Author Marian Maccurdy to Discuss Book ‘Sacred Justice’ on Operation Nemesis

BELMONT, Mass.—Dr. Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy will present a talk entitled, “Sacred Justice: The Voices and Legacy of the Armenian Operation Nemesis,” on Thurs., June 11, at 7:30 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont.

Cover of Macurdy's Sacred Justice — Cover of Macurdy’s *Sacred Justice*

MacCurdy’s book Sacred Justice is a cross-genre book that uses narrative, memoir, unpublished letters, and other primary and secondary sources to tell the story of the men who organized Operation Nemesis, a covert operation created to assassinate the architects of the Armenian Genocide. The leaders of Nemesis took it upon themselves to seek justice for their murdered families, friends, and compatriots.

This book includes a large collection of previously unpublished letters, found in the upstairs study of the author’s grandfather, Aaron Sachaklian, one of the leaders of Nemesis, that show the strategies, personalities, plans, and dedication of Soghomon Tehlirian, who killed Talaat Pasha, a genocide leader; Shahan Natalie, the agent on the ground in Europe; Armen Garo, the center of Operation Nemesis; Aaron Sachaklian, the logistics and finance officer; and others involved.

The author tells a story that has been either hidden by the necessity of silence or ignored in spite of victims’ narratives. This is the story of those who attempted to seek justice for the victims and the effect this effort had on them and on their families.

Dr. Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy, a retired professor and chair of the Department of Writing at Ithaca College, is currently special assistant to the president at Hampshire College. She has published scholarly articles, personal essays, and poetry in such journals as “Raft,” the “Journal of Poetry Therapy,” and the “Journal of Teaching Writing.” In addition to Sacred Justice, her publications include two books, The Mind’s Eye: Image and Memory in Writing about Trauma (2007) and Writing and Healing: Toward an Informed Practice, with co-editor Charles Anderson (2000).

Copies of Sacred Justice will be available the night of the lecture. For more information about MacCurdy’s talk, contact NAASR by calling (617) 489-1610 or e-mailing hq@naasr.org.