Krikor Zohrab--author, lawyer and representative in the Ottoman Parliament--was a prominent and widely respected figure in the national and cultural life of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Though born into an affluent family in Constantinople, Zohrab was able to learn how the less fortunate lived, and how simple, honest people were brutalized by their circumstances. His stories contain little plot in the traditional sense and rely instead on the sensitive treatment of emotions, and the creation of ambiance and mood. He was concerned with real people and immerses his readers in their fears and inner conflicts.
Throughout his career, Zohrab retained a love of scholarship and learning, and an abhorrence of the hypocrisy of the upper classes. Admired and loved by Armenians, Zohrab's works continue to resonate with readers today.
This volume, with a forward by Michael Kermian, is a translation of Krikor Zohrab's 1909 collection Խղճմտանքի Ձայներ (Voice of Conscience). It includes the following short stories: The Anchor, The Black Bag, Basil, Sara, Furtuna, The Mask, Armenissa, Tefarig, Hagopig, The Widow, The Nun, Have Mercy Lord, Love beyond the Grave, Magdalene, The Happy Death, Zapoughon, and Whore.
Voice of Conscience: The Stories of Krikor Zohrab
Krikor Zohrab; translated from Western Armenian by Jack Antreassian
English
143 pages
Hard Cover
St. Vartan Press, 1983
ISBN 0934728097