1ère édition tirée à 600 exemplaires.
Il était une fois, dans la lointaine Constantinople, vivait Hadji Garabet Kevork Topakian, un producteur bien connu et respecté de basturma, considéré par beaucoup comme le meilleur de la ville. Garabet menait une vie solitaire jusqu’à ce qu’un jour il tombe profondément amoureux de la belle et jeune Gulizar, qui – à sa grande joie – lui rendit justice. Ils étaient un couple adorable.
Malheureusement, leur amour a été opposé par les parents de Gulizar, pour qui Garabet était trop grossier. Incapable de faire face à la perte de sa bien-aimée, une nuit glaciale il se glissa à cheval jusqu’à la fenêtre de sa chambre. Sans hésiter longtemps, Gulizar se jeta dans les bras de son amant et ensemble ils partirent pour Constantinople pour se marier et vivre heureux pour toujours. Ararat le lointain, illuminé par la lune, était le seul témoin de cet enlèvement…
Pour Dame Gulizar et autres histoires d’amour, Rebecca Topakian part de l’histoire unique de sa famille arménienne qui vivait en Turquie avant que son grand-père n’émigre en France. Cette histoire est l’amour de ses arrière-grands-parents – Garabed et Gulizar.
Topakian a exploré cette partie de son identité en choisissant la fiction et la mythologie. Ayant à l’esprit l’histoire d’amour de ses ancêtres alors qu’elle voyageait et vivait en Arménie, le désir est devenu le fil conducteur de ce projet : c’est un désir de terre, de terrain, d’identité, mais aussi du corps de l’autre agissant presque comme un miroir.
Le livre comprend ses propres images mêlées aux archives de sa famille, établissant un lien entre passé et présent. Et les photographies imprimées sur papier transparent remettent symboliquement ses arrière-grands-parents dans leur pays d’origine, offrant un portrait intime et impressionniste de l’Arménie ; poème de Karim Kattan, photos en n.b. et en couleurs.
1st edition of 600 copies.
For Dame Gulizar and Other Love Stories, Rebecca Topakian’s starting point is the unique story of her Armenian family, who lived in Turkey before her grandfather emigrated to France. This story is the love of her great-grandparents – Garabed and Gulizar.
Topakian explored this part of her identity by choosing fiction and mythology. Bearing the love story of her ancestors in mind while she traveled and lived in Armenia, desire became the thread of this project: it is a desire for earth, ground, identity, but also for the other’s body acting almost as a mirror.
The book includes her own pictures mixed with her family archives, establishing a link between past and present. And the photographs printed on transparent paper symbolically put her great-grandparents back to the land they belong to, offering an intimate and impressionistic portrait of Armenia.
Once upon a time, in distant Constantinople, there lived Hadji Garabet Kevork Topakian, a well-known and respected producer of basturma, considered by many to be the best in the city. Garabet led a lonely life until one day he fell deeply in love with the beautiful and young Gulizar, who – to his joy – reciprocated his feeling. They were an adorable couple.
Unfortunately, their love was opposed by Gulizar’s parents, for whom Garabet was too boorish. Unable to come to terms with the loss of his beloved, one frosty night he snuck on horseback to her bedroom window. Without hesitating for long, Gulizar threw herself into her lover’s arms and together they left for Constantinople to get married and live happily ever after. Distant Ararat, illuminated by moonlight, was the only witness to this kidnapping…
For Dame Gulizar and Other Love Stories, Rebecca Topakian’s starting point is the unique story of her Armenian family, who lived in Turkey before her grandfather emigrated to France. This story is the love of her great-grandparents – Garabed and Gulizar.
Topakian explored this part of her identity by choosing fiction and mythology. Bearing the love story of her ancestors in mind while she traveled and lived in Armenia, desire became the thread of this project: it is a desire for earth, ground, identity, but also for the other’s body acting almost as a mirror.
The book includes her own pictures mixed with her family archives, establishing a link between past and present. And the photographs printed on transparent paper symbolically put her great-grandparents back to the land they belong to, offering an intimate and impressionistic portrait of Armenia ; poem by Karim Kattan.
