By Florence Avakian "This book - this bitter cup - is an account of ruined dreams, shattered love, and faded hope ... pages from the collective tragedy of a suffering generation that refused to die, that, even in its darkest hours, never ceased to dream of luminous skies." These are the eloquent words of one of the Armenian-American community's most gifted writers, Hagop H. Asadourian, who died on August 11, 2003, at age 100. On Thursday, January 27, 2005, at 7 p.m., Ararat magazine will celebrate the writings of this remarkable centenarian whose life was dedicated to promulgating the literary and musical heritage of the rich Armenian culture. The event will take place at the New York headquarters of the AGBU, and details will be forthcoming. To honor Asadourian and to ensure that he remains well remembered, Ararat magazine devoted its Spring 2004 issue to a collection of his writings. This includes approximately a quarter of the writer's 1965 novel, The Grandchildren of Hovagim, a compilation of interconnected short stories which brings to light his unforgettable experience of deportation from his birthplace Chomaklou in Cappadocia, Turkey. Originally written in Armenian, the writings, translated by the author himself, and edited by Harry and Marjorie Keyishian, are now accessible in English translation in Ararat. Young readers will readily identify with the personal experiences of a boy trying both to survive and comprehend his experiences. The experience of Chomaklou, the town from which Asadourian came, is the experience of many towns and locales. The individual stories gain cumulative force because they are part of a larger narrative. While suffused with moral indignation, they rarely descend to bitterness or polemic but instead paint vivid portraits of individual suffering and survival. The author's aim is not only to describe his experiences but to make sense of them as well. The Grandchildren of Hovagim received the top award from the Tekeyan Cultural Association in Beirut in 1965. It was the first book of a trilogy that also included The Great-grandchildren of Hovagim (1982), and Oh, Homeless Ragamuffin (1986), the former dealing with the Genocide survivors' experiences with assimilation in the New World, and the latter, the return of a survivor to Chomaklou six decades after banishment. Born March 3, 1903, in Chomakhlou, a village near Caesaria, Hagop Asadourian has written that, of the 331 from his hometown who went on the deportation march, only 29 survived, including himself and his eldest sister Aghavni. Nine of his family members perished. When they reached a Turkish village, the village elder told the survivors to place their dead in a dry well that would then be covered so that vultures would not get to them. The twelve-year old Hagop wrapped his mother's body in a bed sheet and placed her in the well. Fleeing to Jerusalem in 1918 with his sister, he was placed in the AGBU orphanage. On October 29, 1920, when he came to the United States, a second life had begun for him. For eight years, he worked during the day, and attended evening classes. The 1929 Depression curtailed his dreams of a higher education. To earn money for his family, wife Martha (nee Ananian), and sons Richard and John, he began his own rug business. As the problems of survival took center stage in his new country, this helped somewhat to sublimate the horrifying memories of the Genocide. No matter how economically comfortable life became for him, the harrowing and unforgettable traumas of his childhood always came flooding back. "I wonder if today's generation can understand what we went through. It wasn't just physical death, but they tried to kill our soul. I tried to transfer these to writing, and express what sprang from our soul." In order to bring to light his literary talents, as well as those of others, in the early 1920's Asadourian helped to found Arkeos, the journal of the Chomaklou Compatriotic Society, which sent help to the survivors of that village. He also became one of the founders of the Nor Kir ("New Writing") literary circle, established in 1936, which included a number of well-known Armenian-American writers. Another source of joy for him was music. Possessing a beautiful tenor voice, he sang in churches, and on stages in New York, Philadelphia and Boston for more than 50 years, volunteering his services, and even paying for his own expenses. In recognition of his dedicated literary and musical contributions, the Armenian government invited him to be its guest at the centennial celebration for Gomidas in 1969. While there, he lectured and made television appearances. He also delivered several talks in Beirut, Boston and New York throughout the years. In 1984, Hagop Asadourian was honored by the Catholicos of All Armenians Vasken I with an Encyclical and the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Medal. He was also recognized that year for a second time by the Tekeyan Association. Until his death, Hagop Asadourian continued to write both prose and poetry, authoring fifteen books, amazing those who met him with his sharp mind, his ageless wisdom, and his deep love for the Armenian people, their history, and their culture.

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