Portraits of Hope: The Armenians, Just Released in Germany, Reflects in Its Afterword about the Zoryan Institute

Berlin - Verlag Hans Schiler has just released a unique new book containing fifty-two articles in German by or about Armenia and Armenians, both in Armenia and in the Diaspora. Released in October, Portraits of Hope: The Armenians, is aimed at a wide, German-speaking readership.

The editor, Huberta von Voss-Wittig, has previously published two books, both translations of literature from French into English. She explained the idea behind the book. “I started to take an interest in the Armenians while my husband served as the German Ambassador in Beirut and Nicosia. As an historian and journalist, I realized how small my knowledge of the Armenians was. The deeper I got into it, the more convinced I became that a book had to be written that shows the human beings behind the mere facts and figures. The Armenians are practically unknown to the German public today. That is why I decided to make a book that addresses a wide readership. I convinced a number of excellent German historians, authors and journalists—many of them foreign correspondents in various countries for the best German national newspaper—to contribute to the book.”

The book is divided into three broad sections. After an introduction by famed Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer, the first section deals with Armenian history, and especially the Genocide. It contains contributions by such renowned experts as Tessa Hoffman, and Zoryan associated scholars Vahakn Dadrian, Taner Akçam, and Wolfgang Gust.

The second section deals with Armenians in the Diaspora, and is subdivided into sections on history, literature, religion, art, film and photography, music, activism, politics & diplomacy, and “life-pictures.” It contains articles about such notables as Vahakn Dadrian, Vartan Gregorian, Michael Arlen, Charles Aznavour, Atom Egoyan, Vartan Oskanian, Catholicos Karekin II, and Catholicos Aram I. Armenians from all over the world are represented.

The third section, “Places of Memory,” has articles on Armenians in Jerusalem, Der-el-Zor, Bourj Hammoud, Franz Werfel and Musa Dagh, the Murder of Talat in Berlin, and the Genocide Memorial at Dzidzernagapert.

The book’s Afterword, written by K.M. (Greg) Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute, is a wide ranging essay that describes in detail the Institute’s twenty-two-year history of accomplishments.

“This is a very important book for several reasons,” stated George Shirinian, Director of the Zoryan Institute. First, it describes the interesting and important activities of a number of very talented, highly motivated, and tenaciously dedicated individuals. Second, it demonstrates the commitment of Diasporan Armenians to the welfare of their nation and may serve as an inspiration to others. Third, it is an unusually broad and comprehensive representation of Armenian activities, interests, individual voices, and issues. Finally, as many of the articles stress the importance of the Genocide in the modern Armenian reality, the book, hopefully, will sensitize contemporary German society to the need for German historians to conduct serious research and publish on the role of Germany in the Armenian Genocide. We should all be grateful for the wonderful book that Huberta Voss-Wittig has put together, providing us with a deeper insight into where we have come from as a nation, where we are now, and where we may be heading.”

While the book is in German, the English language version of the Afterword is available on the Zoryan web site, www.zoryaninstitute.org. Go to “About Us” and click on “The Making of a National Research Centre.” A printed copy may be had by writing to:
Zoryan Institute
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON
Canada M3B 3H9

Huberta von Voss, ed. Porträt einer Hoffnung Die Armenier. Lebensbilder aus aller Welt. Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler, 2004, 415p.

The Zoryan Institute is an international center devoted to the research and documentation of contemporary issues related to the history, politics, society, and culture of Armenia and Armenians around the world.