Visions of Ararat: Writings on Armenia

by Christopher J. Walker

Despite the great geographical gulf that separates them, Armenia and Europe have maintained links for many centuries - at least since the late Middle Ages when the King of Armenia travelled to London to try and reconcile the warring kingdoms of England and France. Since then, diverse travellers have written perceptively and affectionately of that far off, beautiful land and of a people who have shown great inner tenacity in the face of a difficult history. This anthology brings together the best writing on Armenia - accounts by travel writers, historians, soldiers, poets, painters and politicians. Each section is annotated and placed in context. The result is a lively and colourful picture of a resilient and resourceful people.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History

157 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Louis Agate-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Armenia:

A good collection and review of writings about Armenia.

Was a good brief history up until the 1920s, and then dropped off after, which is a shame as I would’ve liked to have read a bit more about Armenia as a part of the Soviet Republic.

It was interesting to read about how this country has always been stuck between three big powers/regions: Russia, Turkey/Ottomans and the Middle East.

One issue I have with the book is that there isn’t anything on Armenia by Armenians, only Brits. This is a real shame, as upon reading the title I thought it was by Armenians. Also the writing in Lonely Planet’s section on Armenia states it is a “compilation of writings by Armenian soldiers, anthropologists and poets”, when in actuality it is by British “soldiers, anthropologists and poets”.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

- hard to categorize this book and hard to read through everything because much of the writing within is antiquated
- only picked it up because it was the only book in Dubai that had anything remotely to do with Armenia; I had wanted to brush up on my Armenian history before visiting, and this was mostly a disappointment.