Black dog of fate: a memoir
Author:
Publisher:
Basic Books
Pub. Date:
2009
Language:
English
Lexile measure:
1170L
Description
"His visions are burning -- his poetry heartbreaking," wrote Elie Wiesel of American poet Peter Balakian. Now, in elegant prose, the prize-winning poet who James Dickey called "an extraordinary talent" has written a compelling memoir about growing up American in a family that was haunted by a past too fraught with terror to be spoken of openly. Black Dog of Fate is set in the affluent New Jersey suburbs where Balakian -- the firstborn son of his generation -- grew up in a close, extended family. At the center of what was a quintessential American baby boom childhood lay the dark specter of a trauma his forebears had experienced -- the Ottoman Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians in 1915, the century's first genocide. In a story that climaxes to powerful personal and moral revelations, Balakian traces the complex process of discovering the facts of his people's history and the horrifying aftermath of the Turkish government's campaign to cover up one of the worst crimes ever committed against humanity. In describing his awakening to the facts of history, Balakian introduces us to a remarkable family of matriarchs and merchants, physicians, a bishop, and his aunts, two well-known figures in the world of literature. The unforgettable central figure of the story is Balakian's grandmother, a survivor and widow of the Genocide who speaks in fragments of metaphor and myth as she cooks up Armenian delicacies, plays the stock market, and keeps track of the baseball stats of her beloved Yankees. The book is infused with the intense and often comic collision between this family's ancient Near Eastern traditions and the American pop culture of the '50s and '60s.Balakian moves with ease from childhood memory, to history, to his ancestors' lives, to the story of a poet's coming of age. Written with power and grace, Black Dog of Fate unfolds like a tapestry its tale of survival against enormous odds. Through the eyes of a poet, here is the arresting story of a family's journey from its haunted past to a new life in a new world. Peter Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University. He is the author of June-tree: New and Selected Poems 1974-2000 and The Burning Tigris, winner of the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize and a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Hamilton, New York.
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Subjects
Subjects
Armenian Americans
Armenian Americans -- New Jersey -- Biography
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors
Armenian massacres survivors -- United States -- Biography
Balakian, Peter
Balakian, Peter, -- 1951- -- Family
Electronic books
Family
Family relationships
Poets, American
Poets, American -- 20th century -- Family relationships
Armenian Americans -- New Jersey -- Biography
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors
Armenian massacres survivors -- United States -- Biography
Balakian, Peter
Balakian, Peter, -- 1951- -- Family
Electronic books
Family
Family relationships
Poets, American
Poets, American -- 20th century -- Family relationships
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 30c95ced-7af6-ae11-058d-834f5d23a53a |
---|---|
Grouping Title | black dog of fate |
Grouping Author | peter balakian |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-19 01:55:51AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-20 02:32:19AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Balakian, Peter, 1951-
author2-role
hoopla digital
author_display
Balakian, Peter
available_at_catalog
Carmichael
detailed_location_catalog
Carmichael
display_description
"His visions are burning -- his poetry heartbreaking," wrote Elie Wiesel of American poet Peter Balakian. Now, in elegant prose, the prize-winning poet who James Dickey called "an extraordinary talent" has written a compelling memoir about growing up American in a family that was haunted by a past too fraught with terror to be spoken of openly. Black Dog of Fate is set in the affluent New Jersey suburbs where Balakian -- the firstborn son of his generation -- grew up in a close, extended family. At the center of what was a quintessential American baby boom childhood lay the dark specter of a trauma his forebears had experienced -- the Ottoman Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians in 1915, the century's first genocide. In a story that climaxes to powerful personal and moral revelations, Balakian traces the complex process of discovering the facts of his people's history and the horrifying aftermath of the Turkish government's campaign to cover up one of the worst crimes ever committed against humanity. In describing his awakening to the facts of history, Balakian introduces us to a remarkable family of matriarchs and merchants, physicians, a bishop, and his aunts, two well-known figures in the world of literature. The unforgettable central figure of the story is Balakian's grandmother, a survivor and widow of the Genocide who speaks in fragments of metaphor and myth as she cooks up Armenian delicacies, plays the stock market, and keeps track of the baseball stats of her beloved Yankees. The book is infused with the intense and often comic collision between this family's ancient Near Eastern traditions and the American pop culture of the '50s and '60s.Balakian moves with ease from childhood memory, to history, to his ancestors' lives, to the story of a poet's coming of age. Written with power and grace, Black Dog of Fate unfolds like a tapestry its tale of survival against enormous odds. Through the eyes of a poet, here is the arresting story of a family's journey from its haunted past to a new life in a new world. Peter Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University. He is the author of June-tree: New and Selected Poems 1974-2000 and The Burning Tigris, winner of the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize and a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Hamilton, New York.
format_catalog
Book
eBook
eBook
format_category_catalog
Books
eBook
eBook
id
30c95ced-7af6-ae11-058d-834f5d23a53a
isbn
9780465010196
9780786743704
9780786743704
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2024-04-20T09:32:19.780Z
lexile_score
1170
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
811.54 B171 2009
owning_library_catalog
Sacramento Public Library
owning_location_catalog
Carmichael
primary_isbn
9780465010196
publishDate
2009
publisher
Basic Books
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Armenian Americans -- New Jersey -- Biography
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors -- United States -- Biography
Balakian, Peter, -- 1951- -- Family
Electronic books
Poets, American -- 20th century -- Family relationships
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors -- United States -- Biography
Balakian, Peter, -- 1951- -- Family
Electronic books
Poets, American -- 20th century -- Family relationships
title_display
Black dog of fate : a memoir
title_full
Black Dog of Fate : A Memoir [electronic resource] / Peter Balakian
Black dog of fate : a memoir / Peter Balakian
Black dog of fate : a memoir / Peter Balakian
title_short
Black dog of fate
title_sub
a memoir
topic_facet
Armenian Americans
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors
Balakian, Peter
Electronic books
Family
Family relationships
Poets, American
Armenian Genocide, 1915-1923
Armenian massacres survivors
Balakian, Peter
Electronic books
Family
Family relationships
Poets, American
Solr Details Tables
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hoopla:MWT15982541 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/14959054?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b19575798 | Book | Books | 10th anniversary pbk. ed | English | Basic Books | 2009 | ix, 357 p. : geneal. tables, map ; 21 cm. | |
hoopla:MWT15982541 | eBook | eBook | English | Basic Books | 2009 | 1 online resource (304 pages) |
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