Under Stalin's Sun

This particular book reflects the first-hand account of Suren H. Oganessian's arrest, incarceration, and escape from the Soviet Union's gulag system during portions of the 1930s and 1940s. His reflections during those harrowing times were handwritten in private journals from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s, which was when Hairenik published his writings in a serialized format. Oganessian's work caught the attention of historians, academics, and intellectuals during its initial print run but was limited to an Armenian-literate audience. In 1976, an imprint in Buenos Aires, Argentina compiled his collected works and published them into a single Armenian volume ('Baykari Dirkerum'). In addition to Oganessian's gulag experience, the book also included his reflections on Armenian history, current events, and other topics of interest related to his native country. He self-published a similar collection in 1984 called 'Hayreni Ashkhari Gyankits,' constituting the second and final volume of his works spanning reflections from 1920-1984. Many, if not most, of the collected works in both volumes were originally published in Hairenik. Oganessian's gulag experience was eventually translated into English with a book entitled Under Stalin's Sun. James H. Tashjian-who had served as chief editor for Hairenik, Armenian Weekly, and the Armenian Review during lengthy partnerships with various publishing organs of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)-was responsible for the translation. A friend and associate of William Saroyan, Tashjian also edited My Name Is Saroyan (Coward McCann, 1983), a collection of early Saroyan works: many of which also appeared in Hairenik under the pseudonym Sirak Goryan. Tashjian's lively translation of Under Stalin's Sun drew mostly from Oganessian's original source materials published in Hairenik but also included information from conversations with the author in the leadup to the publication of the book. Self-published in 1981, Under Stalin's Sun saw very limited distribution but remains one of few English language accounts of the gulag experience written by an Armenian-making it rare and unique. In spring 2016, a decision was made to publish a second edition of Under Stalin's Sun wherein a fresh new translation by Murad A. Meneshian was put into motion and ultimately completed that September. In contrast to the Tashjian translation edition, Meneshian opted for a pure literal translation of Oganessian's source materials focusing on his original handwritten notes. In doing so, those who happen to possess both editions will notice a distinct difference in style and tone even though the core content remains essentially the same. The name of this new edition now includes the tagline 'My Escape from a Siberian Gulag' to reach a wider audience as a more descriptive title.