Lilit Sedrakyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Glendale
“The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian remains in the focus of attention of the American society. The Glendale State Library staff selected the work by The New York Times best-selling author for Glendale’s One Book/One City project, an open invitation for local residents to read a novel together. Bohjalian visited the Glendale Library, discussed his epic novel of the Armenian Genocide and answered the questions of the attendees.
The novel has achieved critical success both in and outside the Armenian community. “The Sandcastle Girls” has been translated into more than 25 languages and read in communities without direct ties to the Armenian culture.
“I wrote this book for non-Armenians. Armenians already know this story. Non-Armenians read it,” the author says. The main reason for writing the book was to inform people in the US, Canada about the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during the first genocide of the 20th century.
”Besides, I have written the book because there is a direct connection between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur. The list is very long. It was time to tell the story of my grandparents for them to see it from the heaven,” Chris Bohjalian said.
Famous American Armenian director Eric Nazarian intends to shoot a film on the basis of the “Sandcastle Girls.” The shooting will probably start in autumn.
The young director is confident the film will succeed. A love story based on historic facts featuring popular Hollywood stars can attract not only Hollywood, but also the global cinema world.
