Ravished Armenia and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian


Average rating: ![]()
| 0 | rating | |
| 0 | rating | |
| 0 | rating | |
| 0 | rating |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
"Ravished Armenia" and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian 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. Forced to march over fourteen hundred miles, she was sold into slavery. 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 Aurora Mardiganian's story, with the teenager in the central role, supported by Anna Q. Nilsson and Irving Cummings and directed by Oscar Apfel. 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 edition of Anthony Slide's "Ravished Armenia" and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian also contains an annotated reprint of Mardiganian's original narrative and, for the first time, the full screenplay. In his introduction, Slide recounts the making of the film and Mardiganian's life in the United States, involving a cast of characters including Henry Morgenthau, Mrs. George W. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Oliver Harriman, and film pioneer William Selig. 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.
Press Reviews:
Like The Diary of Anne Frank and the autobiography of Malala Yousafzai, 'Ravished Armenia' and the Story of Aurora Mardiganian should be required reading for all students of human rights issues. All too often we forget the heavy toll inflicted on women and children during times of war and conflict. Aurora's story provides a powerful example of survival through genocide, sexual violence, human trafficking, and exploitation . . . themes that are all too common in today's world.
- Shant Mardirossian, chairman of the Near East Foundation
See the publisher website: University Press of Mississippi
See Ravished Armenia (1919) on IMDB ...
> From the same author:
A Journey Through Film History (2025)
Anthony Slide in Conversation with Matthew Renoir
by Anthony Slide and Matthew Renoir
Subject: History of Cinema
The Silent Feminists (2022)
America's First Women Directors, Rowman & Littlefield Edition
Subject: Silent Cinema
The Truth at Twenty-Four Frames per Second (2021)
An Anthology of Writings on Film History
Dir. Anthony Slide
Subject: History of Cinema
The Encyclopedia of British Film (2021)
Dir. Brian McFarlane and Anthony Slide
Subject: Countries > Great Britain
Magnificent Obsession (2018)
The Outrageous History of Film Buffs, Collectors, Scholars, and Fanatics
Subject: Sociology
A Special Relationship (2015)
Britain Comes to Hollywood and Hollywood Comes to Britain
Subject: History of Cinema
It's the Pictures That Got Small (2014)
Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder and Hollywood's Golden Age
Dir. Anthony Slide
Subject: Director > Billy Wilder
Hollywood Unknowns (2012)
A History of Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins
Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine (2010)
A History of Star Makers, Fabricators, and Gossip Mongers
Subject: On Films > Movie magazines
Silent Players (2002)
A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses
Subject: Silent Cinema
Actors on Red Alert (1999)
Career interviews with five actors and actresses affected by the blacklist
Subject: Countries > United States
Before, In and After Hollywood (1997)
by Joseph Henabery and Anthony Slide
Subject: Director > Joseph Henabery
De Toth on De Toth (1997)
Putting the Drama in Front of the Camera
by André De Toth and Anthony Slide
Subject: Director > André De Toth
Silent Portraits (1997)
Stars of the Silent Screen in Historic Photographs
Dir. Anthony Slide
Subject: Silent Cinema
Selected Film Criticism (1995)
Foreign Films 1930-1950
Dir. Anthony Slide
Subject: On Films > Film selections
The International Film Industry (1989)
A Historical Dictionary
Fifty Classic French Films, 1912-1982 (1987)
A Pictorial Record
Early women directors (1977)
Their Role in the Development of the Silent Cinema
Subject: Silent Cinema
The Idols of Silence (1977)
Stars of the Cinema Before the Talkies
Dir. Anthony Slide
Subject: Silent Cinema
The Films of D. W. Griffith (1975)
by Edward Wagenknecht and Anthony Slide
Subject: Director > David W. Griffith
Griffith and the Rise of Hollywood (1970)
by Paul O'Dell and Anthony Slide
Subject: Director > David W. Griffith
> On a related topic:
Abel Gance and the End of Silent Cinema (2018)
Sounding out Utopia
by Paul Cuff
Subject: One Film > La Fin du monde
D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (2018)
A Guide for Filmmakers, Critics, and Scholars
Subject: One Film > The Birth of a Nation
Nanook of the North - From 1922 to Today (2016)
The Famous Arctic Documentary and Its Afterlife
Subject: One Film > Nanook of the North
D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (2008)
A History of 'The Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time'
Subject: One Film > The Birth of a Nation