The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors
This is the on-line complete text of the book "The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors", generously allowed e-publication by the author, Verjine Svazlian. It is written in Eastern Armenian, and translated to English.
- Web Intro (below)
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Introduction
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 1-49
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 50-99
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 100-149
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 150-199
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 200-249
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Testimonies 250-290
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Map
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Songs
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Dictionary
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Contents
- The Armenian Genocide: Testimonies of the Eye-Witness Survivors - Summary
Web Introduction
Anyone reading this material will immediately realize its immense value. Oral history in general, and of the genocide specifically is a very critical matter for Armenians as they try to piece together their family and national puzzles. Unfortunately, the book as published could not reach enough people, with the market for Armenian language books being what it is today. The printing was generously sponsored by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and was done primarily in Eastern Armenian, although some of the regional accents are preserved throughout the book. This web publication will help it reach a great deal more people.
The book itself consists of 240 survivors stories, and then you are presented with songs sung during and about the genocide, and more about the survivors themselves. The author, Verjine Svazlian, collected most of these testimonies herself through many years, across Armenia as well as some interviews abroad. She has published other works from these interviews and this presentation of the raw interviews themselves will allow scholars to utilize them, as well as Armenians interested in the events and way of life in the villages of their ancestors. This may even bring some families to find one another again. Too many of the survivor interviews done by scholars have been hidden completely from the public, and from other scholars. I hope these transcripts will be the first in a series of such publications which bring to light the events of the Armenian genocide, on an individual level.
The number of eye-witness survivors alive today is very small. If you know anyone who has not been interviewed, please print out the Survivor Interview Guide TODAY! and record this irreplacable bit of the puzzle. Even children of survivors should record all that they have been told for posterity as well. All of that information is welcome on this website.
Despite the well funded efforts of the Turkish government to silence the Armenians, these stories can never be forgotten.