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BOOK REVIEW: THE GENDARME BY MARK T. MUSTIAN
by Mark Gavoor
Armenian Reporter
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=47A0ED00-4323-11E0-99E90003FF3452C2
Feb 28 2011
I just finished this book which I received as a Christmas present.
When I first read the dust jacket blurb, I thought: "eh... I am not
sure I will enjoy this. The premise is too far fetched." I read it
because I was interested, call it morbid curiosity if you would like,
in seeing how the author, Mark Mustian, would develop the plot.
I also read it because I have, as many Armenians do, an equally morbid
curiosity in hashing, re-hashing, and forever trying to make sense
of the Armenian Genocide. So, I read it the book and must commend
Mark Mustian for weaving what I believed was a lame premise into a
very good and engaging novel.
Mustian attempts to relate the Armenian Genocide from the point of
view of Turkish Gendarme charged with taking a group of Armenians
from Harput to Syria. This fellow Emmett Conn, the anglicized version
of the man born as Ahmet Khan, lost much of his memory from an injury
sustained after the Genocide at the Battle of Gallipoli. Circumstances
lead him to end up in the United States living in the state of
Georgia. At the end of his life, Emmett begins having dreams of his
role in the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Turkey. The book is
about the piecing together of his memory and coming to terms with
his past and past actions before he dies.
I do not want to dwell more on the plot and the details of the book.
The power of the premise and how Mark Mustian brings it to life is
powerful. The reader needs to let the novel guide him and part of the
experience is lost if the entire plot is laid out in a review. It
is noteworthy to add that Mustian has done a wonderful job writing
about the Genocide and forced march form an Armenian region from the
point of view of a Turkish Gendarme. Armenians tend to portray Turks
as villains and heartless enemies. They are not often humanized in
the way Mustian has. I am not certain if any other author, Armenian,
Turk, or one of another nationality has attempted this. I believe it
has been done with the Holocaust. The only example that comes to mind
is the 1974 film, The Night Porter which was quite a controversial
and disturbing film.
Mark Mustian is a bit like Michael Arlen, the author of Passage to
Ararat. He came to realize and investigate his Armenian background
later in life. Mark Mustian knew of his Armenian heritage but he is not
prototypical in that he did not have a grandparent or great-grandparent
that went through the horrors of the 1915 Genocide.
In fact, his paternal grandfather immigrated to the Unite States so
much earlier than most Armenians that he fought for the Confederacy in
the Civil War. If he has enough information and background, I would
hope to see Mark Mustian write the story of his grandfather.
In this 30s, Mustian became interest in his Armenian heritage was
kindled when he read Peter Balakian's Black Dog of Fate. Reading that
book inspired Mustian to learn more about Armenians in general and the
Genocide more specifically. He was so inspired that he took a trip to
Turkey and Syria from August 1-8, 2008. I can imagine the idea for the
book was born from that trip. Mustian has posted a brief travel log
on the his website: http://www.markmustian.com/mmustian-travelogue.htm
Also like Michael Arlen, Mark Mustian embraced his heritage or part
of his heritage. The cynical would say both of them embraced their
heritage because there was a book in it for them. Maybe so, but I
look at this glass as half full. I am amazed how these two literary
gentlemen responded when they were exposed to Armenian people,
history, and culture. Both of them were fascinated enough to make
trips. Michael Arlen went both to Armenia (Soviet Armenia in those
days) and Turkey. Mark Mustian went to Turkey and Syria. That is no
mean commitment to learning something new about ones background.
Both men also being fixated and obsessed with the Genocide. Mustian's
entire book is dedicated to this huge, grim, and recent episode in
Armenian history. And why should they become fixated and obsessed?
Most serious Armenians are obsessed with it. We all think and write
about it. We are still trying to come to grips with it and get closure
on it 96 years after the fact. As Mustian points in the suffix of
the book that many modern Turks do not understand why Armenians are
obsessed with the events of 1915. The Turks have moved on.
Of course, they have moved on and only dwell on these events from 1915
when Armenians raise it to the levels of national and international
press and politics. The victors, the vanquishers, never dwell on the
negative parts of their wins. Turkey survived and emerged from the
ravages of World War I and the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
with a Republic that for the most part has thrived. They celebrate
that and do not dwell on how they secured that and who might have
suffered along the way. It is no different than the United States. We
celebrate our "purple mountains majesty from sea to shining sea." We
do not dwell on the native peoples whose land, lives, and lifestyles
we destroyed to take over the land. Many Americans are surprised at
how much the remaining American Indians are obsessed and fixated on
this. The dynamic at hand is quite clear... at least to me.
One can also read a short biography of Mark Mustian on the website.
You will learn that beyond being an author, he is a
lawyer and city commissioner in Tallahassee, FL. If
nothing else, I highly recommend reading the backstory
http://www.markmustian.com/mmustian-gendarme-backstory.htm. It is
exactly like the backstory in the novel, I would have called it a
suffix, appendix, or have put it at the beginning and called it a
prefix. Read it... it is a good, short, piece of writing.
The Gendarme is quite well done and worth reading if the subject matter
appeals to you. It is interesting if you are Armenian and should be
of interest to Turks as well. I would generally recommend it to anyone.
From: A. Papazian
by Mark Gavoor
Armenian Reporter
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=47A0ED00-4323-11E0-99E90003FF3452C2
Feb 28 2011
I just finished this book which I received as a Christmas present.
When I first read the dust jacket blurb, I thought: "eh... I am not
sure I will enjoy this. The premise is too far fetched." I read it
because I was interested, call it morbid curiosity if you would like,
in seeing how the author, Mark Mustian, would develop the plot.
I also read it because I have, as many Armenians do, an equally morbid
curiosity in hashing, re-hashing, and forever trying to make sense
of the Armenian Genocide. So, I read it the book and must commend
Mark Mustian for weaving what I believed was a lame premise into a
very good and engaging novel.
Mustian attempts to relate the Armenian Genocide from the point of
view of Turkish Gendarme charged with taking a group of Armenians
from Harput to Syria. This fellow Emmett Conn, the anglicized version
of the man born as Ahmet Khan, lost much of his memory from an injury
sustained after the Genocide at the Battle of Gallipoli. Circumstances
lead him to end up in the United States living in the state of
Georgia. At the end of his life, Emmett begins having dreams of his
role in the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Turkey. The book is
about the piecing together of his memory and coming to terms with
his past and past actions before he dies.
I do not want to dwell more on the plot and the details of the book.
The power of the premise and how Mark Mustian brings it to life is
powerful. The reader needs to let the novel guide him and part of the
experience is lost if the entire plot is laid out in a review. It
is noteworthy to add that Mustian has done a wonderful job writing
about the Genocide and forced march form an Armenian region from the
point of view of a Turkish Gendarme. Armenians tend to portray Turks
as villains and heartless enemies. They are not often humanized in
the way Mustian has. I am not certain if any other author, Armenian,
Turk, or one of another nationality has attempted this. I believe it
has been done with the Holocaust. The only example that comes to mind
is the 1974 film, The Night Porter which was quite a controversial
and disturbing film.
Mark Mustian is a bit like Michael Arlen, the author of Passage to
Ararat. He came to realize and investigate his Armenian background
later in life. Mark Mustian knew of his Armenian heritage but he is not
prototypical in that he did not have a grandparent or great-grandparent
that went through the horrors of the 1915 Genocide.
In fact, his paternal grandfather immigrated to the Unite States so
much earlier than most Armenians that he fought for the Confederacy in
the Civil War. If he has enough information and background, I would
hope to see Mark Mustian write the story of his grandfather.
In this 30s, Mustian became interest in his Armenian heritage was
kindled when he read Peter Balakian's Black Dog of Fate. Reading that
book inspired Mustian to learn more about Armenians in general and the
Genocide more specifically. He was so inspired that he took a trip to
Turkey and Syria from August 1-8, 2008. I can imagine the idea for the
book was born from that trip. Mustian has posted a brief travel log
on the his website: http://www.markmustian.com/mmustian-travelogue.htm
Also like Michael Arlen, Mark Mustian embraced his heritage or part
of his heritage. The cynical would say both of them embraced their
heritage because there was a book in it for them. Maybe so, but I
look at this glass as half full. I am amazed how these two literary
gentlemen responded when they were exposed to Armenian people,
history, and culture. Both of them were fascinated enough to make
trips. Michael Arlen went both to Armenia (Soviet Armenia in those
days) and Turkey. Mark Mustian went to Turkey and Syria. That is no
mean commitment to learning something new about ones background.
Both men also being fixated and obsessed with the Genocide. Mustian's
entire book is dedicated to this huge, grim, and recent episode in
Armenian history. And why should they become fixated and obsessed?
Most serious Armenians are obsessed with it. We all think and write
about it. We are still trying to come to grips with it and get closure
on it 96 years after the fact. As Mustian points in the suffix of
the book that many modern Turks do not understand why Armenians are
obsessed with the events of 1915. The Turks have moved on.
Of course, they have moved on and only dwell on these events from 1915
when Armenians raise it to the levels of national and international
press and politics. The victors, the vanquishers, never dwell on the
negative parts of their wins. Turkey survived and emerged from the
ravages of World War I and the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
with a Republic that for the most part has thrived. They celebrate
that and do not dwell on how they secured that and who might have
suffered along the way. It is no different than the United States. We
celebrate our "purple mountains majesty from sea to shining sea." We
do not dwell on the native peoples whose land, lives, and lifestyles
we destroyed to take over the land. Many Americans are surprised at
how much the remaining American Indians are obsessed and fixated on
this. The dynamic at hand is quite clear... at least to me.
One can also read a short biography of Mark Mustian on the website.
You will learn that beyond being an author, he is a
lawyer and city commissioner in Tallahassee, FL. If
nothing else, I highly recommend reading the backstory
http://www.markmustian.com/mmustian-gendarme-backstory.htm. It is
exactly like the backstory in the novel, I would have called it a
suffix, appendix, or have put it at the beginning and called it a
prefix. Read it... it is a good, short, piece of writing.
The Gendarme is quite well done and worth reading if the subject matter
appeals to you. It is interesting if you are Armenian and should be
of interest to Turks as well. I would generally recommend it to anyone.
From: A. Papazian