Armenian Series Established at The Press

Staff Report

Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced the establishment of a new “Armenian Series,” at a celebration of new directions and publications held by The Press at Fresno State, on Friday, April 15th, in the 3rd Floor Peters Ellipse of the Henry Madden Library.

Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. William Covino and Madden Library Dean Dr. Peter McDonald were among the special guests invited to address the significance of the revitalized Press.

The Press at Fresno State was founded in 1982 by then Dean Dr. Joseph Satin and since then The Press has published many titles. Under the current direction of College of Arts & Humanities Dean Vida Samiian, The Press has embarked on a new program of publications.

The Press earlier published three Armenian-related titles: William Saroyan’s An Armenian Trilogy, ed. Dickran Kouymjian (1986); Warsaw Visitor and Tales from the Vienna Streets, ed. Dickran Kouymjian (1990); and Berge Bulbulian’s Fresno Armenians (1990).

In 1998, thanks to a generous donation by Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan, the M. Victoria Karagozian Kazan and Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Fund for Research, Publications, and Conferences in the Armenian Studies Program was established. After a discussion with Dean Samiian about establishing an Armenian Series at The Press, two titles have been published, with a third to released soon.

The first in the Armenian Series was William Saroyan’s, Young Saroyan ‘Follow’ and Other Early Writings edited by William B. Secrest Jr., with an introduction and analysis by Dickran Kouymjian. The second work is The Artist and His Mother by Pete Najarian. Der Mugrdechian announced the next title in the Armenian Series will be Armenian Poetry of Our Time, translated by Diana Der Hovanessian. This much anticipated book contains the poetic work of 117 poets, originally written in Armenian. They have been translated into English by the award-winning poet Der Hovanessian, who is considered the dean of Armenian-American poets and a well recognized poet in her own right. The poets themselves are from many different areas of the world where Armenians live, and represent a cross-section of older and younger poets.