ARARAT MAGAZINE TO CELEBRATE WRITINGS OF HAGOP
ASADOURIAN
14-01-2005 20:25:00 | USA | Articles and Analyses
By Florence Avakian
"This book - this bitter cup - is an account of ruined
dreams, shattered love, and faded hope ... pages from the
collective tragedy of a suffering generation that refused to
die, that, even in its darkest hours, never ceased to dream of
luminous skies." These are the eloquent words of one of the
Armenian-American community's most gifted writers, Hagop H.
Asadourian, who died on August 11, 2003, at age 100.
On Thursday, January 27, 2005, at 7 p.m., Ararat magazine
will celebrate the writings of this remarkable centenarian whose
life was dedicated to promulgating the literary and musical
heritage of the rich Armenian culture. The event will take place
at the New York headquarters of the AGBU, and details will be
forthcoming.
To honor Asadourian and to ensure that he remains well
remembered, Ararat magazine devoted its Spring 2004 issue to a
collection of his writings. This includes approximately a
quarter of the writer's 1965 novel, The Grandchildren of
Hovagim, a compilation of interconnected short stories which
brings to light his unforgettable experience of deportation from
his birthplace Chomaklou in Cappadocia, Turkey. Originally
written in Armenian, the writings, translated by the author
himself, and edited by Harry and Marjorie Keyishian, are now
accessible in English translation in Ararat. Young readers will
readily identify with the personal experiences of a boy trying
both to survive and comprehend his experiences. The experience
of Chomaklou, the town from which Asadourian came, is the
experience of many towns and locales.
The individual stories gain cumulative force because they
are part of a larger narrative. While suffused with moral
indignation, they rarely descend to bitterness or polemic but
instead paint vivid portraits of individual suffering and
survival. The author's aim is not only to describe his
experiences but to make sense of them as well. The Grandchildren
of Hovagim received the top award from the Tekeyan Cultural
Association in Beirut in 1965. It was the first book of a
trilogy that also included The Great-grandchildren of Hovagim
(1982), and Oh, Homeless Ragamuffin (1986), the former dealing
with the Genocide survivors' experiences with assimilation in
the New World, and the latter, the return of a survivor to
Chomaklou six decades after banishment.
Born March 3, 1903, in Chomakhlou, a village near Caesaria,
Hagop Asadourian has written that, of the 331 from his hometown
who went on the deportation march, only 29 survived, including
himself and his eldest sister Aghavni. Nine of his family
members perished. When they reached a Turkish village, the
village elder told the survivors to place their dead in a dry
well that would then be covered so that vultures would not get
to them. The twelve-year old Hagop wrapped his mother's body in
a bed sheet and placed her in the well.
Fleeing to Jerusalem in 1918 with his sister, he was placed
in the AGBU orphanage. On October 29, 1920, when he came to the
United States, a second life had begun for him. For eight years,
he worked during the day, and attended evening classes. The
1929 Depression curtailed his dreams of a higher education. To
earn money for his family, wife Martha (nee Ananian), and sons
Richard and John, he began his own rug business. As the problems
of survival took center stage in his new country, this helped
somewhat to sublimate the horrifying memories of the Genocide.
No matter how economically comfortable life became for him,
the harrowing and unforgettable traumas of his childhood always
came flooding back. "I wonder if today's generation can
understand what we went through. It wasn't just physical death,
but they tried to kill our soul. I tried to transfer these to
writing, and express what sprang from our soul."
In order to bring to light his literary talents, as well as
those of others, in the early 1920's Asadourian helped to found
Arkeos, the journal of the Chomaklou Compatriotic Society, which
sent help to the survivors of that village. He also became one
of the founders of the Nor Kir ("New Writing") literary circle,
established in 1936, which included a number of well-known
Armenian-American writers.
Another source of joy for him was music. Possessing a
beautiful tenor voice, he sang in churches, and on stages in New
York, Philadelphia and Boston for more than 50 years,
volunteering his services, and even paying for his own expenses.
In recognition of his dedicated literary and musical
contributions, the Armenian government invited him to be its
guest at the centennial celebration for Gomidas in 1969. While
there, he lectured and made television appearances. He also
delivered several talks in Beirut, Boston and New York
throughout the years.
In 1984, Hagop Asadourian was honored by the Catholicos of
All Armenians Vasken I with an Encyclical and the St. Sahag and
St. Mesrob Medal. He was also recognized that year for a second
time by the Tekeyan Association. Until his death, Hagop
Asadourian continued to write both prose and poetry, authoring
fifteen books, amazing those who met him with his sharp mind,
his ageless wisdom, and his deep love for the Armenian people,
their history, and their culture.