Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian

This is a powerful and intelligent look at the pivotal role one woman played in our early understanding of the Armenian Genocide. Ravished Armenia is the real-life tale of a teenage Armenian girl who was caught up in the 1915 Armenian genocide, the first genocide in modern history. Mardiganian (1901-1994) witnessed the murder of her family and the suffering of her people at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. When she escaped to the United States, Mardiganian was then exploited by the very individuals whom she believed might help. Her story was published in book form and then used as the basis for a 1918 feature film, in which she herself starred. The film Ravished Armenia, also known as Auction of Souls, is a graphic retelling of Mardiganian's story, with the teenager in the central role. Only twenty minutes of the film - the first to deal with the Armenian genocide - is known to survive, but it proves to be a stunning production, presenting its story in newsreel style. This revised volume also contains an annotated reprint of Mardiganian's original narrative and, for the first time, the full screenplay. In his introduction, author Anthony Slide recounts the making of the film and Mardiganian's life in the United States. The introduction also includes original comments by Aurora Mardiganian, whom Slide interviewed before her death. Acclaimed Armenian Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, who created a video art installation about Mardiganian in 2007, provides a foreword.