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AVANT-GARDE NOVEL JOURNEY TO VIRGINLAND WINS 2012 WRITTEN ART AWARD
Noyan Tapan
2012-02-24
Los Angeles, February 24, 2012 - California author Armen Melikian
won the 2012 Written Art Award in the General Fiction Category,
second place, for his novel Journey to Virginland: Epistle I. The
category's first-place winner was Stephen Maitland-Lewis, for his
novel Emeralds Never Fade.
Journey to Virginland is "a nihilistic sojourn through fictional
Virginland in search of enlightenment," wrote Monique Muro of the
Long Beach Book Examiner. Maitland-Lewis' novel is the story of two
boys in Germany who are separated by the onset of the Second World War.
"I am honored that Journey to Virginland was chosen for this award
from among hundreds of books," said Melikian, who has garnered three
other literary awards this year.
The anti-hero of the author's novel, named simply Dog, travels through
a fictional replica of the known world and recounts his experiences,
contextualizing them with powerful commentaries on history, religion,
mythology, and the gender wars. Critic Kam Aures of Rebecca's Reads
writes of Dog's odyssey: "In this unique work there exists Dreamland,
which contains locales such as Pharaohland, Allahland, Socratesland,
WhiteBearland, and Napoleonland, [while] the physical United States as
we know it is named Satanland. In Virginland resides God, in Satanland
resides Satan."
Aures adds: "Melikian has created a very intelligently written
original work of fiction. Journey to Virginland is a book quite out
of the ordinary."
In addition to Aures' review, Melikian has received praise from a
cross section of prestigious critics. Publishers Weekly wrote: "Dog
vs. God. In an iconoclastic story, Dog demolishes the foundations of
Western civilization." And ForeWord Reviews stated: "An engrossing,
brilliantly crafted read. A searing commentary on the earth and its
inhabitants through the canine eyes of Dog. Melikian is an astonishing
writer who teaches his reader about the world and the human condition
through tragedy and humor."
Commenting on the significance of the Written Art Award, Melikian said,
"It is uplifting to see that the literary community as a whole is
embracing a book that may best be categorized as anti-literature,
one that gleefully inverts the conventions of the novel."
Melikian continued: "I applaud the courage of the Written Art Awards
judges for bestowing one of only two prizes in General Fiction to an
avant-garde work, a novel that detonates a nuclear bomb at the very
foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Without a doubt, this
is a clear indication of the judges' open-mindedness and impartiality."
Book blogger Katie Hale of Arkansas wrote of Journey to Virginland:
"From the first page I was pulled in and intrigued by the oddities I
was reading. Not a typical romance, mystery or even suspense novel -
this book takes a look at things from a level I've never went to.
Imagine complete blatant honesty without worry of censorship about
religion, sexuality, war, politics and relationships and you will
have a good idea of the book I am speaking of."
Hale continued: "I am shocked to read a book of this honesty, this
literary caliber, this level of brilliance, in our time. I only wish
it could become the Twilight of this time - a book that sweeps across
the social classes and impacts everyone opening their eyes to the
destruction WE have created in our world - the lies we have covered up
and the hypocrisy that plagues what used to be Christianity and Faith."
Journey to Virginland is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon,
and several other booksellers. For more information and a list of
bookseller links worldwide, visit JourneyToVirginland.com
Noyan Tapan
2012-02-24
Los Angeles, February 24, 2012 - California author Armen Melikian
won the 2012 Written Art Award in the General Fiction Category,
second place, for his novel Journey to Virginland: Epistle I. The
category's first-place winner was Stephen Maitland-Lewis, for his
novel Emeralds Never Fade.
Journey to Virginland is "a nihilistic sojourn through fictional
Virginland in search of enlightenment," wrote Monique Muro of the
Long Beach Book Examiner. Maitland-Lewis' novel is the story of two
boys in Germany who are separated by the onset of the Second World War.
"I am honored that Journey to Virginland was chosen for this award
from among hundreds of books," said Melikian, who has garnered three
other literary awards this year.
The anti-hero of the author's novel, named simply Dog, travels through
a fictional replica of the known world and recounts his experiences,
contextualizing them with powerful commentaries on history, religion,
mythology, and the gender wars. Critic Kam Aures of Rebecca's Reads
writes of Dog's odyssey: "In this unique work there exists Dreamland,
which contains locales such as Pharaohland, Allahland, Socratesland,
WhiteBearland, and Napoleonland, [while] the physical United States as
we know it is named Satanland. In Virginland resides God, in Satanland
resides Satan."
Aures adds: "Melikian has created a very intelligently written
original work of fiction. Journey to Virginland is a book quite out
of the ordinary."
In addition to Aures' review, Melikian has received praise from a
cross section of prestigious critics. Publishers Weekly wrote: "Dog
vs. God. In an iconoclastic story, Dog demolishes the foundations of
Western civilization." And ForeWord Reviews stated: "An engrossing,
brilliantly crafted read. A searing commentary on the earth and its
inhabitants through the canine eyes of Dog. Melikian is an astonishing
writer who teaches his reader about the world and the human condition
through tragedy and humor."
Commenting on the significance of the Written Art Award, Melikian said,
"It is uplifting to see that the literary community as a whole is
embracing a book that may best be categorized as anti-literature,
one that gleefully inverts the conventions of the novel."
Melikian continued: "I applaud the courage of the Written Art Awards
judges for bestowing one of only two prizes in General Fiction to an
avant-garde work, a novel that detonates a nuclear bomb at the very
foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Without a doubt, this
is a clear indication of the judges' open-mindedness and impartiality."
Book blogger Katie Hale of Arkansas wrote of Journey to Virginland:
"From the first page I was pulled in and intrigued by the oddities I
was reading. Not a typical romance, mystery or even suspense novel -
this book takes a look at things from a level I've never went to.
Imagine complete blatant honesty without worry of censorship about
religion, sexuality, war, politics and relationships and you will
have a good idea of the book I am speaking of."
Hale continued: "I am shocked to read a book of this honesty, this
literary caliber, this level of brilliance, in our time. I only wish
it could become the Twilight of this time - a book that sweeps across
the social classes and impacts everyone opening their eyes to the
destruction WE have created in our world - the lies we have covered up
and the hypocrisy that plagues what used to be Christianity and Faith."
Journey to Virginland is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon,
and several other booksellers. For more information and a list of
bookseller links worldwide, visit JourneyToVirginland.com