THE GERMAN PILGRIM’S “PLANET ARMENIA” TRAVELS ABOUT GERMANY AND SPREADS ARMENIA’S AROMA
Ofelya Sargsyan
noyan tapan
2011-12-26
On November 26, 2011 at the Armenian Cultural Union in Hamburg took
place the eighth presentation of the book “Planet Armenia: Pilgrimage
to an Unknown Land” by Dr. Jochen Mangelsen. The book was released in
Frankfurt am Main in September 2011 by the “Armenian Media” publishing
house and has 187 pages. The book is rich in brilliant illustrations
which are made by the Bremen-based Armenian painter Marietta Armena.
Published in September the book had 8 presentations in 2 months
organized by different Armenian communities and German organizations.
Mangelsen’s book was also noted by the German media: immediately after
being published, one of the best read newspapers, the Weser Kurier
on September 4, 2011, as well as the Radio Station Suedwestrundfunk
SWR on September 19, 2011 and the Radio Bremen/WDR – Funkhaus Europa
on November 13, 2011, discussed it. Moreover, in January an one-hour
program devoted to the book is expected on the Nordwestradio by the
Radio Bremen.
The opening speech of the presentation in Hamburg was made by the
president of the German-Armenians’ Central Council and the Union of
the Armenian Academics Azat Ordukhanyan who said, “Within a month
Jochen moved from the north of Armenia to the south, reached Artsakh
and his book managed to be in 8 cities within 2 months travelling
from Bremen to Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Halle, Leipzig, Berlin
and Hamburg. They say, in general there are no irreplaceable people
but Mangelsen is exceptional both as a friend and as a press advisor
to the German-Armenians’ Central Council”.
The book is a result of a several-week journey during which the
author moved from region to region, from monastery to monastery and
through spiritual adventures reached Artsakh. The South Caucasus
politically risky and uncertain conflict concerned him as much as the
country’s fantastic legends, history of millenniums, people, culture
and political events pushed him forward. He throws a bright look to
our country situated on the slope of Mt. Ararat and provides a new
perception about it, presenting it as a colorful and gorgeous planet.
He describes his book as a political feleton.
The book also includes text-miniatures – short novels which despite
being only a few lines reflect the unique magic of the country. The
book is truly exclusive and original and has already had a large sale.
Therefore, with some small additions the second edition is expected
after January and there will also be new presentations.
Dr. Jochen Mangelsen was born in 1942, is a journalist, lives and
works in Bremen, for many years worked as a spokesman for the Bremen
Radio. He began his journalistic career after studying oration,
drama studies, German language and philology. He was married with the
Armenian Seda Murdayan. His daughter, Sona, was baptized in Armenia
and in October, 2011 got married at the Armenian Church St. Hripsime
under the Armenian rite. Also, the same day Mangelsen’s grandchildren
were baptized at St. Hripsime. According to him the roots that Seda
instilled in her daughter’s soul have deep foundations.
The motivation that has brought Mangelsen to the topic “Armenia”
over 40 years, Mangelsen took from his own, German, history. The
holocaust committed by the generation of his parents makes him
sensitive towards the Armenian Genocide, the impunity of which,
many believe, encouraged the organizers of the Jews’ massacre in
Europe. The history of Germany and its approach to the history are
linked with the question of how modern Turkey treats to its past, to
the Genocide against its Christian neighbors organized by the Young
Turks, the position of Germany towards this tragedy as well as with
the responsiveness of the future generations. These are the facts
and circumstances that served as a basis for Mangelsen’s activity. He
created an Armenian-German circle in Bremen then in Hannover, worked
for the “Armenian-German Correspondence” magazine editorial, became its
co-editor and currently is a media consultant to the German-Armenians’
Central Council.
Intensive, personally based, politically motivated years of connection
with Armenia confirm his love for this country. Mangelsen himself says,
“What charms me in Armenia? Perhaps, it is just as follows: we fall
in love with a place, its nature and people and at one time we go to
discover them and that journey takes us to our souls. Armenia, as well
as Artsakh are miraculous countries full of legends, thousand-year-old
cultural monuments, deeply affected by Christianity, mythology and the
causalities of the modern history. Conclusion: I have been enchanted
with Armenia for about 40 years”. The proof of it is also his novel
“Ofelya’s long journey to Berlin published in 2001.
The book raises the Genocide issue of 1915 – 19 during which 1,
5 million Armenians were sent to innocent death. The novel also
describes the fate of many Armenian families who live abroad but are
unable to forget the horrific events of the past and feel abandoned
and forgotten by the world. In the first plan of the book is a family
story, in the background is the slaughter of millions of Armenians.
Alfred remembers his ancestors’ massacre and their migration from
Western Armenia. As for Ofelya, she had to accompany her relatives on
the hard ways of escapade from Persia. Mangelsen does describe the
turnovers and upheavals of their lives painstakingly and the book
reflects his compassion towards a multiply smitten country.
Afterward, Mangelsen shifts from fiction to travel literature genre and
in 2006 with Alexander Schmitt he published a book about his Jacob´s
pilgrimage to Spain. His readers expected that the Jacob´s pilgrim
would also pass through Armenia and Artsakh with his traveler’s
crook. At last, in 2010 the expectations of the writer’s fans were
satisfied: Mangelsen traveled to Armenia and Artsakh and summed up
his vivid impressions of the Nairian land in his third book which is
a pilgrim’s unique love confession to Armenia and Armenians.