Richard Hovannisian’s Kharpert Volume Published in Turkish

The well-known Aras Publishing House of Istanbul has announced the publication of Harput, the third volume in Turkish translation from the UCLA Conference series on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, organized by Professor Richard G. Hovannisian between 1997 and 2009.

Tomo of Istanbul

Rupen Janbazian

 

“Before traveling to Europe, [Armenian writer Yeghishe] Charents visited this city with his good friend, Avetik Isahakian. (*) It’s unclear as to how long he stayed; perhaps 10 or 15 days. I’m not completely sure. It is said, however, that he stayed in this building, which used to be a hotel. This is a historic building belonging to the Karagozian Foundation. He also mentions the Pera Palace in his poem entitled ‘Istanbul,’ so he might have stayed there too. The details don’t really matter. What is certain is that he roamed around these streets. That we know. In that same poem, he calls the city an ‘international whore,’ and he was right. It sure as hell is an interesting place to live.”

Between Dream and Realism : for a New Armenian-Turkish Dialogue

Tigran Yegavian

On 30^th May 2014, an editorial was published simultaneously in Turkey, France, Armenia and Italy under the title “Let’s have a dream together.” Signed jointly by French personalities of Armenian descent and Turkish intellectuals, it revived interest in the Armenian-Turkish dialogue, which had seemed asleep for years. Besides echoing the famous speech of Afro-American pastor Martin Luther King in its plea for reconciliation, it clearly thinks the Armenian question as a dream-like projection, overlooking the fact that, at this juncture, such a dialogue cannot write a new page of our history if it keeps ignoring the Armenian complexities as well as the deep issues at stake.