David Kherdian Presents New Book Forgotten Bread

Staff Report

L. to R.: Sarkis Manavazian, Pateel Mekhitarian, Barlow Der Mugrdechian, David Kherdian, and Mark Arax. Photo: Dennis Shamlian

Forty years ago David Kherdian conceived an idea to gather together the works of Armenian-American writers, and that idea came to fruition in 2007 with the publication of his new book, Forgotten Bread: First Generation Armenian American Writers.

The Armenian Studies Program invited Kherdian, who was on a nation-wide speaking tour, to Fresno State on November 14, where he had the opportunity to discuss Forgotten Bread before a large audience.

Kherdian is personally familiar with many of the seventeen authors represented in the anthology. William Saroyan was a close personal friend and in fact his early mentor who suggested to Kherdian to follow his heart and do what he liked to do best—write.

Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, of the Armenian Studies Program, gave a brief background of the book, before introducing four members of the Armenian Students Organization to read some of the poems from the new book.

Pateel Mekhitarian read "With the Bait of Bread" by Helene Pilibosian; Sarkis Manavazian read "My Escort," "Orange Secret," and "They Bring Me Raisins," by Archie Minassian; Gina Jelladian read "May I Have This Dance," by Diana Der Hovanessian; and Arman Kalamkarian read "Dead Visitor" by Leon Serabian Herald.

Der Mugrdechian then introduced Mark Arax, whose two essays, one on Saroyan and the other on A.I. Bezzerides, are included in Forgotten Bread.  Arax is an author and award winning former journalist at the Los Angeles Times and is the author of two books, In My Father's Name and The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire.

Arax discussed his own feelings as a writer and as someone who has read the works of many of the writers in the book. In discussing Forgotten Bread, Arax characterized Kherdian's role as "A selfless act… a labor of love." He then read an excerpt from his own biographical sketch on A.I. Bezzerides, part Armenian and born in Fresno, who was a writer and later one of Hollywood's best screenwriters.

Arax called Kherdian's work, "An excavation of the past," and added, "The work was totally unexpected. A lot of these poems and short stories were new to me. It was hard to read them and not have your breath taken away... Writing these stories and poems were the first acts of remembrance, the first acts of honoring."

Arax then introduced Kherdian, a native of Racine, Wisconsin, whose early experience there framed much of his later work. Kherdian then moved west, to San Francisco and Fresno, where he met William Saroyan. Kherdian is a prolific writer, who has dedicated his entire life to literature and he writes across genres: books, journals, and edited collections among others.

Kherdian read several excerpts from his book and discussed some of the influences behind his work. In 1950 when Richard Hagopian, Marjorie Hovsepian, Peter Sourian, and Harry Barba were published, that gave hope to the young Kherdian that there would be a possibility to be an Armenian writer, writing in English. The early writers such as Surmelian and Herald, made a conscious decision to write in English, although they had earlier written in Armenian, and this gave voice to a new Armenian identity in America.

Kherdian said that Forgotten Bread will last for a long time, because it brings to light writers who had long been neglected. They have much to say to future generations. "This is an important work as a first-time anthology of Armenian-American literature, and other books and articles can come out of it," stated Kherdian. Writing was a luxury in the early period, because the new immigrants were concerned with establishing themselves and raising their children to give them a better opportunity. Kherdian said about Forgotten Bread, "This work has unearthed a buried treasure, and now we can begin to see our own lives in terms of our own culture and history."

Kherdian is well known as the author of the Newberry Award Winner The Road From Home: The Story of An Armenian Girl, which detailed his mother"s experiences in surviving the Armenian Genocide. He has been widely recognized as one of the most important and distinctive voices in Armenian-American poetry for nearly four decades. He was accompanied at the lecture by his wife, Nonny Hogrogian, an accomplished author and illustrator.

The presentation was part of the Armenian Studies Program Spring 2007 Lecture Series and was co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities, Department of English, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, and Armenian Students Organization. The lecture was funded by the Associated Students of Fresno State.