Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian [Hardcover]

Anthony Slide (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0810833115 | ISBN-13: 978-0810833111

Ravished Armenia was the personal account by Aurora Mardiganian of the brutal rape and murder of the Armenian people by the forces of the old Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1918. The book, also known as Auction of Souls, was first published in 1918, shortly after Aurora Mardiganian's arrival in the United States. It was subsequently filmed in 1919, and both the book and the movie created a considerable stir. The book has long been out of print, and the screen adaptation is one of the most sought-after of "lost" films. Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian reprints the original book in its entirety—the first time it has been available since the 1930s—and also reprints original documentation on the film. The introductory essay provides a brief historical overview, documents films dealing with the subject, and provides a full account of the making of the film and its reception. Slide is the first and only film historian to have tracked down Aurora Mardiganian, who died in 1994. He presents an extraordinary portrait of a young woman, terrorized in her own country, brought to the U.S. and mercilessly exploited by the film industry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...its relevance has not dimmed with the passing decades, but only grown stronger. Anyone who wishes to probe the darkness of a lost film, or the pernicious neglect of history will treasure this deceptively slim but powerful volume. (The Silents Majority )

...well researched background material...Anthony Slide is to be highly commended for creating a volume that transcends mere film history and makes a significant contribution to the documentation of religious intolerance and genocide. (Classic Images )

About the Author

Anthony Slide has published over fifty pioneering works on film history, among them the first volumes dealing exclusively with early American cinema, the Vitagraph Company, and film preservation. In 1990, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by Bowling Green University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (December 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810833115
• ISBN-13: 978-0810833111
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, July 19, 2000

By 

"shamz" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian (Hardcover)

This book is truly interesting. It explains how an Armenian Genocide survivor's memoir was turned into a motion picture in 1919, a year or two after her arrival to the United States. The beginning of the book explains the whole movie production process, and even lists reviews given at the time of its showing. The movie apparently was very popular in 1919, however all copies of it seem to have been lost. However, the book has about 6 still photos from the movie. The bulk of the book is simply a reprint of Aurora Mardiganian's account of living through the Armenian Genocide. It is amazing, sad, sickening. This is an extremely excellent book for anyone knowing little about the Armenian Genocide, and an original and interesting one for those more familiar with the subject.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Armenian survivor story I've ever read, September 25, 2001

By 

D. Lancaster (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian (Hardcover)

I have read many of the books written by survivors of the Armenian genocide carried out by Turkey, and this is by far the best of them all. Aurora Mardigian (her name was subsequently changed by "Hollywood") was 14 when her story began, and what makes this book the best is also what makes it the worst: she gives many specific examples of how Turks murdered and tortured Armenians, told quite dispassionately but in no less horrifying terms.
I've already bought copies to give to my brother and sister, even at its high price, because it's worth every cent, and so that all will KNOW what the Armenian people went through at the hands of the still-denying Turks.
Those who don't know what Armenia and her people are about will also learn the true nature and identity of our wonderful culture, and all that it emcompassed both in early times as well as currently.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Sad, and Uplifting, March 12, 2009

By 

Ky. Col. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian (Hardcover)

As a book, "Ravished Armenia" delivered more than I expected. Film author Anthony Slide providers readers with a short essay on the 1919 film "Ravished Armenia", a lost silent film based on the story of Aurora Mardiganian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide. In the essay, Slide describes Mardiganian's exploitation by film makers and even symptoms of post traumatic stress she endured. The film itself featured an odd combination of being used to raise charitable funds and make audiences aware of the terrible fate of the Armenians in WWI Turkey and on the other side it was argueably exploiting cruelty to draw in audiences. For its time, the film was quite successful and fairly controversial for its violence. Slide also includes a number of photographs from the film and even a list of captions for the film.
The real power of this book is actually the reprint of Mardiganian's powerful memoir of the genocide titled "Ravished Armenia." Her story is frankly gut wrenching and powerful. While not accurate in every detail (some of the violence was apparently toned down a little from real life for example), the story is never the less a riveting tale of faith, loss, hope, and man's inhumanity to man. This is the story of a fourteen year old who saw her family practically annilihated by the end, experienced violations and cruelty, survived massacres and death marches, and yet found the strenght to carry on. There are many scenes that may stay with you if you read this short volume. Perhaps it will be the "game of swords" or the torture of an Armenian priest. Or perhaps it was the two sisters who realized they had renounced their faith to save a relative who died anyway and decided not to make the mistake again even if it cost them their lives (it did
). Yes, there are the stories of kindness here from some sympathetic Turks to the monks who hid genocide survivors and gave their lives trying to protect them. Then there are the acts of cruelty which can make one shudder. The argueably most famous scene in both the book and film (and most controversial scene in the later) is likely the scene outside Malatia where Aurora witnesses a row of crucified Armenian girls. The essay preceeding the reprint explains that even this scene was toned down from what Mardiganian actually saw. Even when Aurora escapes from the Turkish controlled areas, she is still not completely out of the woods because she goes to Petrograd Russia as violence and turmoil sweep the streets. Aurora conveys an epic human tragedy though the eyes of youth, despair, hope, and Christian faith. The end result is a fascinating but at times brutal read. I recommend it with caution. This work is not for everyone.

Oh, I should point out that since this book was written, there has indeed been part of the movie version found. A reel approximately 20 minutes long (over 1/5 of the original) was discovered.