ARARAT QUARTERLY PRESS RELEASE
AGBU
55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone (212) 319-6383 x 131
Fax (212) 319-6507
Email [email protected]
Webpage
Monday, January 24, 2005
ARARAT CELEBRATES HAGOP ASADOURIAN’S WRITINGS JANUARY 27 AT AGBU WITH
MUSIC, DRAMATIC READINGS, TALKS, AND RECEPTION
by Florence Avakian
NEW YORK CITY, NY—–A gala event of thought-provoking literature, well
known speakers, musical treats, and warm camaraderie has been planned for
Thursday evening, January 27, 7:30 P.M., at AGBU headquarters in New
York. It will be dedicated to the celebrated works of eminent writer Hagop
Asadourian who passed away in 2003 at age 100, and to the special spring
issue of ARARAT magazine containing translations of these works. ARARAT is
published by the AGBU. The event is free of charge, but reservations must
be made by calling the AGBU at (212) 319-6383 (Hripsime, ext. 131) or
emailing [email protected].
Master of ceremonies for this special program will be Nishan
Parlakian, Professor Emeritus in Theatre and Speech at John Jay College of
the City of NY. A member of the ARARAT Magazine Editorial Board, he is an
acclaimed figure in Armenian drama, and has staged several of his own plays
for the Diocese of the Armenian Church, and the Armenian Students
Association of America. He has written many books of drama, the most
recent of which is Contemporary Armenian American Drama: An Anthology of
Ancestral Voices, just published by Columbia University Press. His numerous
honors include being a former president of the Pirandello Society.
Among the featured speakers will be Vartan Matiossian, a scholar in
Armenian Studies, and a prolific contributor on Armenian history and
literature to the scholarly and popular press. From 1992 to 2000, he was
an associate professor of Armenian Studies at the Universidad del Salvador
in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he has lived most of his life. He has
authored the first books on both the Life and Work of Gostan Zarian, as
well as the Armenians in Latin America from their beginnings to 1950. In
2000, he relocated to New Jersey, where he now teaches at the Hovnanian School.
Also speaking will be Harry Keyishian, Professor of English at
Fairleigh Dickinson University, and the Director of Fairleigh Dickinson
University Press. A member of the ARARAT Magazine Editorial Board, his
published books include Screening Politics: The Politician in American
Movies, 1931-2001 (2003); The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vengeance,
and Vindictiveness in Shakespeare (1995; reissued in paperback, 2003);
Critical Essays on William Saroyan (1995); and, Michael Arlen (1975).
Hagop Asadourian’s son Richard, who grew up in the rich
atmosphere of the Nor Kir (New Literature) movement in which his father
played such an important role, will present touching reminiscences of this
movement. Richard Asadourian is the director of a film in collaboration
with the author Roald Dhal entitled Champion of the World, which won the
Gold Lion at Cannes.
ACCLAIMED ACTRESS NORA ARMANI TO PERFORM READING
Headlining a cast of well-known readers will be the acclaimed
actress Nora Armani. Born of Armenian parents in Egypt, and educated in
England, her professional acting repertory includes Shakespeare, Shaw,
Beckett, as well as Hammerstein and Guitry. Her own personally written
stage creations have been praised on four continents and in more than 25
cities. In New York recently, her self-penned one-woman show On the Couch
received accolades from the critics. From 1991 to 1993, she was invited
several times to Armenia to star in films, and is currently writing about
Soviet Armenian Cinema from 1965 to 1975. In addition to her theatre and
film oeuvre, she is also a PH.D candidate at the London School of Economics
where she received a Master’s degree in Sociology.
Also reading will be actress and writer Lynne Kassabian, an
Editorial Board member at ARARAT since 1985, who trained at The Drama
Studio in London before earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia
University. She has taught courses at a number of New York colleges, and
edited a variety of publications. Currently, she is working on a
collection of personal essays.
The third dramatic reader, Marjorie Deiter Keyishian, teaches
English at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. Her
stories, poems, and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The
Massachusetts Review, The Literary Review, Fiction, Art in America, and
Ararat, among many others. Her published books include a biography of
Stephen King for young audiences. She was for many years editor of The
Journal of New Jersey Poets and is at present Advisory Editor to The
Literary Review.
OUD MAESTRO ARA DINKJIAN TO PERFORM
At this event, oud master Ara Dinkjian will perform original
as well as traditional Armenian folk music. Ara Dinkjian holds the
distinction of earning this country’s only special degree in the oud which
was given to him from the Hart College of Music. With his group Night Ark,
he has given concerts throughout the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. He
has four RCA/BMG and PolyGram /Universal CDs to his credit, and has had his
songs recorded in eleven different languages. In 2002, Ara Dinkjian
represented Armenia in the “First International Meeting of the Oud” in
Thessaloniki, Greece, where twelve of the world’s top players presented
concerts, and held master classes. His composition, “Homecoming” was
performed at the closing ceremonies at the Athens Olympics.
ARARAT and the ASADOURIAN ISSUE
ARARAT magazine (), the magazine that for
decades has been a forum for quality writing in the English language on
topics of Armenian culture, history, politics, and literature, especially
from Armenian-American talent, is published by the AGBU. Copies of the
special Asadourian issue as well as subscriptions are available by
contacting Hripsime by calling, 212-319-6383, emailing, [email protected], or
mailing to ARARAT/AGBU, 55 E. 59th Street, NY, NY 10022-1112.