Feast of Ashes: The Life and Art of David Ohannessian

Make no mistake...this is not a dry recitation about the establishment of the ceramic arts in early 20th Century Jerusalem. It’s a sweeping historical epic about loss and perseverance, family and separation, and artistic and personal redemption in the midst of war, deportation, genocide and nation-building. It’s David Lean meets David McCullough. Its Middle Eastern setting and its theme of human triumph are resonant of a region that preoccupies us yet today. Sato Moughalian’s lucid, erudite and emotional prose achieves what few others have — a historical narrative that evokes a time and a place in conflagration, as well as the story of a man on an epic journey of discovery through love and artistic redemption.

This is a gorgeous book, a great story of love, art and courage by an extraordinary artist....the author writes very beautifully about her grandfather, with universal appeal....i love it ! Highly recommended.

Gorgeous telling of the life of an important Armenian artisan who established the pottery works in Jerusalem after escaping Armenian Genocide. The tile street names in the old city are his work. And we learn about the crimes of the Genocide through his poignant family story.

In Feast of Ashes, family history is intertwined with world history—specifically the Armenian Genocide and the years when Jerusalem was under British Mandate, as well as the turbulent times that ended the Mandate. Sato Moughalian is an elegant storyteller and has created a riveting biography of her grandfather David Ohanessian and his art, bookended by her own equally fascinating quest to uncover more of the details of her predecessors’ lives. This is a story that, for me, highlights the possibilities of the human spirit in the most dire of circumstances. I highly recommend this beautiful and hard-to-put-down book!

Sato Moughalian lays bare her heart and the historical record with her moving biography about her grandfather. Her fluid and accessible writing style and gifted storytelling provides for compelling reading. This is an important work memorializing the artistic legacy of the great Armenian ceramicist David Ohannessian. Sato’s work challenges us to acknowledge the importance of memory and recognition.

The amount of detail Sato Mougalian was able to uncover about the life of her grandfather whom she never met is awe inspiring. David Ohannessian's life is a testament to human resilience, fortitude and creative spirit in the face of genocide, political unrest and extreme violence for most of his adult life. A truly moving story. I will read it again.

This is a thoroughly engrossing, well written biography that springs even more to life with the many beautiful illustrations interspersed throughout the book. Highly recommend!

Arrived quickly, packed well so there were no creases in the covers, etc. Haven't read the book because these are gifts, but look good.