Description
“Smyrna in Flames is a shattering and remarkable work, full of merciless cruelty and atrocity, with horror and despair on almost every page, a prose poem of an historical hellscape.” Simon Schama, author of Rembrandt’s Eyes, Landscape and Memory, Rough Crossings The History of Britain, The Story of the Jews, Civilization.
“A deeply committed act of witnessing by a writer of extraordinary vision. This unique chronicle harnesses the power of ancient myth with haunting emotions of biblical imagery. A century ago, Smyrna was the very site of hell on earth, and Homero Aridjis tells the story of his father’s journey through a nightmarish labyrinth of carnage and despair. The reader emerges with feelings of outrage and deep gratitude for this unforgettable account.” Atom Egoyan, Armenian-Canadian film director and screenwriter of such breakthrough films as The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Ararat (2002), Remember (2015) and Guest of Honor (2019)
“Smyrna in Flames is a timely testament and addition to the canon of narratives on the Smyrna Catastrophe of 1922 committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Greek and Armenian population inside the ancient and fabled city of Smyrna. It is also a survival odyssey in Homero Aridjis’ family history during the Armenian and Greek Genocides and a testament to the human potential for resilience that is captured on the page with atmosphere and urgency.” Eric Nazarian, Armenian-American film director and screenwriter of such films as The Blue Hour (2007), Die Like a Man (2021) Do Not Forget Me, Istanbul (2011), and Aurora (2018)
“Passionate, brave, and deeply felt, Homero Aridjis’s novel is a powerful read. Told through the eyes of his father, this is the compelling narrative of a young person confronting History with a capital ‘H’ — the intimate account of a human catastrophe whose devastating repercussions are still being felt in the Aegean area today, a century later.” Ersi Sotiropoulos, author of Zigzag through the Bitter Orange Trees (2013 winner, Greek State Prize for Literature and the Book Critics’ Award) and What’s Left of the Night (2018, winner, 2019 National Translation Award.
“2022 will mark the centenary of the burning of Smyrna. Of those who have written about the catastrophe, Homero Aridjis has added the latest testament, faithful both to history and to the memory of his father.” Jeffrey Eugenides, American fiction writer of renown work, among them, Virgin Suicides (1993), Middlesex (2003), The Marriage Plot (2011) and Fresh Complaint (2017)