My Soul in Exile and Other Writings

by Zabel Yesayan, G.M. Goshgarian (Translator), Zabel Yesayan

What is the experience of feeling like an exile in one's own land? How does the creative artist communicate inner thoughts to a seemingly uncaring public? Can a person remain true to herself and yet participate meaningfully in a society? Is romantic love possible for an artist committed to her craft? In this psychological novel, Armenian author Zabel Yessayan explores these questions within the context of social and intellectual life in Constantinople (Istanbul) during the momentous years between the 1908 Young Turk Revolution and the outbreak of World War I. Following success abroad as an artist, the protagonist Emma returns home to the Ottoman capital where she confronts her feelings of alienation and isolation. In addition to the novel, My Soul in Exile, now translated into English for the first time, this volume includes a sampling of other works, particularly those addressing the role of women in society. Author, educator, and social activist, Zabel Yessayan (1878-1943) is recognized today as one of the greatest writers in Western Armenian literature.

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

(1878 – 1943) Armenian novelist, translator and professor of literature.

Reviews

[Sarah Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zabel Yeseyan makes me proud to be Armenian. It is really a shame that she is so underrepresented as an Armenian artist, having championed the works of Charents and Bakunts and died along with them during Stalin’s purges.

Themes like exile and conflict are so complicated in the Armenian collective consciousness. I think it’s lead to a real crisis in literature and memory in the diaspora and has distorted how we talk about our culture’s history.

Zabel Yeseyan was the only woman listed on the April 24th “black list” of Armenian intellectuals that initiated the Armenian genocide. She fled to Bulgaria, and then fled again once they entered WWI as an ally of Ottoman Turkey. She fled again to Paris, and again to Soviet Armenia, where she finally found herself at home, until falling victim to Stalin’s purges and sent to Baku.

I’ll admit, her writing really isn’t my style. It’s super flowery, and is centered around descriptions and observations, at times feeling confessional and meditative, despite being a novel (which is addressed by other essays in the book). But those descriptions are fantastic, and I felt like I was really in her mind reading them.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent piece of work by Zabel. Thankful to AIWA and the translators for publishing this. My Soul in Exile captures what many Armenian women still experience today. The "other writings" at the end are an added bonus, which gives the reader more context.