Passage to Ararat [Hardcover]

Michael J. Arlen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1975

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 Exiles to try to discover what his father had tried to forget: Armenia and what it meant to be an Armenian, a descendant of a proud people whom conquerors had for centuries tried to exterminate. But perhaps most affectingly, Arlen tells a story as large as a whole people yet as personal as the uneasy bond between a father and a son, offering a masterful account of the affirmation and pain of kinship.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arlen's memoir of his search for cultural identity in the Armenian heritage which his parents had disowned won the National Book Award in 1976.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"More than an excursion into a place...the whole work glows like a jewel with the warmth of humanity and the appreciation, hard won, of both strength and weakness." --Eugenia Thornton, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Beautifully written and stunning in its insight and honesty... One comes to see that the object of Arlen's search is not only, or even primarily, Armenia or Armenians, but himself and his father." --David Milofsky, Milwaukee Journal

"[A] moving, passionate book....written with a mixture of passion, puzzlement, sorrow, and outrage." --Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

"Beautifully moving.... The reader becomes captivated with exotic tales from the past and joins Arlen's journey with zest in this quite marvelous record." --William Hogan, San Francisco Chronicle

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux; 1st edition (July 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374229899
• ISBN-13: 978-0374229894
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,465,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful journey, September 27, 2000

By 

Lisa Gansky (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Passage to Ararat (A Ruminator Find) (Paperback)

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!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent description of Armenian history and culture., September 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Passage to Ararat (A Ruminator Find) (Paperback)

'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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DISREGARD THE REVIEW ENTITLED: A PEICE OF HATE LITERATURE, July 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Passage to Ararat (A Ruminator Find) (Paperback)

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.