Passage to Ararat

by Michael J. Arlen

Book Overview

In "Passage to Ararat," which received the National Book Award in 1976, Michael J. Arlen goes beyond the portrait of his father, the famous Anglo-Armenian novelist of the 1920s, that he created in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374530122
• ISBN13: 9780374530129
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux-3pl
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

DISREGARD THE REVIEW ENTITLED: A PEICE OF HATE LITERATURE

It is evident that the review entitled "A Peice of Hate Literature" was written by a Turkish person. The Armenians' and Turks' dislike for one another goes back a long way, and this is just another example of how it still exists in today's society. No matter what anyone tries to say, deep in the hearts of all Armenians, and in sensible people, the knowledge of historical facts about the ruthless genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire still exists and will never be forgotten. In fact, the only peice of "Hate Literature" is the review written by Halim Sibay Tugsavul.

Review

Well, I believe it would take much more than this review to unconvince the reviewer from Amsterdam (see below) about his opinion. I also believe if the reviewer from Amsterdam had a half of his nation murdered with his ancestors slain like animals, he could have had a different opinion. Maybe...Don't get me wrong... These days the most fashionable phrase is "it's all in the past, why can't you just forgive it and live in the future?" Note that they say "Forget", but nobody ever says "Forgive". ..."If armenians and turks could sit down and re-write their history?..." the truth is that by re-writing your history you always will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. And the reality of the 20th century (the bloodiest century with so many massacres and holocausts) speaks for itself.Dear reviewer from Amsterdam, please do not close your eyes on the past and do not make the humanity repeat their mistakes in the next century. Maybe then we could live in a better world without any Hitlers or Mussolinis or Taleat pashas.

A wonderful journey

Arlen follows--and surpasses--his father's (Michael Arlen, author of the famous "Green Hat" of the 1920s) footsteps with this piece. Never having really discovered what exactly it meant to be Armenian, Arlen actually travels there, in search of his roots. My favorite part of this book was how masterful Arlen is at weaving in history with personal experience. Nobody wants to sit and read a textbook; Passage to Ararat is a pleasant read, particularly how it reads so much like a novel. Anyone wanting to try to understand more about the Genocide should get this book, or for those searching for their "inner Armenian." Arlen takes you on his version of the journey. Get a copy before it goes out-of-print!

a must read

I found this a very moving portrait of the author's search to understand his heritage. I also found this book helpful in providing an overview (obviously not detailed given the length of this book) of some of Armenian history.

An Excellent description of Armenian history and culture.

'Passage To Ararat' is about the author's reflections on Armenians and his attempt to find out what Armenians are all about. His writing is excellent in this book, as he describes all his observations in a very interesting, yet simple manner. The book covers a great deal of accurate Armenian history, where both Turkish and Armenian views are considered. This is a great book to learn about Armenian history, culture, mentality and the Armenian Genocide.