Before the dust of the great Armenian Genocide of 1915 had settled, Armenians suffered yet another mass murder, this one farther east.
In 1918 Turkish Ottoman soldiers occupied the city of Khoy (in Armenian, Her) in extreme northwest Iran and massacred the Armenians who had lived there for centuries.
The noted author/journalist Rosemary Hartounian Cohen’s memoir, The Survivor, tells the true story of her grandmother Arousiak, who witnessed and survived the carnage of that second Genocide. The author will present her book in New York on Tuesday evening, June 2.
Arousiak was an 18-year old, recently married to an affluent and devoted Armenian man. Her blissful life in Khoy was shattered by the events of 1918. Her poignant story captures the drama and pathos of a young Armenian family’s struggle to survive against persecution and hate. Ultimately, it is a tale of the vindication of love, family and a glorious past.
Rosemary Hartounian Cohen is an award-winning author, journalist and accomplished artist. In addition to The Survivor, she is the author of several historical novels: Korban: The Life of Liana, Terrorists or Martyrs, The Mother of Jerusalem is Crying, and Anoush: The Daughter of King Shen.
Dr. Cohen received her doctorate in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris, She is founder and director of the Liana Cohen Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes music and art to support grieving families and survivors of all forms of violence and tragedy including victims of drunk-driving, and addiction.
The book presentation will take place in the Guild Hall of the Armenian Diocese, 630 2nd Ave., New York, on Tuesday, June 2 at 7 o’clock. The event is free and open to the public.
Copies of The Survivor and others books by Dr. Cohen will be available for sale. A reception will follow the presentation.
For information, contact zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org or call 212.686.0710.
