Not Only Franz Werfel: The Lesser-Known Works of Foreign Writers on the Armenian Genocide

Abstract

This paper introduces little-known works of literature of 28 countries around the world that fully or partially address the subject of the Armenian Genocide. It encompasses all types of literature—poetry, prose, drama—and nearly all genres, including historical, psychological, adventure, fantasy, horror, and children’s literature, thus raising awareness of the issue among a wide range of readers.

The paper does not mention works by authors of Armenian origin in international literature (with a few exceptions of authors with one-quarter Armenian ancestry).

A wealth of factual material on this topic can be found in the Armenian Question encyclopedia published in 1996 (in Armenian), as well as in monographs addressing the theme of the Genocide in the literature of specific countries. Therefore, the paper mainly presents literary works that are not mentioned in these sources, as well as those that appeared after 1996—without claiming to be exhaustive.

The paper primarily focuses on the 1915 Armenian Genocide, although it also includes individual references to the deportations and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1894 to 1923, as well as the massacres of Armenians in Baku (1905, 1918, 1988, 1990).

Foreign authors writing about the Armenian Genocide have mostly based their works on sources in various languages, primarily on testimonies by non-Armenian eyewitnesses and contemporaries of the Genocide. Many have portrayed the Genocide through the fate of survivors (often using the perspective of a woman or a child), or through emotionally charged romantic plots (often involving a romance between an Armenian woman and a Turk). Some have created fictional characters, while others have made historical figures into protagonists. Various works contain passing references to aspects of the Genocide (Armenian refugees, orphans, Turkish hatred of Armenians).

Among the mentioned authors are both relatively minor writers from various national literatures and prominent figures such as Giosuè Carducci, Ernests Birznieks-Upītis, John Galsworthy, John Cheever, Aldous Huxley, Fazil Iskander, Sam Lundwall, Lee Harwood, John Updike, Richard Kalinoski, Gonzalo Guarch, Yiorgos Moleskis. Also noteworthy are references to the massacres of Armenians in works by Turkish and Azerbaijani authors.