Hamazkayin Announces Winner of Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature

The Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of Eastern United States recently named Aline Ohanesian the winner of the 3^rd Minas and Kohar Tölölyan Prize in Contemporary Literature for her book, Orhan’s Inheritance.

Writing as Exorcism: An Interview with Aline Ohanesian

In a year that saw the publication of a large number of books that deal with the Armenian Genocide, Aline Ohanesian’s Orhan’s Inheritance has generated much praise and accolades—from being named Amazon’s Best Book of the Month for April 2015 to being among Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Voices Program. Ohanesian spent six years writing the book, which is loosely based on her grandmother’s story. As part of her research, she traveled to Sepastia (today, Sivas), where the story unravels.

When Orhan Turkoglu’s grandfather passes away, he is faced with questions he must confront—beginning with, why would his grandfather leave the family home to an Armenian woman, Seda Melkonian, in a Los Angeles nursing home. Armed with his grandfather’s sketchbook, Orhan must travel to L.A. to meet Seda.