A Critical Response to Zabel Yessayan

A Critical Response to Zabel Yessayan’s The Gardens of SilihdarZabel Yessayan’s childhood is shown realistically in The Gardens of Silihdar. Growing up in Constantinople’s Armenian minority in the late 1800s, Yessayan recalls her childhood with the wide-eyed innocence of a child. Yessayan’s writing points to an approach similar to an activist author. This memoir of a bygone period talks about her intriguing, unusual family, the larger society in which they live, and her own passionate interaction with the world around her. Her new outlook on life in a patriarchal society is refreshing.

Yessayan sees herself as a feminist writer. Her personal observations of life in Constantinople at the time show her scorn for the opportunities available to women. An innocent girl may not hear much, but what she does hear is interesting. As an example, she is required to start coming to church when she reaches a certain age, but if the Janissaries see her, they may just whisk her away without consequences. Her family may also be in trouble if she decides not to attend church. She talks about her family, backbiting, and community insults. She recalls her school struggles. Then there’s her language and what it means to her and her Armenian community. She is a poet, and her writing style, scene descriptions, and writing in general depict poetic language.

Regardless of how many childhood memories and facts Yessayan begins her book with, she moves on to explore others’ lives and tragedies later on, focusing on her public, if not private, interactions. Yessayan’s testimony on the Adana events of 1909 was a life-changing experience, and she labored tirelessly to absorb and communicate the unutterable griefs. As well as chronicling life in the late Ottoman Empire, she questioned the male-dominated Armenian community and culture. Yessayan does not have a narrator’s voice, which matches her goal of instruction and counseling. She strongly believes in the freedom to speak one’s thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution. As a result, the reader gains a better grasp of the author’s viewpoint. The Gardens of Silihdar is a must-read for every feminist or social justice advocate interested in Armenian literature and women’s works.