M. Salpi’s ‘Our Cross’ Brims with Powerful Short Stories

LOS ANGELES—Our Cross, a collection of short stories by M. Salpi, was recently released in Los Angeles. Originally printed in 1921 in France under the title Mer Khachu, the book has been translated into English and published as the sixth volume of the Genocide Library.

Cover of "Our Cross"
Cover of “Our Cross”

M. Salpi was the penname of Aram Sahakian, 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 Ottoman army during the World War I, Sahakian met many Armenian soldiers and officers who recounted to him the plight of their families following the deportations and massacres of their communities. 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 both 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 H. and K. Manjikian, 0844 Wrightwood Lane, Studio City, CA 91604-3952. The price of each copy, including shipping, is $18.

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 are comprised of 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.

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