M. Salpi is the pen name of Aram Sahakian, who was a doctor, writer, journalist, and political activist. His short stories, all based on actual persons and events, recount the personal experiences of Armenians from various walks of life, who grappled with the ravages of the Genocide.
As a medical officer in the Turkish army during the First World War, Sahakian met many Armenian soldiers and officers who recounted to him the plight of their families following the deportations and massacres of their communities at the hands of the Turkish government.
Later, while serving as a resident doctor at the Armenian refugee camp in Port Said, Egypt, as well as during his assignments and travels in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, Sahakian met numerous Genocide survivors who sought to rebuild their lives and reunite with loved ones. Sahakian found their experiences at turns heartbreaking and inspiring, and went on to depict them in his writings.
Complementing the astute observations of a man of science with the compassion and sensitivity of someone who himself had lived the devastation of 1915, Sahakian’s poignant stories pulsate with unforgettable images and characters, each a microcosm of a nation’s cataclysm but also its irrepressible will to endure.
“’Our Cross’ is a deeply felt chronicle of Sahakian’s experiences with and through the survivors, interspersed with his eloquent reflections on the enormity of his people’s loss,” writes Hagop Manjikian in the book’s foreword.
Translated by Ishkhan Jinbashian, Our Cross includes reproductions of illustrations from the book’s Armenian original.
Copies of “Our Cross” can be ordered in the United States by mailing a check to the address below. The price of each copy, including shipping, is $18.
H. and K. Manjikian
10844 Wrightwood Lane
Studio City, CA 91604-3952
The publishers are also offering special pricing for the entire Genocide Library collection. Readers can now own all six volumes of the Library for $95, including shipping. The titles comprise “Passage through Hell” by Armen Anush, “The Fatal Night” by Mikayel Shamtanchian, “Death March” by Shahen Derderian, “The Crime of the Ages” by Sebuh Aguni, “Defying Fate” by Aram and Dirouhi Avedian, and “Our Cross” by M. Salpi.
