Abstract
In 2007, Shahan Shahnur’s oeuvre de force Retreat without Song (Նահանջը առանց երգի) was published in Turkish. This article argues that the decision to entitle the Turkish translation of the novel as Silent Retreat [Sessiz Ricat] was problematic due to its disregard of the role of the songs, melodies, prayers, and so forth haunting the novel. Drawing on the importance of various mnemonic elements continuously appearing in the novel, the article examines the re-construction of the notion of home and Armenian identity for the protagonist of the novel, Bedros/Pierre, who had to leave Turkey, his homeland, in the wake of the post-genocidal Republican period. It calls for the necessity for recognition of this story of displacement not in silence but in the acknowledgement of the absence of song as a means to interpret the mnemonic “signposts” squeezed in Bedros/Pierre’s narration which enable him to mark his identity, subjectivity, and the idea of home-land.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callSimilar Papers
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
