William Saroyan: Views on
Identity and Ethnicity,” was the focus of a course taught by Barlow Der
Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies
Program, on two consecutive Thursday
afternoons, February 21 and February 28, as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at Fresno
State.
Der Mugrdechian discussed
the early influences on Saroyan, those that had a life long impact on the
writer, such as the death
of his father and living in an orphanage for five
years.
Saroyan’s views on identity
and ethnicity were informed by his family and the
Fresno Armenian community
where he grew up. The tightly knit community faced prejudice and
discrimination, while Saroyan refused to
reject his Armenian heritage.
Two books, William
Saroyan: An Armenian Trilogy and Saroyan and the Armenians, that
provided many examples
of Saroyan’s thoughts on identity and ethnicity, were
discussed by the class.
Class participation was
encouraged and there was lively
discussion.
“Armenians” and “Haratch”
are examples of plays that Saroyan wrote in the last twenty years of his life,
where he carefully
expressed his views on Armenian identity. Both plays explore
the concept of Armenianness in two very different settings, one in Fresno
in
the 1920s, the other in the office of the newspaper Haratch in Paris,
France.
Saroyan’s views on identity
are an integral part of
his literary production. The class enjoyed the
discussion and the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments to the
instructor.
The Armenian Studies Program web page is sponsored by a grant from
The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable
Foundation, Fresno.