Krikor Beledian's "Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France" Has Been Published in English

California State University, Fresno Armenian Studies Program Director Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that Krikor Beledian’s Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France has been published by the Armenian Series of The Press, at California State University, Fresno.

Translated from the original French into English by Christopher Atamian, Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France is a groundbreaking study of the Armenian literary scene in the important Armenian Diaspora community of France. Beledian has produced a comprehensive and fascinating view of the Armenian literary landscape in France, one that will be of lasting significance to the study of Armenian literature.

“This volume will provide a wealth of material useful to both scholars and to the reading public,” said Der Mugrdechian.

Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France examines Armenian literature as it emerged in France between 1922 and the beginning of the 1970’s. It retraces the literary history of the period starting with Armenian immigration until the passing away of the movement’s main representatives. It also examines the most significant works published in that period, studying the issues raised by a literature of exile, one born after an event that was experienced and interpreted as a “national catastrophe.”

The work is a major addition to the study of Armenian literature with its in-depth analysis of the various figures and periods in Armenian literature in France. Among those figures are Arshag Chobanian, Shahan Shahnour, Shavarsh Missakian, Mguerditch Barsamian, Shavarsh Nartuni, Hratch Zartarian, Zareh Vorpouni, and Vazken Shushanian, to name only a few.

“The work is a valuable addition to the growing number of critical studies of Armenian literature produced in the Diaspora,” said Prof. Der Mugrdechian. “It provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the intellectual, emotional, and existential challenges faced by Armenian authors in France.”

Born in Beirut, author and literary critic Krikor Beledian has lived in Paris since 1967, and has become intimately aware of the Armenian literary scene in France. A leading author of poetry and novels, he is an accomplished writer in his own right, as well as prolific critic. His studies of Armenian literary history and essays on literary criticism are among the most significant contributions to the field in the past fifty years.