ARMENIAN-AMERICAN SKETCHES

By Bedros Keljik, Edited by Christopher Atamian, Lou Ann Matossian, and Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Translated in part by Aris Sevag, Lou Ann Matossian, and Vartan Matiossian

Armenian-American Sketches provides a wealth of information about the early Armenian community in America within the 29 short stories written originally in Armenian by Bedros Keljik. Twenty of the short stories were translated by noted Aris Sevag, one by Lou Ann Matossian, and eight of the stories originally published in Baikar, were translated by Vartan Matiossian. 

Armenians began arriving to America in large numbers at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. They established them-selves in communities throughout the United States, maintaining their Armenian culture, while also becoming acclimated to life in America. In Armenian-American Sketches, author Bedros Keljik brings to life this period in Armenian-American history. With keen observation Keljik provides the reader with an often-humorous insight into that life, with all of its sadness and joy, with the sense of community, and with the hard work and challenges faced by the immigrants. This is a book which will appeal to any reader who seeks to understand the immigrant experience in the United States.

The volume also includes an enlightening biography of Keljik, “An Armenian Odyssey: From the Euphrates to the Mississippi,” written by his grandchildren, Mark and Thomas Keljik. Roupen Zartarian’s “How Death Came to the Earth,” translated by Bedros Keljik, is also part of the volume.

2020 Dr. Sonia Aronian Book Prize Winner for Excellence in Armenian Studies: Translation

The Press at California State University, Fresno (2019)