of the new U.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040121.htmlWed, 21 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20040121.htmlWhy we should read… “The Armenian Church at the Crossroads of the 18th Century Armenian Liberation Movement” by Armen Aivazian (344pp, Yerevan, Armenia, 2003) The Armenian National Liberation and the Armenian Church The Armenian Church has had a deservedly bad reputation having been, through the centuries, a rather poor guardian of the real interests of its flock. But as with the sections of the French Church during the French Revolution, or the 1960s Catholic Church in Latin America, sections of the Armenian Church also produced individuals and groups who made outstanding contributions to the Armenian people’s history.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040117.htmlSat, 17 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040117.htmlMy father in a storm of pigeons in San Marco’s Aquare points up, “Now look at those horses well.” His words bring back Browning’s Last Duchess. “They’er yours,” he says, “They came with Tiridates to Italy in Nero’s day overland, not to pollute the sea. Perfect symbols of our craft. They blend bronze with our tales of fiery steeds. “On such a beast Sanasar flew into the sun. Just how these four were planted on this roof is a mystery to all except tourists with Armenian blood.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040110.htmlSat, 10 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040110.htmlThere is a bustle in the air, a rattling, a soft commotion, clouds gossiping in espionage as Yerevan breeds quietly with gray - Could I be a spirit trapped in a statue, white covering my toes? Looking up - the sky is solemn, filled with easy dancing flurries that separate us - they condemn this marriage of fast melting heartbeats, brusque slaps on my naked face that sometimes hurt, especially the ones spinning the eye - like icicles from fairytales, so I ignore the laughing doilies that resist and stay, clinging to my bronze shield as surrogate drapes.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040103.htmlSat, 03 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20040103.htmlDemocracy could also be defined as ceaseless resistance to fascism. Because fascism, in addition to being a constant temptation, is also easy. What’s hard is recognizing its signs and symptoms, such as: censorship in the name of some noble-sounding abstraction; ascribing one’s failures on foreign powers (xenophobia); exaggerating one’s tribal or national uniqueness or superiority by re-writing history.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031227.htmlSat, 27 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031227.htmlPART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF FREE LABOUR AS CREATION [Part One is available here.] When Daniel Varoujean was arrested in Istanbul by the Young Turk government on 24 April 1915 he was working on a cycle of poems to be entitled ‘The Song of Bread’. What would have been his fourth volume of poetry was never to be completed. Not released from captivity, Varoujean was murdered four months later, on 26 August 1915.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031227.htmlSat, 27 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031227.htmlTransparent tiny water tank Shackled monstrous red lobsters Struggling to get out Unconscious of their fate… At any moment Following A plump chef’s order To be plunged Into a boiling pot Of salty water… To feed our hunger Reduce cholesterol To cut weight And as a substitute for aphrodisiac To enhance our sex life Man, it is so great You bet… To be a superman Ignorant of its own fate…https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031222.htmlMon, 22 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031222.html“Penelope was waking to the warm golden-greenish sunrays, which reminded her of a delicious pumpkin hill, usually unloaded onto the hot August asphalt of the heavily trodden Yerevan streets. Carefully, she touched the ray with her finger,” begins Gohar Markosian-Kasper in her autobiographical novel, where the banal is marvelously transformed into intricately stitched patterns forming a quilt of her own. Originally from Yerevan, author of three novels Markosian-Kasper writes about the ordinary life in Armenia during its early independence days of the nineties in a most unordinary style.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031220.htmlSat, 20 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031220.htmlWarping walls of sorrow Deforming memories of Ancient Cities That golden past - undefeated through faith Spit upon by fate’s random drawing masquerade We sing of hope and endless summer blossoms Hear our village songs embrace us for the winter Of dissolution, assimilation, deprivation Yet out children dance to Sayat Nova, sing of Gomidas And celebrate a hundred years past Khatchadourian With pride, reverence and Armenian Ararad. Survive or parish facing hoards of barbarians Unwashable, unabashed Survive or stagnate in a world of wonders And wicked winds of tempting scripted denials.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031213.htmlSat, 13 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031213.htmlIf your smile disappears one day I will lose the sense of direction And will switch off the sun I will stumble on the smoothest of the ways And will not wish to taste the sweetest of the honeys My steps will resemble the ones of a wounded beast My eyes will see the darkest pots in the purest creatures I will start passing out gradually Please, smile forever.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031206.htmlSat, 06 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031206.htmlI want to live, but not a lavish life wedged in obscurity, unconcern, simple-mindedness, nor an outright hostage of beauty aids as a frail creature, delicate and feeble - but equal to you, oh men, auspicious, as you are - powerful and headstrong, fit against calamities, and ingenious - with bodies full of fervor. I want to love, unreserved, without a mask - autonomous like you, so that when in love I can sing my feelings to the world and unchain my heart - a woman’s heart before the crowds ignoring the stern judgements with my shield, and destroy their prickly arrows with all my vigor unrestrained!https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031129.htmlSat, 29 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031129.htmlLet me take you in my arms And raise you to the sky, So you can play with the stars, So I can light stars in your eyes That will reflect in mine. Let me hang the rainbow From your delicate shoulders, Put my hand around your waist; Let me undo the buttons Of your flower-patterned shirt. Fired with wishes and yearnings To bend over your soft chest With the sultry and swelter of my love, To put a bond of kiss On your sweet and alluring lips.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20031124.htmlMon, 24 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20031124.htmlAfter elections concluded in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Georgia held its parliamentary elections on November 2. The three countries of the South Caucasus came under immense scrutiny by international observers for violating a set of rules and for holding unfair and fraudulent elections. It should be noted that in all three countries, the government and pro-government parties and presidents have witnessed an increase in activism by their respective oppositions. What varied in the three countries was the method by which the oppositions were handled.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031122.htmlSat, 22 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031122.htmlI can still feel her tears, For they are falling from the sky, This world cares not for me, So I say my last goodbyes, Its so hard to leave my dear, Because I love her so, And I don’t want to leave her here, In this hurtful world alone…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031115.htmlSat, 15 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031115.htmlWhen you are in love You are in an unimaginable state, As if you are in your mother’s womb. A feeling which you have experienced But you cannot recollect - To come out of it, to be real again, You have to go through the shock Of coming to this world, the pain of birth, You have to cry, and you might seek help. Your occasional smiles are wrinkled The sadness - does not go away, No matter how many lines are drawn on your face Or how many new meaningful relationships Or new friends you have made again.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031108.htmlSat, 08 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031108.htmlI was six weeks old getting comfortable in my mother’s womb warm and welcomed wasn’t sure about my sex – when my father in a council with himself decided to name me Shumavon :: My firstborn is a son no question about it he declared proudly stroking his black moustache. I turned mind disturbed how inconvenient! Then curling my yet-to-be-developed lips into a smile I turned out to be a nonconformist – precisely –https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031101.htmlSat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031101.htmlI can walk away from this place Abandon the glow of errors Perpetuating virtue in vague Divested cries of varsity. Money lending streaks as landing Gear for unwashed crevices Folded by the shadow of a skirt Molded to repeat rejections Embracing jaundiced juices of piety. I should walk away from this place See less, feel, press prudent pranks Serenade the abscessed derelictions Of Descartian restraint. Rapecious rigors reverberate Rustic crinkles effused by Pantomimed vestibule referrals To a thin blend of crusted Boardrooms and Barricades.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031027.htmlMon, 27 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031027.htmlIn September, an exhibition titled “Politics Under 180 Degree” was organized at the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA), curated by art critic Vardan Azatyan. Political art originates and gets feedback directly from existing social conditions and relations. Local and global political atmosphere serves as incitement for it. Can politics-related art be a protest, a cry and reaction, or is it art serving totalitarian ideology? And lastly, which is the border that separates political art from politicized art, and allows viewing them on different poles?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031025.htmlSat, 25 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031025.htmlDhour Shoueir(Lebanon), August 1937 Translated by Khatchig Mouradian Your pain unfolds from the past, oh light-shaded pine tree…Barely risen from the ground you have lost your maiden branch, the trace of which Appears on you dry and sprout as a broken arm. Then countless other branches succeeded it, And once they thought your trunk had grown enough Allowed your upper knots to sprout and thicken, and silently adorn themselves with transparent hair.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031020.htmlMon, 20 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20031020.htmlWhatever page you open from Siamanto, it is always Siamanto - noble, magnificent, heroic. But on every page of Varoujean you discover a new Varoujean, a Varoujean with a novel light, a new strength, an original beauty.' – Karekin Khazhak If around me all is darkness I shall flare and sparkle for my fellow men and women Hurling myself to the ground I’ll block the path of despair. – Baryour Sevakhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031018.htmlSat, 18 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031018.htmlBODY LANGUAGE Ideas too have a body language - the vocabulary they employ, the choice of clichés or their avoidance, their tempo and tonality… in short: to a skilled reader an idea can be as transparent as the confession of a guilty butler in an English mystery. MEAN WOMEN A mean woman can teach a man more about his vulnerabilities and limitations than a thousand yataghan-wielding Turks. If you survive such a specimen you can survive anything!https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031011.htmlSat, 11 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20031011.htmlI brought you down, But you kept with me, Pushed you to the ground, yet you have not left me, You help me stand strong today, I used to live in yesterday, But i am better now, You told me how i make you proud, you have kept your faith, And taught me how to appreciate, All that i have, And what i have been blessed with, And once i had felt trapped, But it was you that had helped me, I stand here today, all better and well, i don’t know what to say, except thank you for all the help, You have brought tears to my eyes, You have taught me to try, and how to live through, all my unlucky Red Skies,https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030927.htmlSat, 27 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030927.htmlThe leper - is on the loose, wears a mask beneath a mask, has slain the doe, eats away with blood-saliva dripping on the soil feeding on the roots, killing all the roots, the beast - a chimera suckles the flock with heinous milk, diseased with greed and avarice, will to power - the beast is on the loose - who will feed the monster, who will mate and breed with it, who’s gonna bear it in their wombs cancer-like, replicating, multiplying metastasizing into a deadly lock, who’ll stay behind these tombs?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030920.htmlSat, 20 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030920.htmlI want to sit under the stars And count the stars in your eyes. I want to pluck the petals of the flowers And discover the colors of your eyes. I want to perch in the garden And breathe the roses of your eyes. I want to walk on the beach And gather the pebbles of your eyes. I want to bathe in the sun And warm up by the sun of your eyes…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030913.htmlSat, 13 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030913.htmlPeople shout at each other, as if they know, what it is - justice. They try to prove to others that there exist many ways of problem solution, but they do not see the core of the problem: their own faults. People move stones from mountains to build houses, but they do not realize that roofs cannot replace mountains. People drink waters of the lakes, but one day the lake will dry, their thirst will become stronger.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030909.htmlTue, 09 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030909.htmlWhy we should read… “The Humble Ones” by Hagop Oshagan, 616pp Selected Works, 1998, Antelias, Lebanon) I. THE HUMBLE ONES Among many Armenian literary critics Hagop Oshagan’s (1883-1948) stature as a novelist is unrivalled and he is frequently named in the company of Balzac, Stendhal, Dostoyevsky, Proust and Joyce. Such comparisons are not mere patriotic bombast. Once the reader has mastered Oshagan’s unique Armenian style, s/he cannot fail to be dazzled by the remarkable skill with which he mines the deepest recesses of the human soul and brings to light the vast contents of its driven, troubled and tormented psyche.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030906.htmlSat, 06 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030906.htmlI am the astronaut Of the destroyed spacecraft Who traveled From one end of universe To outer space Looking for the planet Under who’s breast are kept The treasures Of our lost loves Aborted longings Tormented dreams Unbridled sentiments Unfulfilled vibes And violated innocence… From worm like beginnings To the chimpanzee As soon we stood On our two feet Suddenly With a vengeance Of superman We longed and craved For the cave.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030901.htmlMon, 01 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030901.htmlIn Armenian reality the issue of integrating all aspects of life into a common and mainstream national rhetoric is an obsession. This is not surprising since like many small nations, which have faced mass extinction and managed to avoid it, national or nationalist rhetoric seems to provide some comfort and at the same time explain things in simple terms for mass consumption. The Western academia (mostly social sciences) is one of the main challengers of any conventional wisdom and national rhetoric.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030830.htmlSat, 30 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030830.htmlThey’ll stand there forever, you know, if we let them There are men standing there with knives and guns A rope Waiting for someone like me to walk by To walk proudly by, boisterously, confidently by I decide to oblige them I walk by I carry a knife and a gun and a rope with me They watch me walk by. They grind their teeth, they snarl, they watch me walk by My boots have heels, I seem taller I’ve a large dog with me.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030823.htmlSat, 23 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030823.htmlFrida Kahlo came, went Vent vet vexed Pranced, spinal tapped Mustache raised, rant Scant clad, wept Wet diagonal Diego Bubbles, Champaigned For the common man Mural maestro syndicate Crooning Aztec bird Of Mexican discontent Flame fed fete flared Slept with his or her Art collectors' Cheeks and checkshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030819.htmlTue, 19 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030819.htmlWhy we should read… “An American Physician in Turkey” by Clarence D Ussher, 190pp “The Tragedy of Bitlis” by Grace H Knapp, 110pp (Both Sterndale Classic titles, 2002, England) Sterndale Classics is a relatively new imprint specialising in republishing contemporary and eyewitness accounts of life and politics in the late 19th/early 20th century Ottoman Empire particularly as they relate to the Armenian experience. Edited by Ara Sarafian, from the Gomidas Institute and the ‘Armenian Forum’ Journal, the series serves a valuable purpose independent of the merits or otherwise of individual titles.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030816.htmlSat, 16 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030816.htmlThe sky is more expensive here simply because there are too many windows. It’s no use, but you keep on trying You press the elevator button for the top floor, The lights will indicate that you are going up But down and down you will go Till you reach the temple of faith. Their prayer consists of rearranging the furniture, Until by chance, they will find the invocation, The furniture arrangement, which will please their Gods.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030812.htmlTue, 12 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030812.htmlThe definition of foreign policy is a very broad one. It may be implemented on groups, organizations (political or otherwise), nations, and in the most common and traditional sense, states. In our modern world, the need to conduct foreign policy has become one of the most pressing issues for any government. Foreign policy is the method the major venue through which countries engage in self-promotion, pursuing political, economic or other agendas.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030809.htmlSat, 09 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030809.html(This poem is dedicated to my paternal grandfather, whose life has been a source of inspiration for me. He is a true survivor, a builder, a patriot and today he is more beautiful than ever). By Shushan Avagyan This was his first tree planted in 1936, after the Soviets allotted a piece of land in the city, after the collective took over his family’s house in the village, farmland and cattle, after his father was taken away as a kulak - the enemy of people Stalinists called, after his brothers’ exile to Northern Russia: an orphaned youth seeking asylum from the bloody hunt of a system gone wrong.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030802.htmlSat, 02 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030802.htmlYour moon is hanging I try to catch its blue light But it slips away. River is fragile Snow melts into the water It hurts the river You spread your colors And I perceive them fully You are perfect, God.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030728.htmlMon, 28 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030728.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Life of Mashtots’ by Goryoun Armenian State Publishers, 180pp. Yerevan, 1962. Without the Armenian alphabet that was developed by Mesrop Mashtots in the opening decade of the 5th century it is highly unlikely that Armenians would have survived with their distinct cultural tradition and national identity. This ‘Life of Mesrop Mashtots’ by his pupil Goryoun, written sometime between 443 and 451AD, is therefore a unique document.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030725.htmlFri, 25 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030725.htmlThe summer is torrid of my hot love, Sizzling and scorching from my roasting passions; The sun has fallen into the forest of my love, And has started a ruthless fire. I am unable to distinguish your eyes from the sun, They are so shining with the flame of love, It is from my love that bonfires have erupted In the depth of your eyes with the heat of summer.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030719.htmlSat, 19 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030719.htmlShe tells me she loves me she is filled with lies She asked me how could I see I said through your eyes She ran away She went where no one knows her name she went to a place with less growing pains I never saw her again but times got worse I was blamed for her wrongs I was quite hurt maybe I should join her in a far away land maybe we could be together hand in hand where no one knows your name a place with less growing pains one day I will see it wasn’t meant to be yet that doesn’t bother me I have so much to lose yet so much to gain every cloud is in my way and I am drowned in Growing Pains.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030715.htmlTue, 15 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030715.htmlSelected Works: Shushanik Kurghinian (1876-1927) It was in my sixth grade Armenian literature class that I first read this intriguing poet, who caught my attention because we shared the same name, and also because women writers rarely appeared in my textbooks. Last year I spent many hours leafing through her family album at the Museum of Art and Literature in Yerevan, browsing through her diligently handwritten notebooks and trying to decipher the sophisticated calligraphy.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030715.htmlTue, 15 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030715.htmlDuring the past four decades, the study of small states within the US academia has seen some resurgence. Most of the studies however were form a security perspective (starting with Anette Baker Fox’s ‘The Power of Small States’) and disregarded a set of concerns that dealt with the domestic concerns of small powers. Later on there were attempts to ‘fix’ this problem by concentrating on the study of small states from domestic perspectives by studying the relations between size on the one hand and democracy (Robert Dahl and Edward Tufte, ‘Size and Democracy’), political and economic development on the other.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030712.htmlSat, 12 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030712.htmlI’ve known mountains I set my sheep to graze on a hillside and climbed myself high to see what there was. I’ve once decided and told my whole family that I should climb as high as one man could to the peak of Sis and came back home not having reached the summit. I’ve built my home near a field below a slope afoot the breast of a mountain range called Ara.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030707.htmlMon, 07 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030707.htmlOn June 28, 2003 President Robert Kocharian of Armenia paid his first official state visit after his controversial re-election as president. During the visit Kocharian met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze as well as with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Nino Burjanadze and discussed a host of issues relevant to the two countries. At the end of the two-day visit the two presidents signed a series of cooperation agreements mostly in the spheres of economy, education and culture.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030705.htmlSat, 05 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030705.htmlFrom an early age I silently carried My burden of lead Attached to my wings As an omen of destiny Branded on my forehead And also on my soul… I was so often Plucked of my feathers By those mortals Who refrained my attempts For a better life They have prevented My willful fly In the blue sky And my journey To the distant oceans To the distant shores…https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030701.htmlTue, 01 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030701.htmlSince the independence of Armenia, over twelve years ago, the Armenian Diaspora was mobilized in an unprecedented way in support of the new Republic. Although fragmented in their agendas, the various Armenian organizations in the Diaspora (both in the Western and Eastern hemispheres) realized that they are facing a challenge for which they should have been preparing for over the seventy years when they existed and operated as Diasporan organizations.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030630.htmlMon, 30 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030630.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Fool’ by Raffi Sovetakan Grogh, Collected Works volume 4 Yerevan, Armenia, 1984 This effort does not pretend to substitute for Donald Abcarian’s excellent overview of both ‘The Fool’ and Raffi’s work in general. These are available in the preface to his English translation of ‘The Fool’ (Komitas Institute, 2000) and on Groong’s ‘The Critical Corner’ (See “Raffi – An Overview” (June 24, 2002) and “Raffi – A Biography” (December 9, 2002) By Donald Abcarian.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030628.htmlSat, 28 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030628.htmlAlthough it is inopportune, And the doubt knocks at my heart, Yet with an inexplicit hope I cling to your promise That you will come… So I keep my lamp lit in the window As a beacon for the lost… It will be by the light of my love That you will finally find your way And reach my heart… My anxiety is pounding With the anguish of my waiting; I wish you to appear And deliver me From the swamp of hopelessness, Which is growing out of doubts…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030621.htmlSat, 21 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030621.htmlAt night, fanned by the light Of an African Moon Glistening instrument of splendor Make a lion roar While Aids devours the continent Chewing inside its rhythms Instruments of joy Partisan fractions Fumble fragrant futures Wind, string, percussion Strong hips, Execrated praise, Hosannas As prostitutes and babies default on their faults Gazelles run and lions race Witness Western Africa drown In the drought of UN observers Blue handkerchiefs and ineptitude Serving as their warning flagshttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030616.htmlMon, 16 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030616.html“The Road to Home” Author: Vartan Gregorian Hardcover: 368 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.17 x 9.30 x 6.50 Publisher: Simon & Schuster; (June 6, 2003) ISBN: 068480834X Vartan Gregorian’s autobiographic tract, “A Road to Home,” tells an extraordinary story. It is the quintessential American Success Story. Here is an Armenian immigrant who comes from a village in Northern Iran, with his high school education completed in Jemaran, the Armenian School of considerable note in Beirut, who earns a BA and a PhD from Stanford (in history, specialty: Afghanistan), teaches at San Francisco State and UT, Austin, ends up being Dean, Provost and almost the President of U.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030614.htmlSat, 14 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030614.htmlTHE SHE FOX (Sculpture by L. Bourgeois, 1986) resides on a pedestal sleek head at her feet - a decapitated hybrid served as if for sacrifice - her cold marble body attacked repeatedly with a chisel in deliberate stabbing fashion. Technically she has no face and yet she’s watching you through her four swollen teats - organic breathing fierce lonely in her unpredictable cosmos creator and destroyer and extremely soft - soft as the skin of Mother - Satenig.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030607.htmlSat, 07 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030607.htmlit is not beauty alone it is not the abundance of wealth it is not shared poverty it might give birth to gods it might grow on beaches it is more colorful than a rainbow it is indescribable it does not drip like blood it might seem untouchable it is definitely imaginable but you still always wonder if it ever exists the warmth the tears the jealousy the aggression the beautyhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030531.htmlSat, 31 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030531.htmlIf your smile disappears one day I will lose the sense of direction And will switch off the sun I will stumble on the smoothest of the ways And will not wish to taste the sweetest of the honeys My steps will resemble the ones of a wounded beast My eyes will see the darkest pots in the purest creatures I will start passing out gradually Please, smile forever…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030524.htmlSat, 24 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030524.htmlA hustler’s hiss hymn Havoc ballads of hovering apologies Modern median crimes Temperate tremulous clouds Diverging towards unsculpted keys Serenading barcodes scanned to oblivion Where cipher wheels scramble distress calls Till madness itself extends rented arms And man falls to pretend indifference Or solidarity with working wakeful Silent victims of extremal avarice Severed sand blasted mirage In ceremonial white silk satin soiled Undergarment draping tails of piano Action thrown overboard for a price.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030519.htmlMon, 19 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030519.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Srpouhi Dussap - her life and work’ 252pp, Armenian State University, Yerevan, 1963 Novelist, democrat and feminist Soviet era critical biographies of 19th and early 20th century Armenian writers whilst generally of great value are rarely inspiring. A S Sharourian’s volume on Srpouhi Dussap is an exception. One cannot but delight in this story of an intellectual and writer who born in 1841 to a well-to-do Istanbul Armenian family and married to a local Frenchman, went on to become the foremost modern Armenian feminist and the first Armenian woman novelist as well as a prominent figure of the Armenian national revival.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030517.htmlSat, 17 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030517.htmlIn my quest You are pictured In line and curve… Line and curve… Line and curve… You are a shadow; In the softness I plunge… I plunge… I plunge… You like it to be Gently light, To see my paleness, Gently light… The purple of the evening Extends before me Like your arms, In purple, In purple… Save me So that I may believe in future, In my devotion… My devotion… My devotion…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030510.htmlSat, 10 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030510.htmlI feel like i was hit by a dozen bricks, my body goes one way as 1000 needles prick, A deadly rose stands silently, but its thorn slices violently.. You look like a flower too, but we dont know you are so powerful, sometimes I wish that we never met, but then my heart pumps up again… seductive leaves fall from the sky, as a tree, it starts to die, one by one they fall to the ground, landing softly without a sound… My feelings are something I never show, my little secrets you never know, I try to help by defending you, but then you tell me you hate me… I HATE YOU TOO…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030426.htmlSat, 26 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030426.htmlAre their pitiful shrieks still reverberating In the burned-down churches of Armenian towns, O Lord? Is their unclotted blood still seeping In the soil of our desecrated lands? Are a million ghosts haunting the very homes In which their physical twins were massacred, O Lord? Is the earth shaking under the feet of murderers And toppling their dwellings on their heads? Are the heavens raining fires to chastise Earthlings so blind to injustice?https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030421.htmlMon, 21 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030421.htmlWorth a read Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding, yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… THE SALVAGING OF AN AUTHENTIC ARMENIAN MUSICAL TRADITION These 160 collected Letters by Komitas, (224pp, 2000, Yereven, Museum of Literature and Art, edited and introduced by Orphelia Garabedian and Tzoghig Pekarian) peppered with wit and humour as well as passion and anger, provide a fascinating and illuminating insight into his ambitions to salvage and develop an authentic Armenian musical tradition.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030419.htmlSat, 19 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030419.htmlApril window invites judgment towards our pied past Haunting sounds of summers lost Hopes dug in bloody sand dunes of inscribed pride Endless chains of moaning caravans Melting into balls of fury for injustice left undone 87 monsters greeted parliaments in Europe recognizing Armenian loss Hands meager in destiny yet warm in culture’s clutch resound the denials Diminished returns of Kurd killing battalions flashing Western leaning pretences Endless in shame of lust for crusted victories over the unarmed and unwashed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030412.htmlSat, 12 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030412.html(In memory of the one and half million Armenians who perished during the Genocide of 1915, perpetrated by Turkish Government.) It was April, and like angry waves upon the sea, they came! They stormed the ancient shores of Hayastan. When it was done, they slapped the rocks, returning to the sea. Though the shores were leveled with each sweeping wave, footprints in the sand appeared….https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030405.htmlSat, 05 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030405.htmlFruits Require Rainbows To ripe Rants Trap The mind Which forgets To rage Upon Betrayals Regrets Require Requiems To rest The resthttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030329.htmlSat, 29 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030329.htmlOh, in Armenia now Where spring downs Over rose pedals Along sidewalks where lovers Walk holding hands And duduk players Invite the bride to her New home across The road, and Mothers pray with Tearful eyes and Wish for a life better Than theirs- Oh, in Armenia now Where spring blows It’s sweet song Across the stones. Copyright © 2002 Varoozhan Froonzhanhttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20030325.htmlTue, 25 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030325.htmlANTELIAS, LEBANON The events of September 11th brought into question the conventional understanding of power. They demonstrated to the world that arrogance of power and vulnerability of power are intertwined. September 11th happened against the background of a world characterized by terrorism, religious extremism, ethnic conflict, neo-racism and neo-militarism, and it remains a tangible and painful reminder of a world that is in a state of disorientation, and disintegration. After September 11th the world changed.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030322.htmlSat, 22 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030322.htmlNoon - the hour of observance - a yellow frenzy spreading over the neighboring hills - zourna bellows wildly in a coarse duet with the dhol, as dancing arms and feet form tightly knotted circles of loud human carousels. Enters the bride, timidly hiding her face in a veil, white and translucent, then successively - the groom - young man with rosy cheeks holding a silver dagger in his hand -https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030315.htmlSat, 15 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030315.htmlYou are beautiful Whenever you glide On the sea of my admiration, With your discrete and reserved majesty, Like the swan With soft and stretched smoothness, Rich with curvature And falling spiral… You drive me to seduction With your swan-like grace… My desires undulate In the blue lake of your words, Where my vessel swings By your caprice of Given and declined promises… It is the breath of the breeze and the lake Which blows with tender gasp, And caresses me charmingly…https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030313.htmlThu, 13 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030313.htmlAbstract The current post-Soviet bureaucracy in South Caucasian republics, and notably in ethnically diverse Azerbaijan and Georgia, has yet been unable to link ethnicity, territory, and political administration in the process of state-building and democratic development. Bureaucratic evolution from communism to liberalism has simply contributed to the establishment of a handy “electoral democracy” and lucrative economic liberalism for the elites. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, particularistic identities, reinforced differences, and fragmentation of societies have been the dominant characteristics of the South Caucasian republics of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan (or Trans-Caucasus).https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030310.htmlMon, 10 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030310.htmlCritique: Straight, No Chaser “The Armenian Question” by Bill Rolleri and Anna Antaramian March 10, 2003 at the New Freedom Theatre, Philadelphia PA A two act play originally written in 1979 and sponsored by st Vartan’s Armenian Church of America, New York City. This play has had readings in the past and will have its world premiere on March 10. The following is based on an advanced reading of the script.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030308.htmlSat, 08 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030308.htmlYou are trying continuously to reach for life and you don’t mind all the obstacles on your way. Some people admire your stubbornness, others gossip, that you are a failure. You don’t mind them, either. You scrawl on your knees, jump as high as your feet can lift you, run as long as there is a road ahead, with widely stretched arms, ready to grasp it - the life. Sometimes, of course, it passes by, unnoticed, because of your high speed, but the main thing is, that you believe in success.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030301.htmlSat, 01 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030301.htmlClouds of marble In shades of sunlight Define the skies To my heart. Leaves of autumn flutter Dancing between the sidewalks In the vacant roads, Despite the red stop sign Near the corner of the street. My soul is also dancing Like the dry autumn leaves Full of hope, love and magic, In a jubilant crowd it appears, But it’s a crazy, lonesome dance The dance of dry autumn leaves.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030222.htmlSat, 22 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030222.htmlYou talk to me of passion, Of lines dripping with desire, Yet nothing is left but ashes… I’ve rented to resignation The vacant apartment of Fire. With the candlelight of craze I never found tempests tender, But still loitered with limping days In the subway of dusty calendars. Do not ask me of Lust, Of ink gushing like semen, My words are still-born children Who’ve had no chance of dreaming.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030218.htmlTue, 18 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030218.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Art of Manuscript Painting in Vaspourakan’ ‘Knowledge Publishers, Yerevan, 1997, Hravart Hakobian is animated by a single aim. With stylistic features distinguishing them radically from manuscript paintings and art in the rest of Armenia, Vaspourakan’s 10-14th century heritage is often regarded as essentially derivative of Arabic influences and particularly that of the Baghdad school. Hakobian labours to refute this argument that in his view diminishes the intrinsic value of Vaspourakan’s Armenian art.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030217.htmlMon, 17 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030217.htmlINITIAL OBSERVATIONS The electoral season in Armenia, unlike in the United States, does not kick off officially until a month prior to the elections. The candidates, naturally, begin campaigning ‘unofficially’ long before the permitted beginning date of the campaign, but just as in the prior Presidential elections, the campaigning season did not start in earnest until January 21. The campaigning has to cease at midnight on February 17, and the Armenian voters will take a day off before heading to the polls on February 19.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030215.htmlSat, 15 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030215.htmlAccrued crust of varnished calyx Below a brooding brinksman’s pride Grapnel gripping girded gasps Prophylactic progeny’s cadence Or a precentor’s calumny in a demitasse A ravaged nation hemorrhages, defoliates An ancient language irreversibly diffracts Into pockets of arid echo prisms Encryptions nesting unfulfilled troubadours Tympani vexed mosaic repeating Unsyllabic monastic monodies in taste.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030208.htmlSat, 08 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030208.htmlof Armenian words, their 39 swords, their 39 favors, locked fingers in the group like 39 dancers. They’d never forget the songs like lullabies in and out of mountain crags, on pollinated afterthoughts, in the rain of chance, in the clearing after snow. They’d never forget the enchantment of candles stacked like stems with fire the flowers, fire the ancient worship of a simpler earth. Even the earthquake learned the 39 letters and all the words that spelled a fractured vista, learned the dances too, the chances of blankets, the trances of food.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030205.htmlWed, 05 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030205.htmlCritical Analysis, Straight, No Chaser Below you will find reviews of two personal memoirs of young second generation Armenian Americans who are born in the US and see their Armenian heritage from a distinctly American point of view. One of these stories is based in Fresno, CA and the other in suburban Northern New Jersey. They have much to tell us about the Armenian American scene of the last forty or so years.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030201.htmlSat, 01 Feb 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030201.htmlYour only name, your only sigh, Your hugeness fills the gaps of darkness. Your breath, like wind, will never die, On day of thunder, storm and lightning. Your palm will shadow from heat, Your eyes will give no sign of fear. With no reason to retreat The day will gently disappear. And creatures, out in the space, Will fly and reach the edge of Ever. The planet with rotating pace Will leave the universe forever.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030125.htmlSat, 25 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030125.html(To Maurizio Pollini’s rendition of Debussy’s 2nd prelude of book II) Wake wondrous, wicked and weep Stake boldly banal and bleak Ecstasy elongated, emergent, evanescing Incubated, advertised, origamied Uncelebrated, euphemized Jelly of gelatinous moonscapes Crawling, coveted, concubines Bathed in lascivious orthodoxy Headdress of puritanical redress Cream of bras and seething baby powder Rashes in red moist cavernous folded Dreams engulf the wanton John At the amusement park of oral Raindrops of destinyhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030121.htmlTue, 21 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030121.htmlWorth a read Not necessarily masterpieces or artistically outstanding, yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them one will always find something of value… THE POETIC VOICE OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL LIBERATION Soviet Armenian literary critic Hrand Tamrazian, who died in 2001, possessed a bold imagination informed by an unusually cultivated aesthetic sensibility and a refined socio-historical vision. So his commentaries on particular authors or literary periods are also independent and passionate statements on the artistic and historical controversies of his days.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030111.htmlSat, 11 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030111.htmlI haven’t been there, I haven’t seen the kill… But I saw the horror In people’s eyes… I heard their mourning, I felt their pain, And their unbending will To punish the crime…. And it wasn’t just war… It was a genocide, Cold-blooded murder Captured in facts… Slaughter of kids and the old Slaughter of women and the weak Slaughter of a whole nation To own their land. I haven’t been there I haven’t seen the scene, But I have no respect For people who kill… Especially for ones Who don’t have honesty And live in denial Never confess…https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030108.htmlWed, 08 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20030108.htmlCritical Analysis, Straight, No Chaser BEAST ON THE MOON: AN ARMENIAN JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY IN AMERICA Richard Kalinoski’s play “Beast on the Moon,” written in 1992, has as its protagonists two 1915 Armenian genocide survivors. It has been published as part of the Humana Festival Play collection of 1995 (19th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. A Smith and Kraus Book, pages 99-147, 1995). It was introduced to the public at that Theatre Festival (March 1 - April 8, 1995) and received great acclaim.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030107.htmlTue, 07 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20030107.html“Law Concerning Lake Sevan” and “Overall and Annual Plans for Lake Sevan” Translated and Edited by Anne Shirinian-Orlando [Note: All data in this document is official government data obtained from various ministries. ] BRIEF HISTORY Lake Sevan, located in the Caucasus region and in the extreme northeast of the Armenian Plateau, is one of the largest high altitude freshwater lakes in the world. The lake is surrounded by high volcanic mountains, which rise to over 3,500 meters above sea level.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030104.htmlSat, 04 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20030104.htmlIt’s all around us, like a silky mist that looms, surrounding our Souls. the piercing pain in the pit of my Stomach, like pale eyes peering in my lies. the Acid that inches up, the Pulse that I hear, the Tears that roll, the Truth that I fear, this dread that I hold now I know, I wish, I knew, To be the change I wish to see. left there, on my knees, Elbows scraping the carpet, Hands over my Eyes, There is no world if I can’t see one.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021230.htmlMon, 30 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021230.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Dajgahayk - the Armenian Question’ 165pp, 1881, republished 1983, Tehran ‘The Western Armenian Liberation Struggle’ In defence of the Armenian National Liberation Movement For Souren, Sona, Daron, Raffi and all the children of Hayastan and all the children of all the world. May they appreciate, respect and emulate all those who dedicated their lives to the ideal of liberation and justice… Armenian News Network / Groong December 30, 2002https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021228.htmlSat, 28 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021228.htmlI am waiting For the heavenly inspiration To create this poem, To glorify this life, To be filled, impregnated, To have my thoughts realized, Like the unavoidable sunrises Which sculpt the light With rays Like my image… I am only a human creature With rationality, conscience, And infinite satiety… I remember That in the beginning was the word… I know from that That intellect Preceded creation… Therefore, the universe is not The result of contingency, Or a big banggg… But it is a cognitive creation, A wise ingeniousness, The way a poem should be…https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021221.htmlSat, 21 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021221.htmlWe are a little bit of everywhere Local and dispersed Native and cultivated Armenian by blood and heart We are together Here In the middle of nowhere to the rest of the world But everywhere to us Riding the roads Turning the turns Reaching the obscured landmarks Of a stoic sliver of homeland We are reminded Loudly By the silence in the air That this terrain was a battleground Sacred and scarred and serene Our everywhere and nowhere and here To validate and embrace For as long as we keep Riding and turning and reaching For herhttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021214.htmlSat, 14 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021214.htmlCreeping up the window of Eternity I just stole Joy’s virginity. Pour its Light into your glasses, And while the smoke of desire Is still rushing through my veins, Let my ecstasy, like a newborn, Drink right from the breasts of Victory… And behold! The neighboring roofs Hunched with envy Bear witness to my glory: Creeping up the window of Eternity I just stole Joy’s virginity…https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021211.htmlWed, 11 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021211.htmlIntroduction and a Proper Context Atom Egoyan, the highly accomplished Canadian Armenian director of motion pictures, has finally made a movie about the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It is called “Ararat” and in it another filmmaker, a famous French one apparently, is in the process of making a movie about the Van resistance against the Ottoman Turkish onslaught, which eventually wiped out the Armenian population of that region of historical Armenia.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021209.htmlMon, 09 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20021209.htmlA SKETCH OF RAFFI’S LIFE PREFACE: The following sketch of Raffi’s life is based on the work of Khachik Samvelian in his literary biography, “Raffi - The Creative Path of His Life”, published by “Arevik” press, Yerevan, 1987. Khachik Samvelian is a distinguished philologist, leading expert on nineteenth century Armenian literature, a specialist in Raffi’s writing and life, and former rector of the Roslin Institute of Applied Arts in Yerevan.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021207.htmlSat, 07 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021207.htmlFlickering candles, burning bright, bowing with each breath of rite. Rising, falling, shedding tears so warm and soft that all too soon grow cold and hard as stone. Oh, ancient light of lights, bending with each whisper of beseeching prayers. To what avail are Sacred Rites, when like you, they melt into oblivion?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021130.htmlSat, 30 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021130.htmlMy life’s light dance partner Clicks her heels and stiffens her spine Wound like a spindle of love in 4/4 time And shuffles on Tango breaths and breaks bound us in brusque turns and dips towards the light fantastic, serpentine, sanguine With our hearts in Argentine’s Blue sky Tango blues Pink Flamenco and American esperansahttps://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021123.htmlSat, 23 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021123.htmlI fell, I got up I lost and I found… Of all certain things The most certain is doubt. ** Have pity on all, But love none, Don’t tempt men, live a humble life; There is no other path to a happy life. ** We are like feathers Fortune a strong wind That blows and snatches at its whim. ** To be on the safe side Avoid a dog’s front end And a mule’s rear end.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021116.htmlSat, 16 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021116.htmland the road led to nowhere since I was a wondering Gypsy and it happened during travel on the road from pain to pleasure I gave birth to two unruly spirits made of fire and water like a ditokous homeless mother. and I carried my offsprings with me, on the road from home to the desert, in my basket of dreams determined to shape both of them with the power and the discipline appropriate for the circus role applicable to the prevailing market trend, with the trick to win the most applause the feats that will collect more rewards, … an alphabet taught on the desert sand trampling over the rocks and thorns stepping onto the wilderness with bleeding feet satisfying the scorched earth with blood without admitting pain or sorrow, to overcomehttps://ann.org/ro/ro-20021115.htmlFri, 15 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20021115.htmlCLASH OF PRINCIPLES? AIM-ArmeniaWeek Conflict Highlights the Contentious Role and Ownership of Media in Armenia PART II: INTERVIEW WITH SALPI H. GHAZARIAN YEREVAN, ARMENIA For years the Armenian International Magazine (AIM), the Los Angeles-based monthly magazine, claimed to represent virtually the only Armenian “free thinking and free press” (AIM, October 2001, p. 10). It declared itself to be the champion of “an independent press vital to the development of a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora” (ArmeniaWeek.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20021114.htmlThu, 14 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20021114.htmlCLASH OF PRINCIPLES? AIM-ArmeniaWeek Conflict Highlights the Contentious Role and Ownership of Media in Armenia PART I: INTERVIEW WITH TONY HALPIN AND JOHN HUGHES By Groong Research & Analysis Group YEREVAN, ARMENIA For years the Armenian International Magazine (AIM), the Los Angeles-based monthly magazine, had claimed to represent virtually the only Armenian “free thinking and free press” (AIM, October 2001, p. 10). It claimed to be the champion of “an independent press vital to the development of a democratic society in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora” (ArmeniaWeek.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021109.htmlSat, 09 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021109.htmlCan you save me From this cruel, cold world? Can you bear all the pain I have inside of me? And not be scared of all the darkness you will see? All of those hearts torn away and slashed into pieces… Can you repair my wounds without saying a cruel word? Or will you hurt me even more without looking inside my pitiful heart? Will you heal my soul and Will you help me grow?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021102.htmlSat, 02 Nov 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021102.htmlA broken typewriter two rolls of Tungsten film a newspaper with a photograph of the burning twin towers a City Lights publication of Kaddish & other poems a pair of bright yellow sunglasses in the red Polaroid case which i stole from my mother’s bureau [before i left her house] an old issue of Depi Yerkir and a box of Kotex tampons: all crammed on my brown folding table.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021015.htmlTue, 15 Oct 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021015.htmlThe Earth cries out in despair, With dreadful eyes it looks around: There’s so little left to spare, Who can be whipped for that or bound? If Beauty seeks refuge in garlands, Pretending blind, but badly wounded - Let not us hide in shrieking silence, Let not subdue to being hounded. Which of the senses claims forgiveness? When foliage dies, who buries ashes? Without smoke who needs the chimneys, Or stormy sea without splashes?https://ann.org/ew/ew-20021014.htmlMon, 14 Oct 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ew/ew-20021014.htmlNEW YORK, NEW YORK Isabel Bayrakdarian, the Armenian Canadian soprano, projects a commanding presence on stage. In a rapidly growing career, she has become a sought after performer, appearing in many opera productions, concert engagements and recorded performances. Next season, she will make her Met debut in A View from the Bridge. On October 13, Sunday afternoon, Ms. Bayrakdarian offered a concert, ‘Light from the Cross,’ at New York’s Alice Tully Hall, presented by the Prelacy of the Armenian Church.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021001.htmlTue, 01 Oct 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20021001.htmlWith focused efforts In language, resonances Strung are left unsaid. Vulgar, profane friction Strings to bows Framed in fame, Fancy feet’n rags Nomadic notes prance Not free emergent joy But dominant, dormant lament Eight deranged drops of soviet blood Immersed in Jewish songs Cycled in ravenous applause Babiyar, bulbs strung high To brandish love’s triumph Over a Georgian Tzar. Stale in rhetoric Bear in a sterling grave Manuscripts march in man’s bugle Symphony to war and blight.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020926.htmlThu, 26 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020926.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Vahan Tekeyan’ - A confession in poetry Selected Works (Library of Armenian Classics, pp239-364, 1981, Yerevan) Opening his autobiographical ‘Confessions’ Jean Jacques Rousseau writes ‘I have resolved on an enterprise which has no precedent and which once complete will have no imitator. My purpose is to display to my kind a portrait in every way true to nature, and the man I shall portray will be my self’.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020915.htmlSun, 15 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020915.htmlI look at the faces around me, I sense the places in my heart, I feel the pain of leaving, I know that I must part. I am now at where I was, When I was nothing in the womb, I need to put my life on pause, Or enter the sacred tomb. Right foot in, left foot out, Left foot in, no foot out, Lay on back, figure out, Life’s end, no doubt.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020911.htmlWed, 11 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020911.htmlIn the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, leading analysts heralded the beginning of a new era in international relations. The post-Cold War ended ‘dramatically,’ wrote the Argentine expert in international politics, Juan Gabriel Tokatlian. British historian John Gray, went further to sustain that ’the era of globalization is over,’ and U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, even compared the forthcoming period to that of 1945-1947.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020901.htmlSun, 01 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020901.htmlFireflies unbending Twinkle in the night, The murk is disturbing In a wink by the light. And even such fleeting But noble revelation Of light is becoming An unfading vision. The light is kind, is bold, The light is just and saint, It’s honesty untold And the sign unfeigned. The fearless are born To open new passes, To shine like a pharos Upon the uncharted seas. The heroes are falling But becoming new stars, That light reigns as a king From the Venus till Mars.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020827.htmlTue, 27 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020827.html[Latest News] SOMEBODY BLEW UP AMERICA (All thinking people oppose terrorism both domestic & international… But one should not be used To cover the other) They say its some terrorist, some barbaric A Rab, in Afghanistan It wasn’t our American terrorists It wasn’t the Klan or the Skin heads Or the them that blows up nigger Churches, or reincarnates us on Death Row It wasn’t Trent Lott Or David Duke or Giuliani Or Schundler, Helms retiringhttps://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020819.htmlMon, 19 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020819.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… LIFE IN STALINIST LABOUR CAMPS An Armenian writer-prisoner’s view Gourgen Mahari’s ‘Blossoming Barbed Wire’ (Collected Works Volume 5, 1989) is a riveting memoire-novel of his time in Siberian labour camps in the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s. Mahari reconstructs the monstrous apparatus of repression with characteristic wit and humour and unfolds the routine of everyday life through the tragic tale of love between an unskilled Azerbaijani worker, Mamo, and Lyudmila, a talented German artist.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020815.htmlThu, 15 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020815.htmlBzzzzzzzzzzzZZZzzz My Mosquito By Kevork K. Kalayjian, Jr. I woke up afterwards Naked on the beach, There was a swelling In the very bottom of my belly Lost in the pubic hair. “It’s not a dormant clitoris.” The doctor said, “You don’t need a sex change operation, It’s only a mosquito bite.” Ever since by birth My mosquito has been with me Wherever and whenever I am, From the dingiest restaurants to the most decorous bedrooms.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020801.htmlThu, 01 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020801.htmlThe sculptor dreams… then chisels at the marble stone. Beads of water from his brow drop on the mottled form. Leaning forward to wipe it dry, he blows gray dust from crevices and rubs smooth a jagged edge. Until… At last unveiled, the chiseled form becomes a theme and yet another dream. Knarik Meneshian was born in Austria, from an Armenian father and an Austrian mother. She’s married and is a writer and a teacher.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020724.htmlWed, 24 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020724.htmlBaku appears to offer more substantial ideas to break the impasse in the Karabakh negotiations, but Yerevan needs to be cautious. Azerbaijan’s recent unofficial offers, discussed with a former top Armenian negotiator, indicate Baku’s retreat from previously stated policy of maintaining a full blockade of Armenia until a final settlement is achieved. Reportedly Baku is proposing normalization of trade relations with Armenia before a final solution is achieved. It appears that Baku is implicitly reconciling with the idea that Karabakh may become part of Armenia; and that not all territories under Armenian control will be returned.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020722.htmlMon, 22 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020722.htmlWhy we should read… ‘A critical look at the 1915 Genocide’ Garo Sassouni’s pamphlet ‘A Critical Look at the 1915 Genocide’, written in 1930 and revised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Genocide, affords us a rare opportunity to consider seriously the role of the Armenian national leadership in the years leading up to the 1915 Genocide. Sassouni’s conclusions are, and not surprisingly, debatable. As a leading Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) intellectual he writes to also defend his party’s record during what was the most devastating episode in modern Armenian history.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020715.htmlMon, 15 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020715.htmlWhat started with rose petals sprinkled in abundance onto joyful crowds of Armenian ancestry, centuries ago, in celebration of a saint - now, on a hot July afternoon, spread across the turbulent streets of Yerevan, metamorphosing into a wild pagan ritual of water, turned into a mystical ingredient, purified and hidden in tin carafes - waiting in the hands of stealthy adolescents for random startled passers by. Yerevan July 7, 2002https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020701.htmlMon, 01 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020701.htmlWhen the old fight, it is the young who die. When the rich fight, it is the poor who die. If it were up to the old and the rich to do the dying, we would have no more wars. When we are young, we are driven. When old, we wonder what it was that drove us. It is not easy writing for readers who already know everything they need to know, even if what they really know happens to be recycled mumbo jumbo.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020624.htmlMon, 24 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020624.htmlYEREVAN, ARMENIA Is there oil and gas in Armenia? Yes, there is, as proven by oil recovered from the Shorakhpur-1P well east of Yerevan (the old Russian drilling rig can still be seen on the right hand side of the main road to Garni, close to Voghchaberd village), and the well south-west of Armavir (Oktemberyan-13E) which flowed gas for six months. These prove that the right conditions for oil and gas accumulations exist.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020624.htmlMon, 24 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020624.htmlRaffi (1832-1888) was the preeminent Armenian novelist of the mid-nineteenth century national revival. Through a rich body of writing spanning numerous genres, his creative and analytic genius ignited the Armenian literary scene with the imagery of national self-recognition, cultural enlightenment, and political emancipation. In so doing he layed a broad foundation for the subsequent development of Armenian literature, intellectual life, and politics. His career embraced many fields of activity: radical educator, pioneer in the use of modern Armenian, historian, folklorist, cultural anthropologist, social critic, moral philosopher, and political strategist.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020615.htmlSat, 15 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020615.htmlI set Armenian miniatures On a table before me, Their colors not muted by years, their shapes worshipping centuries. Their kneeling figures spoke to my fears, words they might have uttered not always teaching by treading lightly. The application of haloes was faded in scope but not in hues transfigured by their original approach. Reds and blues dominated and conformed to the brush as dark gold of haloes drew the symbol of circles.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020610.htmlMon, 10 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020610.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… Raffi on the experience of the Armenian emigrant labourer in 19th century Istanbul Donald Abcarian, whose modern translation of Raffi’s (1835-1888) ‘The Fool’ makes a seminal Armenian novel available to the English speaking world, notes rightly that ‘it’s a shame that Raffi has become a literary non-person to “modern” Armenians.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020607.htmlFri, 07 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020607.html“Hayasdane polor hayeri hayrenike e” - Armenia is the fatherland of all Armenians. This was the motto of the second Armenia-Diaspora pan-national conference [khohrtazhoghov]. Organized by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the goal of the conference was to link up diasporan Armenians with Armenia, with the explicit aim of generating investment and economic assistance. The message, “invest in Armenia,” or “assist Armenia” was the main point of the conference, and the “subtext” of all the events.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020603.htmlMon, 03 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020603.htmlWhy we should read… Mateos Zarifian - the poet who defied death Selected Works Library of Armenian Classics, pp 365 - 472, 1981, Yerevan TITLE The poetic contemplation of human frailty and death, those incontrovertible marks of humanity’s ultimate impotence before nature, often produces its opposite - an affirmation of the value of life and an inspired awareness of its frequently hidden potentialities. Such is the case with the poetry of Mateos Zarifian (1894 - 1924).https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020601.htmlSat, 01 Jun 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020601.htmlPiece by piece splinters of my heart are carved freeze dried, preserved, and displayed In the museums of ancient history, art and culture. So mighty is my past and so crippled my present That no one sees me, they talk about me as if I am ancient history, an irrelevant occurrence of a magnificent past. No one can see my bleeding heart No one can hear my deafening cries of pain As they cut me to small pieces, to preserve me…https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020520.htmlMon, 20 May 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020520.htmlThis year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nazim Hikmet’s birth. In none of the deserved tributes to this fine Turkish poet and communist activist will there be even a passing comment on a remarkable poetic affinity with the Armenian and essentially apolitical poet Missak Medzarents. Alas, that the world, and the Armenian world by and large as well, is ignorant of Medzarents’ legacy. Be that as it may, a juxtaposed reading of a few of their poems reveals a common generosity of spirit, a common sense of human solidarity and a remarkable parallel of poetic imagination and technique.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020515.htmlWed, 15 May 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020515.htmlVaroujan The great Armenian epic, that was what I was working on. And when I would read segments to my students their eyes would fill with the deep secret of their past. It was like owning a huge gem we alone knew about. I polished it in a secret room. When the Turks hauled me out in April to my death they found the stone, still rough, and tossed it into the great fire.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020501.htmlWed, 01 May 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020501.htmlMy life has been a mess, I need someone’s caress. My life is passing me by, Without me caring why. I have been to the bottom of everything, and yet it seems like I still don’t know a thing. Everything in my life seems to be perfect, but yet when I look around… It seems like something is still missing. When am I going to find that one thing that makes our lives look so perfect and makes us feel so relieved?https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020424.htmlWed, 24 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020424.html(For the millions of the Armenian Martyrs of The Genocide) The torrential wave of blood pounds my chest, Stirring furiously from the depths of the desert, Rising from the dry sand, from the slashed breast of my holy mother, Wherefrom my orphan brother received his dreadful sustenance. Sustenance from the slashed breast of mother… Raped and ravished… Instead of the vivifying juice of milk He suckled the bitter drops of coagulated and suppurated sacred blood, The curse of the atrocious world for the mankind.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020410.htmlWed, 10 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020410.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Rouben Sevak - the poet of innocent love and rebellion’ Selected Works pp121-237, Library of Armenian Classics, 1981, Yerevan ‘Poetry captures the adventurously moving, latently expectant world of human beings. (It) is an elucidated waking dream of the essential.’ –E. Bloch ‘The poetic embrace like the carnal While it endures Forbids all lapse into the miseries of the world.’ –Andre Breton Attempting to grasp and comment on poetry in a language other than that of its original composition is a forbidding endeavour.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020409.htmlTue, 09 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020409.htmlRediscovering Armenia Book Review “Rediscovering Armenia,” by Brady Kiesling and Raffi Kojian [Raffi Kojian edited the book and wrote the sections on Nagorno Karabagh] Tigran Mets publishing house, April 2001 RA’s ISBN 99930-52-28-0 By Katy Pearce Rediscovering Armenia is a book that reads, in parts, like a diary, an anthropological study, or an archeology paper. As one of only a handful of guidebooks about Armenia, it is thorough, engaging and witty.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020401.htmlMon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020401.htmlAllured once more to the breast of silent pageantries, his old, weary eyes become radiant and wide as he kneels before his icon of granite and chips away slivers of Time in quest of Man’s How? When? and Why? Digging– Reaching deep into the cool darkness, his fingers touch a spearhead. Digging more– Reaching deeper, he brushes clean a dotted shard of pottery, a coin of King Hetum, and smiles.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020311.htmlMon, 11 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020311.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… ‘The Man Without Ararat in the Depth of His Soul’ by Vasken Shoushanian There are books that one must read with extreme care and caution. ‘The Man Without Ararat in the Depth of His Soul’ (Hamazkayin, p176, Beirut, 1998) by Vasken Shoushanian (1903-1941 - novelist, poet and political activist) is one such book.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020301.htmlFri, 01 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020301.htmlHow to write a poem in plane view Up 30,000 in the air Unattached to frames or bases Amid pleas for comfort and good cheer Food, drink and menus naming chefs Recycled movies on swiveling tiny screens Reclining outsize chairs in business class Amid pillows blankets and cookie crumbs Metal reinforced doors to the cockpit Stewardess, sparing in self-defense class Sweating bullets with the rest Men and women sporting lapel flags Recovering their lives From falling innocence.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020213.htmlWed, 13 Feb 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20020213.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… AKSEL BAKOONTZ’S ‘INHERITANCE’ Aksel Bakoontz (1899-1937), the most accomplished of the Soviet era Armenian short story writers, made a huge impression on his contemporaries. Some of the reasons can be gleaned from Tavit Kasparian’s introduction to ‘Inheritance’, a collection of Bakoontz’s unpublished political writings. Despite some questionable evaluations Kasparian illuminates significant aspects of Bakoontz’s life and work and stimulates thought about the nature of the literary and aesthetic conflicts of the early Soviet Armenian era.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020201.htmlFri, 01 Feb 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020201.htmlReading has become scanning Patterns already seen, unwilling To stir impulses to dwell or trim. But in music, condensed, uncorrupted, Participation soars unforced Floating aimlessly On ascending notes and streams Shutter through weightlessness In thought – famished and free. Evicting out of bounds Sanding down the ferment of rigid might To the might have been’s, revealed In shadows of forgotten trespasses searching for a path through the ringing sneers.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020128.htmlMon, 28 Jan 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020128.htmlLev M. Freinkman The World Bank Paper presented at the 11th Annual meeting of the ASCE. Coral Gables, August 2-4, 2001. INTRODUCTION In the second half of the 20th century several world economies have benefited considerably by capitalizing on their links with national Diasporas. China and Israel seem to be the best-known examples of countries that received a major developmental push from their nationals located throughout the world. While in most countries the main Diaspora-related benefit for the domestic economy was and still is associated with private transfers (including remittances), sent by members of Diasporas to their relatives and friends at home, China and Israel managed to complement this traditional financial support by much more active involvement of the Diaspora in their economic development.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020116.htmlWed, 16 Jan 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20020116.htmlIt is now clear that the “War On Terrorism” (WOT), declared after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, will not end with the final defeat of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan nor with the dismantling of the Bin Laden-led “Al-Qaida” terrorist network, but will carry on to a next stage, still to be determined. For much of the developing world, the priority is to stake out a secure place within this new geopolitical matrix, a priority necessitated by the U.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020101.htmlTue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20020101.html(translated by Thomas J. Samuelian) Heavenly monarch, exalted king, Lord of all, hope of all, creator of the visible, establisher of the invisible, cause of being, shaper of the future, giver of light, impulse of dawn that prepares the morrow, who makes the evening appear and conjures the night, ingenious artisan, applied wisdom, blessed pardoner who liquidates sin, banishes pain, and neutralizes bitterness, preserver of tranquility, who induces slumber, arranges sleep, grants rest, who sustains our breathing, maintains our senses, dissipates our phantoms, moderates our imaginings, displaces our terrors, transformation of sadness, suppression of anxiety, dispeller of doubts, calmer of turmoil, who strikes fear in the heart of the wicked, and cuts down demons, wards off disease and drowns scandal, protect me with your hand that shaped the heavens.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011230.htmlSun, 30 Dec 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011230.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Story of Vartanantz’ 324pp, Housapper Printing House, Cairo, Egypt, 1950 In recording the 5th century Armenian Church-led revolt against Persian imperial authority, Yeghishe’s ‘The Story of Vartanantz’ is simultaneously an inspired defence of the right to insurrection against illegitimate power. Though written after the decisive Armenian defeat at the Battle of Avarayr in 451, it reads as an uncompromising summoning to stand ground, as an invocation against demoralised surrender and as a proclamation of the righteousness of the rebels.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20011201.htmlSat, 01 Dec 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20011201.htmlIntroduction The war in Afghanistan and related events have put the flare-up of fighting in Georgia in early October very much at the “low priority” end of international concerns. Moreover, the Georgian President’s sacking of his government in early November, and the current strains within the political elite in the capital, have shifted the focus of many experts from the “on the ground” tensions in and around Abkhazia to power politics in Tbilisi.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011112.htmlMon, 12 Nov 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011112.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… An Armenian film director and an Armenian cinematic tradition, Henrik Malyan was Soviet Armenia’s foremost film director whose works such as ‘Nahabet’, ‘A Piece of the Sky’ and ‘We Are Our Mountains’ attained well-deserved international acclaim. ‘Dialogue for a Third Person’ (271pp, Nairi Publications, 1997, Yerevan) is his gem of an autobiography that will charm and intellectually engage anyone interested in art, film and the history of Armenian cinema in particular.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20011101.htmlThu, 01 Nov 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20011101.htmlThe entire history of Armenians In Fresno rests at the Ararat Cemetery; The good people, famous personalities, Unscrupulous con-artists, notorious characters. On Sunday morning, there is no direct sun light Shining on the memorial of the 8,000 residents Of the City of Chungoush, perished in 1915, Or the mass grave of the unknown orphans. There is no surprise at the young ages, Nearly forgotten names and familiar faces In the oval pictures on the gravestones.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011019.htmlFri, 19 Oct 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20011019.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History of the Armenians’ 540pp, Armenian State University Library, Yerevan, 1982 Khazar Barpetzi’s ‘History of the Armenians’ occupies a singular position in the literature produced during the Armenian Golden Age in the 5th and 6th centuries. It exudes a remarkable confidence for the future, despite being a record of the difficult and turbulent century that followed the 387AD division of Armenia between Persia and Byzantium. Barpetzi’s exuberance is not misplaced.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20011008.htmlMon, 08 Oct 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20011008.htmlCompleting a five-day visit to the United States, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze met with U.S. President George Bush and other senior Administration officials in the White House on Friday, October 5th. The Shevardnadze visit to Washington, although scheduled since late August, was an important opportunity for the Georgian president to attempt to determine his country’s position within the new realities of the post-September 11th U.S. policy in the region. In the meetings and speeches of his visit to the United States, President Shevardnadze was anxious to demonstrate his nation’s strategic value in the face of an evolving U.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20011001.htmlMon, 01 Oct 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20011001.htmlHe marries the lilac from the Taurus Mountains. He marries the Cilician Church. He marries the snows of the Caucasus, and the Cossacks who will drive across his dreams. He marries waking to the sound of the thousand bells of Ani. He marries the blood sea. He marries the heart with two million scars to whom he owes a healing. He marries unretribution. He marries village music and red scarves flying.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010924.htmlMon, 24 Sep 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010924.htmlThe aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, have left most Americans convinced that the country will no longer be the same. Such sentiment is also true for much of the world. Had these attacks occurred in any other country the impact would certainly not be as global. But by hitting the world’s only superpower at the very heart of its most important institutions, the attacks have rocked the very foundations of global stability.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010901.htmlSat, 01 Sep 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010901.htmlRain, softer than a murmured song, Hummed in an ancient language, Remnant waves of Silenced Pain. Crane, news bearer Fragile as the thinnest crystal Yet free in motion Free in flight Distinguished perfectly In essence and by construction Mocking forces of brutality. Train, hurried motion on static tracks Uninspired repetition Slaughterhouse and desert skulls Gas chambers and scimitars The final solution. Vain, human perfection. Folly, incision As perfect as a Bleeding brain.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010831.htmlFri, 31 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010831.htmlMuch has been written in recent weeks concerning the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (hereafter, the TARC) and its rather sudden appearance as an influential actor in Armenian foreign policy, namely representatives. Although there has been a flurry of commentary and analyses regarding the TARC, - overwhelmingly critical, - there are several important points that recent debate has not adequately covered. It is our intention, therefore, to frame the issue within a broader context, with an intention to formulate a balanced analysis, remaining as objective as we can.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010828.htmlTue, 28 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010828.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… ‘The Evil Spirit’ A novel of backward prejudice by Shirvanzade Alexander Shirvanzade (1858-1935) is generally regarded as one of the great exponents of the Armenian realist novel. The merit accorded to his work is however undeserved and much of his legacy is unreadable. But he was sometimes a shrewd social observer with a facility for story telling.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010807.htmlTue, 07 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010807.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History of Taron’ 176pp, Khorhrtayin Grogh, Yerevan, 1989 ‘The History of Taron’ is another ancient Armenian literary work whose date of composition and authorship will remain forever shrouded in the darkness of remote time. Written perhaps in the late 7th century, and perhaps also added to by different authors in subsequent periods, it is like no other in the canon of classical Armenian literature. It is of limited historical value and has no universal or enduring artistic content.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010804.htmlSat, 04 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010804.htmlGROONG INTERVIEW WITH TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (TARC) MEMBERS VAN Z. KRIKORIAN AND ANDRANIK MIGRANIAN GROONG: How were you approached to join the committee? Who approached you? What were the criteria for your selection? JOINT ANSWER: All four of the Armenian members of the Commission came together on this issue as a result of a number of conversations and knowledge of one another’s background and work over the years. The two of us have known each other since 1991 when Van went to Moscow as a member of the U.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010801.htmlWed, 01 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010801.htmlreal passengers are waiting. No, the anniversary poem is the mark of the teeth of the shark on the arm of the swimmer and the mark on the floating dismembered arm. And the teeth of the smiling Turk denying at the U. N. the existence of sharks. The anniversary poem is the flow of the river Euphrates 60 years emptied of the blood but still running over the stones in the mind of geographer.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010730.htmlMon, 30 Jul 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010730.htmlWhen I attended former Turkish Ambassador Sukru Elekdag’s denialist talk at Columbia University this spring, I was struck by one of the comments by an audience member. Rather than engage Elekdag in a false debate, the gentleman reminded the audience that Poland is only just now undergoing a painful soul-searching about the roles played by ordinary Poles in the implementation of the Final Solution. He cited the controversy surrounding the publication of Jan T.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010705.htmlThu, 05 Jul 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010705.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Krikor of Narek’ Khorhrtayin Grogh, 304pp, Yerevan, Armenia, 1990 The 10th century poet and thinker Krikor of Narek (Narekatzi) once enjoyed a pre-eminent position in Armenian cultural and intellectual life. His work influenced the language, substance and contours of the nation’s literature for at least some 8 centuries. Before he became the unread icon of modern days, Narekatzi and his monumental ‘Book of Lamentations’ (Narek) were regarded with enormous reverence by the common people too.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010701.htmlSun, 01 Jul 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010701.htmlIn the church hall, we sat at a table With folks that farm in the far reaches Of the county, between Parlier and Del Rey. Seldom seen, except on occasions like this, By their dress, it was evident They didn’t get into town much. Hampig wore a tie from 1940. His brother wore a brown belt Above his mid-section, short arms Resting on his chest, fingers interlocked. They talked to Garig about the packing-shed, That old walnut tree his father planted In front of the tarpaper house, near the road Forty years ago, when the vines were planted; The 20 acres of black Muscats.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010601.htmlFri, 01 Jun 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010601.htmlThe red apple of your love, Of your lips, is ripe, Emblazoned with the fire Of my wants and wishes… Softly touched The doves on your chest Wallow Together with my heartbeat… I am breathless of passion… In front of my embrace Open yourself up To the edges of your love, So that I may reach you… The waves are carrying me, Carrying me to the depths, Swaying me down and up… The coast is fluctuating, Fluctuating up and down…https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010601.htmlFri, 01 Jun 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010601.htmlThe recent announcement by the officials mediating the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, - that their planned summit meeting originally announced for Geneva is now postponed, - affirms recent reports that domestic opposition to the mediation initiative remains firmly entrenched in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the international security body mediating the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, explained that after a regional tour earlier in May they found that ’the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan are not yet prepared to accept the proposed solutions to the problem.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010521.htmlMon, 21 May 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010521.htmlWorth a read… Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… Haroutyoun Sevajian - An Armenian democrat in Ottoman Bolis Sometimes even the dullest book can be read with benefit. Today, as with many other prominent pre-1915 Armenian historical figures, Haroutyoun Sevajian (1831-1875) is virtually unknown. Yet he was one of the best representatives of the mid-19th century Armenian national revival.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010515.htmlTue, 15 May 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010515.htmlOn the eve of the Karabakh Talks in Geneva: What does Armenia gain or lose from a peace agreement? The long and torturous road towards the resolution of the Karabakh conflict will reach Geneva next month. The meeting is a follow up to what has been described as “momentous” talks between the Presidents of Armenian and Azerbaijan, first in Paris in March, then in Key West in April. According to Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, the parties came “closer than ever to a solution.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010501.htmlTue, 01 May 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010501.htmlWhy we should read… “The History” by Agatangeghos (552pp, Armenian State University, Yerevan, 1983) Agatangeghos’ “History” is always cited as the first among that cluster of Armenian language classical histories that were written immediately following the development of the national alphabet in 413. It is, according to Khazar Barpetzi, himself a 5th century historian, “the first definite account” of the “conversion of the land of Armenia from pagan ignorance to genuine knowledge of godliness”.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010430.htmlMon, 30 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010430.htmlAn important, yet subtle development in U.S. foreign policy in the Caucasus was virtually obscured by the flurry of announcements and press briefings of April’s Key West mediation effort attempting to secure a negotiated resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. The Key West meetings between the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations represents the first real effort at U.S. Transcaucasus summitry in the post-Clinton period of foreign relations. Demonstrating the maxim of the random nature of foreign policy challenges, the Key West talks were overshadowed by the confrontation between the U.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010424.htmlTue, 24 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010424.html‘…into a kind of absolute reality’ - Andre Breton, First Manifesto Next door is America, Washington D.C., the Mall is where they chase me down yelling `That one over there, the last of the Armenians! Rape her, crush her in a coffin, bury her alive with the rest of them’ It’s like a cabaret; a plethora of Turks with arched swords, and red fezes sitting awkwardly on top of their heads, attack me.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010415.htmlSun, 15 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010415.htmlTen years after the end of the Cold War, the international political atmosphere has evidently become more conducive for the official recognition by Western governments and international organizations of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Even former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger finds the Turkish denial unexplainable and thinks ‘activist Armenians will help get’ eventual recognition from the US government (1). The reference attributed to Hitler, “who remembers the Armenians?” has been one of the most quoted sentences in media articles calling for recognition.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010401.htmlSun, 01 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010401.htmlYou choose exile; Exile is not a fruit that grows old And falls from a sad yellow tree. Exile is not a manna that falls from the sky… No matter how much it wears out, You feel that it is renewed in you and you feel it sowing seeds in your eyes. ….. Exile opens new roads, New untidy chambers, Rooms filled with dirty plates, And badly ironed shirts, An empty can of caviar!https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010326.htmlMon, 26 Mar 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20010326.htmlOverview The recent announcement by the Georgian government to establish a development plan for Javakhk, if seriously and sincerely implemented, may be an important first step to prevent regional destabilization. Nevertheless, the risks of a conflict resulting both from internal oppression and external instigation would be minimized and in fact contained only if Javakhk is granted autonomy based on the right of self-determination of its local population. By looking at the precedent of Ajaria, the argument that Javakhk’s autonomy would threaten Georgia’s sovereignty is found to be weak.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010312.htmlMon, 12 Mar 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010312.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History of the Armenians’ Armenian State University Library, 428pp Works of ancient literature acquire the status of ‘classics’, that is they acquire a value and significance that endures, if they highlight social or individual relations that distinguish a given period from others; or if they reflect features of historical life that recur through subsequent ages. It is by virtue of such consideration that the wise of past epochs are able to address future generations.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010223.htmlFri, 23 Feb 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010223.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… A study of individual self-hatred Time and circumstance often bury valuable works of literature that, even in translation, retain a capacity to satisfy and inspire through their illuminating grasp of aspects of human experience. ‘The Natural Son’, (Selected Works, 1992, Antelias, Lebanon) a short novel by Yeroukhan (Yervant Srmakeshkhanlian, 1870-1915), first published in 1913, is a telling instance.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010205.htmlMon, 05 Feb 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20010205.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The Armenian Renaissance’ by Vasken Chaloyan Haybedhrad, 254pp, Yerevan, Armenia, 1964 It may be unpopular to assert, but it remains an incontrovertible fact that in its 70 odd years of life Soviet Armenian historiography registered some enduring accomplishments. Much was written that brutally bent standards of historical research to prevailing political expediency. But beyond this we also have a substantial body of work that has contributed significantly to our understanding of the development of Armenian history.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010201.htmlThu, 01 Feb 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010201.htmlWhat is it that conjures up feelings of longing every time I hear a song, whether it be of a flower, a poplar, or the mountain Ararat, and extends beyond its realms of intermingled rocks and fields and lacy, rose-toned walls to penetrate my senses – not allowing me to bend and blend? Although not from its realms, I am of it. Knarik Meneshian was born in Austria, from an Armenian father and an Austrian mother.https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010101.htmlMon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tlg/tlg-20010101.htmlFor the inaugural posting of The Literary Groong, we’re honored to have a poem to share, directly from Diana Der Hovanessian. A Fulbright professor of American literature at Yerevan State University in 1994 and 1999, she is author of 17 books and has published in American Scholar, Poetry, Harvard Review, Nation, Paris Review, New Republic, and her poetry is regularly published in the Christian Science Monitor. She has awards from the Columbia Translation Center, P.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001218.htmlMon, 18 Dec 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001218.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor artistically outstanding, yet none will disappoint the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… Silva Kapoutikian - a re-evaluation ‘Pages From My Sealed Cabinets’ (688pp, Abolon Publishers, Yerevan, 1997) In recent years, 80 year old poet and activist Silva Kapoutikian has been dismissed, reviled and condemned. She stands accused of political cowardice, being a willing instrument of stalinism, a sycophant and a crawler.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20001110.htmlFri, 10 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20001110.htmlWith the French Senate’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the heated debates in the US House of Representatives in September, Turkey is under international pressure on the question of the Genocide. Meanwhile, Yerevan and Armenian communities around the world have stepped up their efforts for the recognition of the “crime against humanity”. The French Senate passed a bill on November 8, submitted by five parties, which simply stated: “France publicly recognizes the Armenian genocide in 1915.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001106.htmlMon, 06 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001106.htmlWhy we should read… ‘My Exiled Soul’ and ‘The Last Chalice’ Selected Works Volume One, Antelias, Lebanon, 1987 Zabel Yessaian’s (1878-1943) ‘My Exiled Soul’ and ‘The Last Chalice’ are not just two tremendously powerful and evocative love stories. They are also masterly philosophic considerations on aspects of the individual’s subjective, ‘spiritual’ world. In an age where the unending accumulation of material possessions is often regarded as the only criterion of a rich and valuable life, Yessaian forcefully reminds us of an increasingly sidelined truth: life cannot be lived to the fullest unless society affords men and women the opportunity to develop their individual creative, imaginative, emotional and intellectual potential.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001023.htmlMon, 23 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20001023.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… The tragedy of an essentially decent man. There exist literary works which, whilst not masterpieces, nevertheless say something meaningful about the human experience and offer critical insights into often overlooked realities of social life. Dikran Cheogyurian’s (1884-1915) ‘The Monastery’ (Library of Armenian Classics, 1983, Yerevan, Armenia) is a work of this order.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000925.htmlMon, 25 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000925.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… Hovanness Toumanian and the drama of abused womanhood Hovanness Toumanian was an outstanding poet and the best of his work deserves a privileged position on the shelves of any lover of literature. Yet his position in Armenian literary criticism is not secure. There are those who dismiss him as little more than a provincial troubadour, claiming he merely regurgitated folklore which, despite its Armenian colour, does not scale the heights of real poetry.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000919.htmlTue, 19 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000919.htmlArmenia has had very low inflation (decreasing year after year) for almost 4 years, stable domestic currency, average level of budget deficit and GDP growth. This is considered proof that reforms are going in the right direction and financial stability has been achieved, an efficient market economy has been created and all preconditions for strong economic growth and investment flow to Armenia have been established. But what we see now in reality is strong economic stagnation, very low levels of investment activity, acute social problems and problems of poverty, which go contrary to what one of the major official macroeconomic indicators show - permanent GDP growth from year to year.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000918.htmlMon, 18 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000918.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History’ by Ghevond Sovetakan Grogh, 182pp Yerevan 1982 Modern historians of ancient epochs, despite all the resources available to them, in many ways merely reiterate, in embellished form, enduring insights already provided by classical historians from those very earlier times. This is certainly the case regarding the history of the Arab conquest of Armenia from the 7th to the 9th centuries. Ghevond’s ‘History’, written in the 790s, records the Arab invasions of the Middle East and Armenia from 632AD to 788AD.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000907.htmlThu, 07 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000907.htmlA few months ago, Ara Krikorian, an Armenian activist campaigning for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the French Senate was invited to speak at the hall of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias. When he stated that he expected some progress in the following few months, for French politicians usually take positions favorable to the Armenian voters when the election-day approaches, the largely Armenian audience greeted this remark with a loud laughter of approval.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000824.htmlThu, 24 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000824.htmlWorth a read… Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… The fascinating art of medieval Armenian manuscript scribes ‘The Linguistic and Grammatical Theory of Armenian Manuscript Scribes in the Middle Ages’ (Academy of Armenian Sciences, 408pp, Yerevan, 1962) sounds as if it could be an awfully dull read. But quite the contrary! If you don’t want to read all four hundred pages, including some original texts, at least read the author Levon Khacheryan’s thought-provoking introduction.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000816.htmlWed, 16 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000816.htmlWhy we should read… ‘History of the Armenians’ by Pavsdos Puzant Armenia Publishing House, Yerevan, 1988 In the frequently bleak and disturbing 1700 year history of the Armenian Church, the 4th and 5th centuries stand out as an exceptional period when appalling vices were balanced out by grand ambitions and equally grand achievements. During these two centuries the Church features as one of the healthier and more vigorous forces in Armenian social and political life.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000809.htmlWed, 09 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000809.htmlTo sustain a language “Modern Western Armenian” Book Review By Eddie Arnavoudian Every effort to preserve the Armenian language in the Diaspora is welcome. Dora Sakayan’s, in the form of her ‘Modern Western Armenian’ text-book is particularly so. Nowhere in the Diaspora is Armenian an everyday language anymore, the way it used to be in Lebanon for example. To secure and fashion their lives in the Diaspora Armenians have to employ the dominant local language, their own acquiring secondary, and for the vast majority almost exclusively domestic use.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000711.htmlTue, 11 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000711.htmlWorth a read… Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… ‘The Last Dawn’ by Berj Zeitountzian Berj Zeitountzian’s ‘The Last Dawn’ (Vertchin Arevakal@) is a memorable historical novel focusing on the role of the Armenian intelligentsia in Constantinople between 1880s and the 1915 Genocide. Avoiding inane romanticism and the worst of narrow-minded nationalism so common to Armenian historical fiction this novel offers an authentic and moving glimpse into a critical period of modern Armenian history.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000705.htmlWed, 05 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000705.htmlARMENIAN STATE TELEVISION GIVES UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE TO THE PARIS MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND TURKISH INTELLECTUALS; USES OPPORTUNITY TO ATTACK GERARD J. LIBARIDIAN; ON THE PURSUIT FOR GENOCIDE RECOGNITION AND DIALOGUE REGARDING IT. BEIRUT, LEBANON The First Channel of Armenian State Television, which also broadcasts via satellite to Europe and the Middle East, offered unprecedented and extensive coverage to the June 17, 2000 meeting between a selected number of Armenian and Turkish intellectuals.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000621.htmlWed, 21 Jun 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000621.htmlWorth a read… Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… An Armenian Master of Jurisprudence Despite important reservations A. K. Soukiasian’s monograph on Mkhitar Kosh is an exciting read. Born around 1130 Kosh was the foremost legal mind of his time and set out a canon of law that for many centuries was to serve Armenian communities the world over.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000524.htmlWed, 24 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000524.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… 1 In the early 1960s, freed of some of the earlier political constraints a few Armenian authors managed to deal with aspects of 1915 with a degree of artistic integrity which avoided that vulgar patriotism and chauvinism which destroys creative potential. Among these works is a volume entitled “The White Book” by Soviet Armenian author Hratchia Kotchar, who tragically died in 1966 at the age of 55.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000515.htmlMon, 15 May 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000515.htmlWhy we should read… ‘In the Name of the Father and of the Son’, a novel (156pp, 1999, LA, California, USA, $15) ‘Every story has an end and every end, its story. This is the story of an ending. The story of my father’s ending’. Thus begins Vahe Berberian’s latest novel ‘In the name of the Father and of the Son’. Like his first novel ‘Letters from Zaatar’ this one also casts a critical eye on aspects of contemporary life in the USA.https://ann.org/ro/ro-lzourabian-20000429.htmlSat, 29 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-lzourabian-20000429.htmlYerevan, Armenia On October 27th, 1999 five gunmen broke into the chamber of the National Assembly of Armenia during the weekly session of parliamentary inquiries addressed to the Government and opened fire. Within seconds they had killed the Prime Minister of Armenia as well as the Chairman of the Parliament, his two deputies and 4 other members of the Parliament and the Government, whose nearly total membership was present at the session.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000426.htmlWed, 26 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000426.htmlWhat do you think of when you hear the word “clown?” White face, red nose, rainbow colored hair, big shoes and balloon animals? Yes, that’s what I used to think of too. But, I’m here to share with you another definition to the word “clown”. Voki Kalfayan, a clown in the new sense, explains what that is: “We are influenced by the European style of clowning which is a character oriented clowning.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000423.htmlSun, 23 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000423.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… 1 ‘The Cracked Miniature’ (168pp, 1987, 2nd edition, USA) by contemporary poet and prose writer Vehanoush Tekyan is an impressive collection of stories wrought from the horrors of the civil war in Lebanon. Written in the midst of raging battles, exploding bombs and sniper gunfire, these stories feature the lives of Lebanese Arabs, Palestinians and Armenians, combatants and non-combatants, as they are brutalised by the experience of war.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000421.htmlFri, 21 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000421.htmlPresident Kocharian dismisses senior ambassador in continuing power consolidation. On Wednesday, April 20, 2000, President Robert Kocharian dismissed Armen Sarkissian, Armenia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the country’s most senior diplomat in Europe. President Kocharian did not provide any explanation for Ambassador Sarkissian’s dismissal. Foreign Ministry sources only said that his sacking was in line with recent efforts to reduce ambassadorial tenures to a “maximum of four years”, but Sarkissian’s sacking reveals a deeper political malaise in Armenia.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000416.htmlSun, 16 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000416.htmlBook Review An Armenian ‘Suffragette’ Serpouhi Dussap: A militant for women’s equality It is fitting that one of the first Armenian-content English language publications in the year 2000 is a ‘Tribute to the First Armenian Feminist Writer - Serpouhi Dussap’ by Beirut-based Azadouhi Kalaidjian-Simonian. Revealing a thorough knowledge of Serpouhi Dussap’s three novels and other writings Azadouhi Kalaidjian presents a vivid intellectual portrait of a woman who was far ahead of her time and whose words have resonance to this day for all women and men, Armenian or not.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000403.htmlMon, 03 Apr 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000403.htmlWhy we should read… ‘The History - on the depredations visited upon us by foreign nations around us’ (Hayastan Publishers, 155pp, Yerevan 1971) Like the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Persians and other nations, the Armenians have also produced an ancient, classical literature composed by historians, chroniclers, poets, scientists and philosophers. Movses Khorenatzi, Agatangeghos, Pavsdos Puzant, Ghazar Barpetzi, Ghevond, Yeghishe, Goryoun, Ardzrouni, Anania Shirakatzi, Krikor Datevatzi, Hoavaness Imasdaser and Mekhitar Kosh are but the more familiar names in a longer list.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000305.htmlSun, 05 Mar 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000305.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… 1 Antranik Dzaroukian was best known as the energetic editor of the Beirut based and very highly regarded ‘Nairi’ periodical. But he was also a poet and novelist. His best work is, I think, ‘People Who Skipped Childhood’, an autobiographical story of his experiences in the deserts and orphanages of Syria.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000221.htmlMon, 21 Feb 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000221.htmlWhy we should read… ‘Selected Works’ by Mikael Nalpantian (Sovedagan Krogh, Yerevan, Armenia, 602pp, 1979) ‘Our nation’s present is miserable, here subjugation and poverty speak loud.’ Mikael Nalpantian (1823-1869) famous among Armenians mainly for two poems, ‘Liberty’ and ‘Childhood Days,’ is also unquestionably the most enduring of that group of intellectuals and political activists who formed the avant-guarde of the mid-19th century Armenian national revival. He made outstanding contributions in virtually every sphere - educational, linguistic, aesthetic, philosophic, literary, economic and political - rendering the ideas of the Enlightenment and the European revolutions relevant to the Armenia of his day.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000220.htmlSun, 20 Feb 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000220.htmlBook Review “The Future of Armenian Architecture in North America” Did you ever wonder what future the architecture of a people subjected to a genocide and now resisting assimilation by the world-conquering culture of North America could have, so far away from the fatherland? It is not only the geographical distance between Armenia and North America that makes this a rather hopeless question, but also the time-distance between medieval Armenia (in which the classical lines of her architecture were developed) and this technologically advanced continent in the third millennium.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000127.htmlThu, 27 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000127.htmlWorth a read Neither masterpiece nor particularly outstanding, yet none will bore the lover of literature. Reading them, one will always find something of value… Nar Tos (Mikael Der-Hovannisian, 1867- 1933) is a literary figure of some merit despite the fact that he is frequently overlooked in favour of the less accomplished Shirvanzade. Nar Tos’s abilities are evident in an early short novel the ‘Gentle Chords’. Characters are consistently well developed and through the unfolding plot they come to embody some of those perennial conflicts between the demands of social and family morality on the one hand and the ‘free spirit’ of love and lust that rest deep in the individual being on the other.https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000124.htmlMon, 24 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-20000124.htmlIn an article published in the “Moscow Obshchaya Gazeta” last week, Yerevan sociologist Ludmilla Arutunyan expressed her concerns that the ‘social underpinnings’ behind the assassination of Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisyan and several others in the Armenian National Assembly on 27 October 1999 have been disregarded. According to the article, some are already asking - and most notably, among the general population rather than in the political circles of Yerevan, - why Nairi Hunanyan could not have acted alone.https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000113.htmlThu, 13 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/tcc/tcc-20000113.htmlWhy we should read: ‘The Amira’s Daughter’ by Yeroukhan ‘Yeroukhan - Selected Works’ Antelias, Lebanon, 1993. 464 pages. Abuse of the term ‘a masterpiece’ is all too common in contemporary literary commentary, driven as it is by the pressure to sell rather than to appreciate works of literature. Yet the expression is appropriate when it is applied to Yeroukhan’s (1874-1915) 1904 novel ‘The Amira’s Daughter’. With remarkable satirical skill and an expert eye for detail Yeroukhan brings to life the pre-1915 Armenian community in Constantinople with all its classes, personalities and national institutions.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991218.htmlSat, 18 Dec 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991218.htmlRepresentatives from the OSCE met with the Foreign Minister and President of Armenia last Saturday to discuss the future of Nagorno Karabagh. The delegation also visited the enclave and are said to be optimistic after their meetings with the Karabagh leadership. The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vardan Oskanian however, is reported to be concerned that tensions between the United States and Russia over Chechnya may adversely affect their cooperation as members of the Minsk Group, and all sides are aware that the discussions are just that - ‘discussions’ - and not concrete steps towards a final peace settlement.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991101.htmlMon, 01 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991101.htmlArmenia is not a stranger to various kinds of political crises and even political assassinations since she regained her independence over eight years ago. By all standards, however, what happened in the Armenian Parliament building last Wednesday afternoon was undoubtedly both extraordinary and shocking. Eight politicians lost their lives during the terrorist attack, including two of the country’s most famous and most powerful. Others are still in hospital in serious condition.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991027.htmlWed, 27 Oct 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991027.htmlElection of Catholicos Armenia 1999 - Between the First and the Second Day Yerevan Yerevan 27. October 1999 19.00 (+0500 Armenian Daylight Time) Right about now, the National Ecclesiastical Council consisting of the 49 bishops, archbishops and patriarchs along with 400 priests and lay delegates appointed in the patriarchies and dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church worldwide elects the new catholicos. Yesterday it became clear that this election is between archbishop Karekin Nersessian, for many years bishop in the Ararat Diocese, the largest Armenian diocese with almost 1 mil.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991025.htmlMon, 25 Oct 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19991025.htmlYerevan 25. October 1999 20.30 (+0500 Armenian Daylight Time) Soon it will be decided who is to be elected the absolute head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Two questions have been important in the previous debate, be it in the media or be it among ordinary people and believers, namely the claimed intervention of the government in the election process and the claimed lack of unity among the clerics in the top leadership of the Church.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19990617.htmlThu, 17 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19990617.htmlArmine is twenty-two years old, and – speaking Armenian, Russian and French – a recent University graduate. She has long black hair, expressive eyes, and a warm smile, and is very attractive. Like other girls her age and from her background she dresses stylishly, and with taste. She shows me photographs of her friends from recent years, and talks of her life. Her mother is critically ill and requires medical treatment.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19990226.htmlFri, 26 Feb 1999 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19990226.htmlOn 21 March the Kurds will celebrate Newroz - the Kurdish New Year - and perhaps the most important date in the Kurdish calendar. As in past years, the fire of Newroz will burn not only in the Kurdish regions of southeast Turkey, but also in every city from London to Yerevan. Symbolising revolution, there will of course be one dramatic difference in the Newroz festivities this year. Abdullah Ocalan, President of the Kurdistan Workers Party languishes - and is undoubtedly being tortured - in a Turkish jail.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981202.htmlWed, 02 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981202.htmlGegham Manukyan is a member of the Central Committee of the Dashnaktsutiune, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, HHD) in the Republic of Armenia. He was interviewed during festivities celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK] organised by the Yezidi [Kurdish] community in Armenia, and staged at the Russian Theatre in Yerevan. The Russian Theatre was full to capacity with Yezidi dressed in the Kurdish colours of red, yellow and green, and waving PKK and ERNK flags while live Kurdish music played.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981201.htmlTue, 01 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981201.htmlSabri Kash is the Representative of the PKK and ERNK in Armenia and the Caucasus. He was interviewed during festivities celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK] organised by the Yezidi [Kurdish] community in Armenia, and staged at the Russian Theatre in Yerevan. The Russian Theatre was full to capacity with Yezidi dressed in the Kurdish colours of red, yellow and green, and waving PKK and ERNK flags while live Kurdish music played.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981201.htmlTue, 01 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981201.htmlAfter being pursued from Syria to Moscow, Abdullah Ocalan-leader of the PKK, the separatist guerrilla insurgency which seeks autonomy for Turkey’s large Kurdish minority-has fled to Italy. An Italian court has ruled that its country’s constitution prohibits Ocalan from being extradited to Turkey because he would most likely be executed. The State Department and much of the American media have criticized Italy for upholding its constitution while overlooking a far more important consideration: that Turkey has reacted more like a militant Mideast backwater than a NATO ally.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981130.htmlMon, 30 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19981130.htmlYEREVAN, Armenia – Sunday morning started with an Armenian coffee at a cafe on Abovian, allowing me to relax and pass the time before attending what I had been told was simply a Kurdish event at the Russian Theatre further on up the road. I knew I had the right day when a large group of both young and old people walked by - the women wearing the Kurdish colours of red, green and yellow.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981130.htmlMon, 30 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981130.htmlA Geopolitical shift The Kurdish National Liberation Movement Onnik Krikorian The expulsion from Damascus of Abdullah Ocalan - President of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - and the ensuing migration of Kurdish guerillas based on Syrian soil has changed little in the conflict between the Turkish Republic and its [significant] Kurdish minority. There has long been an understanding in Kurdish circles - particularly in Europe - that confrontation with the Turkish military was becoming far too unrealistic a situation to continue.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981123.htmlMon, 23 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981123.htmlThe arrival of Abdullah Ocalan in Rome has put the Kurdish struggle for autonomy in southeast Turkey firmly on the geopolitical map. Whether you sympathise with the situation of the Kurds or not - or are even indifferent - there is now no avoiding the importance of the need for political debate and discussion. It is, of course, important to distinguish between the Kurds as an ethnic identity living across the many countries of the near and Middle East, and the Kurds living within the borders of the Turkish Republic.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981116.htmlMon, 16 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19981116.html“Hundreds of comrades who waged heroic resistance have become martyrs in the struggle for the establishment of the state of Kurdistan. They are markers on the path to victory, symbols of the revolutionary leadership of our party.” Abdullah Ocalan President, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Analysis: A Calculated Risk? Onnik Krikorian OCALAN - NOW MORE THAN EVER - HAS BECOME WITHOUT QUESTION THE EMBODIMENT AND PERSONIFICATION OF THE KURDISH STRUGGLE.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980921.htmlMon, 21 Sep 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980921.htmlThe responses which this straightforward query has elicited recently have often been confused and sometimes oddly heated. I’m prompted to comment on this and related questions by the nature of the debate and will touch. “Haigagan Hartz” is not so much an Armenian coinage as it is a translation of a western diplomatic term, “The Armenian Question” or, since French used to be the diplomatic lingua franca of the European powers, La Question Armenienne.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980827.htmlThu, 27 Aug 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980827.htmlJune 1998 Paruir Hairikian is a former Soviet dissident, a Presidential candidate, and the current Presidential Advisor on Human Rights. OK: Could you please describe the function of your role as the Presidential Advisor on Human Rights, and the role and function of the Committee examining the basis for Constitutional Reform in Armenia. PH: The Committee is mainly on an advisory basis, and unlike other similar committees functioning all over the world it is not independent.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980814.htmlFri, 14 Aug 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980814.htmlALIYEV INVITES KOCHARIAN Global Strategies Shape Regional Developments When recently Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev invited Armenian President Robert Kocharian to attend an EU-sponsored international conference in Baku, to discuss prospects for the successful implementation of the TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia) program, many observers and analysts were caught off guard. In Armenia, the “surprise” invitation caused speculation on the real political motives of Azerbaijan. Some think the invitation is a diplomatic trap for Armenia, intended to embarrass the Kocharian administration and score political points for Aliyev.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980704.htmlSat, 04 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980704.htmlAmarik Sardarian is the Yezidi editor of the Kurdish newspaper, “Riya Taza”. “Riya Taza” is one of the oldest Kurdish newspapers in the world and is based in Yerevan, Armenia. This interview was conducted by Onnik Krikorian during research undertaken in June for the Kurdish Human Rights Project investigating the situation of the Yezidi minority within the Republic of Armenia. As such, it forms part of a series of interviews with Yezidi, Kurdish and Armenian representatives.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980702.htmlThu, 02 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980702.htmlMahir Welat is the official representative of the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to Moscow and the former Soviet Union. He is also a member of the ruling Central Committee of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The Turkish Government has to date made two assassination attempts on his life in Russia. Mahir Welat was visiting Armenia to attend a Kurdish academic event in Yerevan and to tour Yezidi villages.https://ann.org/orig/ja-19980702.htmlThu, 02 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ja-19980702.htmlFollowing yesterday’s Interview with Karlene Chachani by Onnik Krikorian, where reference was made to an article by Jackie Abrahamian, we felt it would be useful to bring this article to the reader’s attention. The Yezidi movement in Armenia First published in “Kurdistan Report”, September 1992 Since 1828 when the Kurds first immigrated to Armenia (fleeing the Russo-Turkish wars) Kurdish culture has flourished rapidly in the smallest of the former Soviet republics which in 1991 gained independence.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980701.htmlWed, 01 Jul 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980701.htmlDr. Karlene Chachani is a Yezidi living in Yerevan, Armenia. He is President of the Department of the Kurdish Writers of the Writers' Union of Armenia, and Chief Editor of “Friendship” - an Armenian-Kurdish political Journal. This interview was conducted by Onnik Krikorian during research undertaken in June for the Kurdish Human Rights Project investigating the situation of the Yezidi minority within the Republic of Armenia. As such, it forms part of a series of interviews with Yezidi, Kurdish and Armenian representatives.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980630.htmlTue, 30 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980630.htmlProfessor Garnik Asatrian is the Head of the Faculty of Iranian Studies at Yerevan State University. Born in Tehran in 1953, he moved to Yerevan in 1968. He has been prolific in his research into Kurdish tribal and linguistic tradition, and instrumental in the establishment of contemporary Kurdish academic study. He is Head of the newly founded Caucasian Centre for Iranian Studies, and is editor of the publication “Acta Kurdica”.https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980611.htmlThu, 11 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/orig/ok-19980611.html11 June 1998 Aziz Tamoyan is the President of the National Union of Yezidi in Armenia. This interview was conducted by Onnik Krikorian during research undertaken in June for the Kurdish Human Rights Project investigating the situation of the Yezidi minority within the Republic of Armenia. As such, it forms part of a series of interviews with Yezidi, Kurdish and Armenian representatives. A report on the situation of minorities within the Republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with a focus on the Kurds, will be published this year by the Kurdish Human Rights Project.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980514.htmlThu, 14 May 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980514.htmlThe War Against Democracy The Turkish state has been fighting the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) since 1984. The protracted violence has turned into endless full-scale warfare that holds the whole of society in its grip. It now defines, conditions and shapes the entire Turkish polity. This is not the first time the Turkish state has fought the Kurds. According to former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, the Kurds have risen up against the Turkish state 28 times, only to be ruthlessly overwhelmed by the Turkish Army.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980417.htmlFri, 17 Apr 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980417.htmlWhile the presidential elections in Azerbaijan expected this autumn are not likely to bring any surprises, and the current president, as long as he is alive and well and continues in office, the Azerbaijani political scene can not be considered entirely stable and predictable. The main source of tension and potential future volatility is the uncertainty surrounding the issue of succession to Heydar Aliyev. As different political groups and personalities begin to position themselves for the coming struggle, the presidential campaign may become a proving ground of sorts for forces both outside and within the ruling elite who are looking beyond October 1998.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980402.htmlThu, 02 Apr 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980402.htmlAn Analysis of 18 reports by Lawrence Sheets from Yerevan Reuters’ journalistic objectivity and reputation have become questionable in the wake of its deeply biased coverage of the recent presidential elections in Armenia. Content analysis of reports filed by its reporter, Lawrence Sheets, reveals a pattern of systematic bias and excessive subjectivity. Mr. Sheets’s 18 reports from Yerevan, between March 12 and March 31, clearly indicate a consistent pattern of bias and suspicious personal agenda in four areas: 1) unequal description of the two front-runners; 2) exclusion of non-OSCE observer statements and evaluations; 3) patronizing attitude toward Armenia; 4) excessive use of unnamed sources.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980313.htmlFri, 13 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980313.htmlThe presidential election on March 16 will bring to power Armenia’s second leader since independence. Prospects for democracy, political stability and international credibility depend on the holding of a free, fair and non- violent poll. After flawed parliamentary elections in 1995 and Ter-Petrosian’s disputed victory in the 1996 presidential contest, the conduct of the current poll will shape domestic prospects for democratic politics and international confidence in Armenia’s stable democratic development.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980312.htmlThu, 12 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980312.htmlWith just a few days left before the presidential elections, the former Soviet Armenian boss of 14 years is reported to be in the lead. What do we have? Polls conducted by an organization ostensibly allied with the caretaker president Robert Kocharian, give Karen Demirchian some 40% of the vote. Kocharian himself is said to come second with 30% and the leader of the National-Democratic Union and first post-Soviet Armenian Prime-Minister Vazgen Manukian third with 15%.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980309.htmlMon, 09 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980309.htmlThe elections forthcoming this month provide Armenia with a remarkable opportunity to renew the economic transition that began six years ago. In some ways Armenia has proved itself resilient: its decline in living standards was one of the sharpest in transition (from 1990 levels output fell by almost two-thirds by 1994) and the depreciation of the savings of its citizens one of the largest. While it has displayed high growth rates since then, these come from a very low base.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980207.htmlSat, 07 Feb 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980207.htmlThe President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossian (LTP) resigned after his power ministers expressed their disagreement with his policies, several of his supporters quit, and the ruling coalition in the parliament collapsed. The apparent point of disagreement was the fate of Nagorno Karabakh, but there are several other causes which reinforced the main rift among the power elites and made the populace tacitly or overtly supportive of the ‘soft’ coup: rampant poverty, corruption and fixed parliamentary (1995) and presidential (1996) elections.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980206.htmlFri, 06 Feb 1998 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19980206.htmlPOLITICAL CRISIS IN ARMENIA Armenia faces its first major post-Soviet leadership change Weeks of political crisis in Armenia took a sharp turn when President Levon Ter-Petrosian announced his resignation on February 3. Forces opposed to Ter- Petrosian’s compromise stance on Nagorno-Karabakh appear set for ascendancy in Armenia for some time. The roots of the dispute which led to Levon Ter-Petrosian’s resignation as president lie in his decision last autumn to back the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group for a resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971223.htmlTue, 23 Dec 1997 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971223.htmlIn late December, the OSCE Ministerial Council in Copenhagen marked the end of Armenia’s yearlong efforts of political recovery subsequent to the Lisbon Summit in December 1996. Contrary to expectations and due to Armenia’s diplomatic efforts, the Ministerial Council did not make any substantive declarations concerning Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia characterized the outcome in Copenhagen as “positive,” since it did not create “additional obstacles” for the peace process in general. The resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will continue to dominate Armenia’s political and foreign relations agenda in 1998.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971117.htmlMon, 17 Nov 1997 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971117.html“If Turkey’s Warlords asassinate the hope for the peaceful solution that we legislator’s represent, the road is open for Kurds to switch massively to the camp of violence and Islamic fundamentalism. And if the Kurds, next door to Iran’s Islamic revolutionaries, switch, then all Turkey will follow suit. And woe on us all.” Leyla Zana, Imprisoned Kurdish MP and Sakharov Peace Prize Winner Turkey easily lives up to its own promotion of being enviably unique in its meeting of east and west, but it is also a country that is deeply schizophrenic and confused.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971022.htmlWed, 22 Oct 1997 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971022.htmlKing Banaian Less than a year ago, Armenia’s stabilization was being lauded from all sides as a great triumph. GDP expanded for two years straight; inflation fell to a western standard of 5.7% in 1996, and real incomes were beginning to grow again. Its growth rate was faster than any other CIS country, and that inflation figure for 1996 beat even the well-cheered performance of the Baltic states. The international arbiters of macroeconomic excellence, the International Monetary Fund, however, sounded a worried note while releasing the second tranche of Armenia’s $47 million-a-year ESAF loan:https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971006.htmlMon, 06 Oct 1997 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19971006.htmlEVENT: Senior presidential adviser Jirair (Gerard) Libaridian resigned. SIGNIFICANCE: Libaridian’s departure comes at a time when Armenia has been mounting a relatively successful effort to build its international ties. ANALYSIS: On September 15, Jirair Libaridian announced that President Levon Ter-Petrosian had accepted his resignation as a senior foreign policy advisor, on purely personal grounds. Libaridian has been a key architect of Armenian foreign policy since independence, playing a central role in negotiations over Nagorno Karabakh and in warming relations with Turkey.https://ann.org/ro/ro-19970917.htmlWed, 17 Sep 1997 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/ro/ro-19970917.htmlAlmost every day now media outlets report on the continuous multinational effort to forge out a final peace settlement in the nine year-old conflict between the government of Azerbaijan and the people of the de- facto independent Nagorno Karabakh Republic-Artsakh. Their reports generally contain a brief on a recent round of talks, where parties would once again reiterate their incompatible positions, with mediators privately promising a diplomatic breakthrough soon. Over the years such reports have become enveloped in the usual repetition of grim statistics: tallies numbering the dead and refugees, and areas occupied.https://ann.org/author/abraham-d-krikorian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/abraham-d-krikorian/https://ann.org/author/aksel-bakunts-translated-by-nairi-hakhverdi/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/aksel-bakunts-translated-by-nairi-hakhverdi/https://ann.org/author/alan-semerdjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alan-semerdjian/https://ann.org/author/albert-kapikian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/albert-kapikian/https://ann.org/author/alex-ekmekji/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alex-ekmekji/https://ann.org/author/alex-fumero/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alex-fumero/https://ann.org/author/alicia-ghiragossian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alicia-ghiragossian/https://ann.org/author/alina-gregorian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alina-gregorian/https://ann.org/author/alla-tatiyants/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/alla-tatiyants/https://ann.org/author/amiri-baraka/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/amiri-baraka/https://ann.org/author/amy-haiganoush-keyishian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/amy-haiganoush-keyishian/https://ann.org/author/ana-arzoumanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ana-arzoumanian/https://ann.org/author/anahid-abesta/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/anahid-abesta/https://ann.org/author/anahit-haroutiunyan-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/anahit-haroutiunyan-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/angela-harutyunian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/angela-harutyunian/https://ann.org/author/angela-keshishyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/angela-keshishyan/https://ann.org/author/ani-boghossian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ani-boghossian/https://ann.org/author/ann-groong/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ann-groong/https://ann.org/author/antoine-terjanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/antoine-terjanian/https://ann.org/author/anush-aslibekyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/anush-aslibekyan/https://ann.org/author/ara-arzumanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ara-arzumanian/https://ann.org/author/ara-baliozian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ara-baliozian/https://ann.org/author/ara-sanjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ara-sanjian/https://ann.org/author/araik-margarian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/araik-margarian/https://ann.org/author/arevshad-avakian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/arevshad-avakian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/armand-aram-andonian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/armand-aram-andonian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/armenouhi-minassian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/armenouhi-minassian/https://ann.org/author/armenoui-minassian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/armenoui-minassian/https://ann.org/author/armine-ghazarian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/armine-ghazarian/https://ann.org/author/armine-iknadossian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/armine-iknadossian/https://ann.org/author/arthur-hagopian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/arthur-hagopian/https://ann.org/author/asbed-bedrossian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/asbed-bedrossian/https://ann.org/author/asbed-kotchikian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/asbed-kotchikian/https://ann.org/author/avetik-isahakian-translated-by-ara-baliozian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/avetik-isahakian-translated-by-ara-baliozian/https://ann.org/author/avetik-issahakian-translated-by-ara-baliozian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/avetik-issahakian-translated-by-ara-baliozian/https://ann.org/author/bedros-afeyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/bedros-afeyan/https://ann.org/author/beverly-honkonen/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/beverly-honkonen/https://ann.org/author/boghos-luder-artinian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/boghos-luder-artinian/https://ann.org/author/c-k-garabed/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/c-k-garabed/https://ann.org/author/chris-zakian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/chris-zakian/https://ann.org/author/christopher-atamian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/christopher-atamian/https://ann.org/author/david-joulfaian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/david-joulfaian/https://ann.org/author/david-kherdian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/david-kherdian/https://ann.org/author/diana-agabeg-abcar/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/diana-agabeg-abcar/https://ann.org/author/diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/donald-abcarian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/donald-abcarian/https://ann.org/author/dr-vahe-ampagoumian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/dr-vahe-ampagoumian/https://ann.org/author/eddie-arnavoudian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/eddie-arnavoudian/https://ann.org/author/emil-sanamyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/emil-sanamyan/https://ann.org/author/eugene-l-taylor/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/eugene-l-taylor/https://ann.org/author/forwarded-by-eddie-arnavoudian-on-behalf-of-donald-abcarian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/forwarded-by-eddie-arnavoudian-on-behalf-of-donald-abcarian/https://ann.org/author/george-tabakyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/george-tabakyan/https://ann.org/author/gevorg-emin-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/gevorg-emin-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/gevork-ter-gabrielian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/gevork-ter-gabrielian/https://ann.org/author/gina-ann-hablanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/gina-ann-hablanian/https://ann.org/author/grigor-hakobyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/grigor-hakobyan/https://ann.org/author/grish-davtian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/grish-davtian/https://ann.org/author/groong-research-analysis-group/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/groong-research-analysis-group/https://ann.org/author/groong-staff/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/groong-staff/https://ann.org/author/hakop-halajian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hakop-halajian/https://ann.org/author/haluk-gerger/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/haluk-gerger/https://ann.org/author/hamasdegh-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hamasdegh-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/helene-pilibosian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/helene-pilibosian/https://ann.org/author/hermig-yogurtian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hermig-yogurtian/https://ann.org/author/his-holiness-aram-i-catholicos-of-cilicia/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/his-holiness-aram-i-catholicos-of-cilicia/https://ann.org/author/hovannes-toumanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hovannes-toumanian/https://ann.org/author/hovhannes-shiraz-translated-by-knarik-o-meneshian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hovhannes-shiraz-translated-by-knarik-o-meneshian/https://ann.org/author/hovik-manucharyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hovik-manucharyan/https://ann.org/author/hrant-alexanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hrant-alexanian/https://ann.org/author/hratch-tchilingirian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/hratch-tchilingirian/https://ann.org/intro.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/intro.htmlAbout the Armenian News Network / Groong.https://ann.org/author/jackie-abrahamian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/jackie-abrahamian/https://ann.org/author/jeffrey-tufenkian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/jeffrey-tufenkian/https://ann.org/author/jenny-kiljian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/jenny-kiljian/https://ann.org/author/jonathan-eric-lewis/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/jonathan-eric-lewis/https://ann.org/author/karine-ovsepian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/karine-ovsepian/https://ann.org/author/katy-pearce/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/katy-pearce/https://ann.org/author/kay-mouradian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/kay-mouradian/https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-ka-ayjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-ka-ayjian/https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-kalayjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-kalayjian/https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-kalayjian-jr/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/kevork-k-kalayjian-jr/https://ann.org/author/kevork-kalayjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/kevork-kalayjian/https://ann.org/author/khachig-tololyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/khachig-tololyan/https://ann.org/author/khatchig-mouradian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/khatchig-mouradian/https://ann.org/author/khatchik-der-ghoukassian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/khatchik-der-ghoukassian/https://ann.org/author/king-banaian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/king-banaian/https://ann.org/author/knarik-o-meneshian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/knarik-o-meneshian/https://ann.org/author/koko-yegnoukian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/koko-yegnoukian/https://ann.org/author/krikor-n-der-hohannesian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/krikor-n-der-hohannesian/https://ann.org/author/krikor-narekatsi-translated-by-thomas-j-samuelian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/krikor-narekatsi-translated-by-thomas-j-samuelian/https://ann.org/author/lev-m-freinkman/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/lev-m-freinkman/https://ann.org/author/levon-keushkerian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/levon-keushkerian/https://ann.org/author/levon-mirijanian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/levon-mirijanian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/levon-zourabian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/levon-zourabian/https://ann.org/author/lisa-marzonie/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/lisa-marzonie/https://ann.org/author/lola-koundakjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/lola-koundakjian/https://ann.org/author/lusine-haroyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/lusine-haroyan/https://ann.org/author/mariam-firunts/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/mariam-firunts/https://ann.org/author/marietta-shaginian-translated-by-shushan-avagyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/marietta-shaginian-translated-by-shushan-avagyan/https://ann.org/author/maro-margarian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/maro-margarian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/meredith-z-avakian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/meredith-z-avakian/https://ann.org/author/michael-e-stone/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/michael-e-stone/https://ann.org/migrated-index/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/migrated-index/This page indexes all 1005 articles migrated from the legacy groong.org site to Hugo, organized by section. Word counts compare the original HTML source against the migrated Markdown body. Jerusalem (28) Photographic Record (72) House Museums (27) Media Landscape (3) Yezidis (18) Voices from the Past (15) Border Regions (1) Review & Outlook (104) Entertainment Wire (24) Critical Corner (232) Literary Groong (481) Reports from Jerusalem Original TitleOrig WordsMigrated TitleMigrated URLMigr Words 2007 - A watershed year for the Armenians of Jerusalem?https://ann.org/author/mihran-toumajan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/mihran-toumajan/https://ann.org/author/mth-rev-michael-westh/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/mth-rev-michael-westh/https://ann.org/author/nancy-agabian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/nancy-agabian/https://ann.org/author/narini-badalian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/narini-badalian/https://ann.org/author/nicole-vartanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/nicole-vartanian/https://ann.org/author/njdeh-melkonian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/njdeh-melkonian/https://ann.org/author/onnik-krikorian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/onnik-krikorian/https://ann.org/author/p-d-spyropoulos/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/p-d-spyropoulos/https://ann.org/posting-rules.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/posting-rules.htmlGuidelines for submitting material to ANN/Groong.https://ann.org/author/prof-michael-e-stone/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/prof-michael-e-stone/https://ann.org/author/prof-vahakn-dadrian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/prof-vahakn-dadrian/https://ann.org/author/raffi/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/raffi/https://ann.org/author/raffi-k-hovannisian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/raffi-k-hovannisian/https://ann.org/author/raphael-bagdanian-translated-by-kevork-kalayjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/raphael-bagdanian-translated-by-kevork-kalayjian/https://ann.org/author/raymond-b-kupelian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/raymond-b-kupelian/https://ann.org/author/razmig-arabian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/razmig-arabian/https://ann.org/author/razmik-rshtuni/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/razmik-rshtuni/https://ann.org/author/razmik-shirinian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/razmik-shirinian/https://ann.org/author/richard-giragosian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/richard-giragosian/https://ann.org/author/rubina-sevadjian-kingwell/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/rubina-sevadjian-kingwell/https://ann.org/author/ruth-bedevian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/ruth-bedevian/https://ann.org/author/sahan-arzruni/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/sahan-arzruni/https://ann.org/author/sako-arian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/sako-arian/https://ann.org/author/sara-margaryan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/sara-margaryan/https://ann.org/author/sergey-minasian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/sergey-minasian/https://ann.org/author/shavarsh-nartuni-translated-by-ara-baliozian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shavarsh-nartuni-translated-by-ara-baliozian/https://ann.org/author/shushan-artinian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shushan-artinian/https://ann.org/author/shushan-avagyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shushan-avagyan/https://ann.org/author/shushanik-hakobyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shushanik-hakobyan/https://ann.org/author/shushanik-kurghinian-translated-by-knarik-o-meneshian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shushanik-kurghinian-translated-by-knarik-o-meneshian/https://ann.org/author/shushanik-kurghinian-translated-by-shushan-avagyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/shushanik-kurghinian-translated-by-shushan-avagyan/https://ann.org/author/silva-merjanian-zanoyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/silva-merjanian-zanoyan/https://ann.org/author/silva-zanoyan-merjanian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/silva-zanoyan-merjanian/https://ann.org/author/talar-sesetyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/talar-sesetyan/https://ann.org/author/talynn-hanissian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/talynn-hanissian/https://ann.org/author/tamar-haytayan-armen/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/tamar-haytayan-armen/https://ann.org/author/taniel-shant-koushakjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/taniel-shant-koushakjian/https://ann.org/author/tanya-hovanesian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/tanya-hovanesian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/the-greens-union-of-armenia/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/the-greens-union-of-armenia/https://ann.org/author/tim-papworth/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/tim-papworth/https://ann.org/author/translated-by-sos-bagramyan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/translated-by-sos-bagramyan/https://ann.org/author/tugrul-keskingoren/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/tugrul-keskingoren/https://ann.org/author/v-misak/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/v-misak/https://ann.org/author/vahan-derian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/vahan-derian-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/https://ann.org/author/vahan-tekeyan-translated-by-khatchig-mouradian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/vahan-tekeyan-translated-by-khatchig-mouradian/https://ann.org/author/varoozhan-froonzhan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/varoozhan-froonzhan/https://ann.org/author/varoujan-bedros/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/varoujan-bedros/https://ann.org/author/varoujan-froundjian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/varoujan-froundjian/https://ann.org/author/vartan-marashlian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/vartan-marashlian/https://ann.org/author/vicken-cheterian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/vicken-cheterian/https://ann.org/author/william-bairamian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/william-bairamian/https://ann.org/author/william-michaelian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/william-michaelian/https://ann.org/author/y-stephan-bulbulian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/y-stephan-bulbulian/https://ann.org/author/yeghishe-charents-translated-by-ara-baliozian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/yeghishe-charents-translated-by-ara-baliozian/https://ann.org/author/yelena-mkhitaryan/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/yelena-mkhitaryan/https://ann.org/author/zahrad-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://ann.org/author/zahrad-translated-by-diana-der-hovanessian/