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Armen Melikian (b. 1963) holds a Master's in International Relations from American University, Washington, D.C. He has also studied mathematics at Harvard and elsewhere, and was admitted by the Mathematical Institute of Oxford University to pursue graduate studies in Analytic Geometry, Mathematical Physics, and Topology. However, he eventually abandoned both politics and mathematics in favor of literature and dedicated his life to writing. Melikian lives in Los Angeles.
Melikian is one of those rare thinkers whose intensity of passion matches their sharp wit and intellect. His poignant observations take to task the core tenets of metaideologies and jockeying civilizations, helping to discard layer after layer of entrenched misinformation and dogma.
Melikian brings a fresh, prodigiously layered voice to contemporary literature, not only expanding the boundaries of the novelistic endeavor as an artistic medium per se, but infusing it with extraordinary urgency and relevance in terms of sociopolitical, cultural, religious, and philosophical thought as well as mythological exegesis.
To date, awards and honors earned by Melikian's debut novel, Journey to Virginland, include the 2012 Written Art Award, the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best Fiction, the Next Generation Indie Book Award in Humor/Comedy, and the only Honorable Mention in the Literary Fiction category at ForeWord Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
Dog looks back through time and examines events of the past in his quest to find his own self-identity. The reader follows along as Dog journeys to Virginland, which becomes the setting for this tale. Dog is a creature searching for his own individuality and his place in the world. He can only find what he searches for by examining his past relationships. While he revisits those relationships he also examines other humans’ convictions, beliefs and values. Through his journey he scrutinizes unrelenting concerns confronting humankind. A few of the issues Dog examines are authority, religion, racism, nationalism, biological superiority, double standards, loyalty or the lack of it and greed.
Armen Melikian’s tale is filled with allegory, conjectures and speculation. This book is written in a unique manner. While I do not agree with some of Dog's convictions, I do recognize the brilliance in this author’s writings. We all face times when we wonder why we exist - what our purpose for being is. Melikian’s character, Dog, journeys to discover the answer to those questions. Journey to Virginland will leave the reader pondering. This clever and interesting book will force the reader to examine their own lives and motivations.
