Armenian Golgotha

Armenian Golgotha (Armenian: Հայ Գողգոթան) is a memoir written by Grigoris Balakian about his eyewitness account of the Armenian genocide. The memoir was released in two volumes.[1] Volume 1, about his life prior to and during the Armenian genocide, was released in 1922. Volume 2, about his life as a fugitive after the Genocide, was released in 1959. Originally published in Armenian, the memoir was later published in various languages including an English translation by Peter Balakian, Balakian's great-nephew, with Aris Sevag.[2]

Armenian Golgotha
AuthorGrigoris Balakian
CountryGermany (1922), France (1959)
LanguageArmenian
GenreMemoir
PublisherVintage Books
Publication date
1922 & 1959
Published in English
2009
Pages509
ISBN978-1-4000-9677-0

Reception

Upon the release of the English translation in 2009, many publications reviewed the account. The New Yorker referred to the account as "a fascinating first-hand testimony to a monumental crime."[3] Elie Wiesel, the author best known for the memoir Night, referred to the account as "heartbreaking" because he believes that the memory presented by Balakian "must remain a lesson for more than one generation".[4] The New Republic praised the account as "a powerful and important book" because "it takes place as one of the key first-hand sources for understanding the Armenian genocide".[5] Writing for The Washington Post, Chris Bohjalian (a second-generation Armenian American) felt personally connected by understanding what happened to his great-grandparents. Bohjalian opined that Balakian's account was "rich with evidence of the Turkish government's complicity and its leaders' premeditation." Bohjalian also hoped that the account would be widely read.[6]

References
  1. Whittemore, Katharine (25 September 2015). "Seven books on the Armenian genocide - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  2. Romano, Carlin (12 April 2010). ""Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of the Armenian genocide, 1915-18" by Grigoris Balakian". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  3. Davidson, Amy (4 May 2009). "Armenian Golgotha". The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  4. "Early Praise From Elie Wiesel and Others for Grigoris Balakian's Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of The Armenian Genocide". Asbarez.com. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  5. Republic, The New (1 July 2009). "The Evil That Men Do". New Republic. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  6. Bohjalian, Chris (5 April 2009). "A Deadly Time Brought to Life". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2017.


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