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Nancy Kricorian about her new book and Diaspora Quartet - INTERVIEW
April 08, 2013 | 00:01
A new book by Armenian-American writer Nancy Kricorian was published
this March. All The Light There Was novel is telling a story of
Armenian girl who survived the Armenian Genocide and is building her
life in Paris under Nazi occupation. In an interview with Armenian
News-NEWS.am Nancy Kricorian told about her new book.
Your new book All The Light There Was is about an Armenian girl who
lives in Paris under Nazi occupation and her brother joined
resistance. How the idea came to you? Is it based on actual person?
Did you know any Armenians who joined resistance or lived in Paris
during the World War II?
When I was researching a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary character in
my second novel, Dreams of Bread and Fire, I read about `non-state
actors' using political violence--everything from the Weather
Underground to the Red Army Brigade to the French Resistance. While
researching the French Resistance, I came across a 1984 French
documentary film called Terrorists in Retirement, which was about a
resistance group made up of immigrant workers and led by Armenian poet
Missak Manouchian. As I learned more about Manouchian, it started me
thinking about what it would have been like for Armenian Genocide
survivors, who had rebuilt their lives and communities in Paris, to
see the Nazis marching into their adopted city.
I met several Armenians in Paris who had been active in the French
Resistance, among them Arsene Tchakarian of the Manouchian Group and
Nazareth Peshdikian, who was in the Hunchak resistance.
In your interviews you said you had done a great research before
writing the novel. You spoke to Armenians in France and read books
about their memories. Surviving the Genocide they went to France for
new safe life but appeared in trouble again. What do you think made
them join Resistance, how did they find strength to fight again?
I spoke with and read about a number of Armenians who had lived
through the war years in Paris--and there were many different
responses. Some people joined the Resistance, some people kept their
heads down just trying to survive, and there were a few who did worse.
I was impressed to hear that the editor of the Armenian newspaper
Haratch decided to suspend publication for the duration of the
Occupation rather than submit his work to collaborationist censors.
How people responded had to do with many factors, including their
personal histories, their temperaments and their political
affiliations.
Audiobooks are becoming more popular. All The Light There Was has been
recorded as well. What do you think about audiobooks? Is it just a
kind of modern device or it will replace books in the future?
I am thrilled that there is an audiobook available of All The Light
There Was, particularly because the actor who recorded it, Suzanne
Toren, is so talented and because she was able to read the Armenian
phrases with such an excellent accent. It is wonderful that the audio
book is available so that people who are vision impaired, who are
taking long car rides, or who have reading disabilities can have
access to the novel. There is also an e-book that can be downloaded
onto a reading device, which seems to be the wave of the future.
As far as I know, your next book is telling about an Armenian family
in Beirut during the Lebanese Civilian War. You are writing about
Armenians living in different countries. What do they have in common?
Are there any traits of character typical for all your heroes?
My first novel, Zabelle, is a fictionalized account of my
grandmother's life as an Armenian Genocide survivor and immigrant
bride. My second novel, Dreams of Bread and Fire, is about someone of
my generation coming to terms with the hidden history of the Genocide
that shapes her family's life. The third novel, All The Light There
Was, is about Armenians in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. And the
next one will be about Armenians who leave Beirut during the Civil War
to come to New York. This is my Armenian Diaspora Quartet.
Audiobooks are becoming more popular. All The Light There Was has been
recorded as well. What do you think about audiobooks? Is it just a
kind of modern device or it will replace books in the future?
I am thrilled that there is an audiobook available of All The Light
There Was, particularly because the actor who recorded it, Suzanne
Toren, is so talented and because she was able to read the Armenian
phrases with such an excellent accent. It is wonderful that the audio
book is available so that people who are vision impaired, who are
taking long car rides, or who have reading disabilities can have
access to the novel. There is also an e-book that can be downloaded
onto a reading device, which seems to be the wave of the future.
Please, tell a little about your family. Where are your ancestors
coming from? What Armenian traditions have you preserved in your own
family?
My paternal grandparents are from Cilicia--my grandfather immigrated
from Adana to Watertown in 1911. My grandmother was from Mersin, and
survived the deportations, ending up as an orphan at Ras Al-Ain in the
Syrian desert.
My connection to Armenian culture is primarily through literature and
the arts and my friendships with other Armenian-American writers and
artists. I also do some Armenian cooking. This past weekend I baked
cheoreg [sweet Easter bread -ed.] for Easter.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am
From: Baghdasarian
April 08, 2013 | 00:01
A new book by Armenian-American writer Nancy Kricorian was published
this March. All The Light There Was novel is telling a story of
Armenian girl who survived the Armenian Genocide and is building her
life in Paris under Nazi occupation. In an interview with Armenian
News-NEWS.am Nancy Kricorian told about her new book.
Your new book All The Light There Was is about an Armenian girl who
lives in Paris under Nazi occupation and her brother joined
resistance. How the idea came to you? Is it based on actual person?
Did you know any Armenians who joined resistance or lived in Paris
during the World War II?
When I was researching a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary character in
my second novel, Dreams of Bread and Fire, I read about `non-state
actors' using political violence--everything from the Weather
Underground to the Red Army Brigade to the French Resistance. While
researching the French Resistance, I came across a 1984 French
documentary film called Terrorists in Retirement, which was about a
resistance group made up of immigrant workers and led by Armenian poet
Missak Manouchian. As I learned more about Manouchian, it started me
thinking about what it would have been like for Armenian Genocide
survivors, who had rebuilt their lives and communities in Paris, to
see the Nazis marching into their adopted city.
I met several Armenians in Paris who had been active in the French
Resistance, among them Arsene Tchakarian of the Manouchian Group and
Nazareth Peshdikian, who was in the Hunchak resistance.
In your interviews you said you had done a great research before
writing the novel. You spoke to Armenians in France and read books
about their memories. Surviving the Genocide they went to France for
new safe life but appeared in trouble again. What do you think made
them join Resistance, how did they find strength to fight again?
I spoke with and read about a number of Armenians who had lived
through the war years in Paris--and there were many different
responses. Some people joined the Resistance, some people kept their
heads down just trying to survive, and there were a few who did worse.
I was impressed to hear that the editor of the Armenian newspaper
Haratch decided to suspend publication for the duration of the
Occupation rather than submit his work to collaborationist censors.
How people responded had to do with many factors, including their
personal histories, their temperaments and their political
affiliations.
Audiobooks are becoming more popular. All The Light There Was has been
recorded as well. What do you think about audiobooks? Is it just a
kind of modern device or it will replace books in the future?
I am thrilled that there is an audiobook available of All The Light
There Was, particularly because the actor who recorded it, Suzanne
Toren, is so talented and because she was able to read the Armenian
phrases with such an excellent accent. It is wonderful that the audio
book is available so that people who are vision impaired, who are
taking long car rides, or who have reading disabilities can have
access to the novel. There is also an e-book that can be downloaded
onto a reading device, which seems to be the wave of the future.
As far as I know, your next book is telling about an Armenian family
in Beirut during the Lebanese Civilian War. You are writing about
Armenians living in different countries. What do they have in common?
Are there any traits of character typical for all your heroes?
My first novel, Zabelle, is a fictionalized account of my
grandmother's life as an Armenian Genocide survivor and immigrant
bride. My second novel, Dreams of Bread and Fire, is about someone of
my generation coming to terms with the hidden history of the Genocide
that shapes her family's life. The third novel, All The Light There
Was, is about Armenians in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. And the
next one will be about Armenians who leave Beirut during the Civil War
to come to New York. This is my Armenian Diaspora Quartet.
Audiobooks are becoming more popular. All The Light There Was has been
recorded as well. What do you think about audiobooks? Is it just a
kind of modern device or it will replace books in the future?
I am thrilled that there is an audiobook available of All The Light
There Was, particularly because the actor who recorded it, Suzanne
Toren, is so talented and because she was able to read the Armenian
phrases with such an excellent accent. It is wonderful that the audio
book is available so that people who are vision impaired, who are
taking long car rides, or who have reading disabilities can have
access to the novel. There is also an e-book that can be downloaded
onto a reading device, which seems to be the wave of the future.
Please, tell a little about your family. Where are your ancestors
coming from? What Armenian traditions have you preserved in your own
family?
My paternal grandparents are from Cilicia--my grandfather immigrated
from Adana to Watertown in 1911. My grandmother was from Mersin, and
survived the deportations, ending up as an orphan at Ras Al-Ain in the
Syrian desert.
My connection to Armenian culture is primarily through literature and
the arts and my friendships with other Armenian-American writers and
artists. I also do some Armenian cooking. This past weekend I baked
cheoreg [sweet Easter bread -ed.] for Easter.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am
From: Baghdasarian