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BOOK TALK: Twelve Years Away from Constantinople, 1896 – 1908 (My Memoirs) by Yervant Odian
‘Twelve Years Away from Constantinople’ was an instant classic in its time. For well over a century, it has endured as a uniquely candid and entertaining account of Armenian émigré life during the reign of the authoritarian Ottoman sultan, Abdülhamid II. Best known for his trenchant satires, its extraordinarily cosmopolitan author, Yervant Odian, was and remains one of the most recognizable and active figures of his generation. His multifaceted international career as journalist and civil society leader embedded him deeply in Ottoman-Armenian intellectual and revolutionary circles both in Constantinople and well beyond. This remarkably unabashed memoir relates his observations as a well-loved and committed member of those inner circles. His twelve-year journey begins with the 1896 massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman capital, when Odian, like many of his contemporaries fled as a political refugee to safer shores. His migrations led him to Greece, Egypt, France, Austria, and England, where he witnessed and withstood the numerous hardships plaguing the Armenians of the ‘senior diaspora.’
gomidas.org/books/show/170
Date:
3 February 2026, 17:00
Venue:
St Antony's College, 62 Woodstock Road OX2 6JF
Venue Details:
MEC Boardroom, Kirdar Building, 68 Woodstock Road
Speaker:
Dr Nanor Kebranian (Vienna)
Organising department:
Middle East Centre
Organiser:
Middle East Centre Administrator (St Antony's College, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
mec@sant.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor Laurent Mignon (St Antony's College, University of Oxford)
Part of:
Book Talks
Booking required?:
Not required
Cost:
FREE
Audience:
Public
Editors:
Caroline Davis,
Jennie Williams
