''Skylark Farm'' () is an Italian language novel by

Antonia Arslan Antonia Arslan (, born 1938) is an Italian writer and Professor, academic of Armenians, Armenian origin. Biography Arslan was born in Padua in 1938 to Michele Arslan and Vittoria Marchiori. Her paternal grandfather Yerwant Arslanian was born i ...

, published by

Rizzoli Libri Rizzoli Libri, formerly Rizzoli Libri S.p.A. and RCS Libri S.p.A. is an Italian book publisher and a division of Mondadori Libri, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. RCS Libri was a former subsidiary of RCS MediaGroup, but i ...

, with release on April 7, 2004. The English translation, by

Geoffrey Brock Geoffrey Brock (born October 19, 1964) is an American poet and translator. Since 2006 he has taught creative writing and literary translation at the University of Arkansas, where he is Distinguished Professor of English. Biography Brock is the s ...

, was published by

Knopf Publishers Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

, with release on January 24, 2007. It is the author's first novel.

Background

Arslan had conducted interviews with genocide survivors. Arslan's family had been affected by the genocide. Brock stated that the book "was a difficult title to translate"; he chose "Skylark Farm" as the English title due to a "strong rustic" connotation, though he had "strongly considered" using ''The House of Skylarks''.

Plot

The novel's plot follows the Arslanian family, who own an estate called Skylark Farm, during the

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. The family lives in the western part of Turkey, in a city described by Ray Olson of ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' as "small". Yerwant Arslanian is living in Italy, and his brother Sempad wants to renovate the estate when his brother arrives. The Arslanians do not realise that the Armenian Genocide is about to occur. Yerwant is unable to leave Italy after the Italian government takes a side in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Turkish soldiers kill most of the Arslanian males, and a pit intended to be made into a tennis court is where they are interred. The women and girls, and a boy dressed as a girl, are sent to Syria. Writer Christine Thomas, in a review for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', stated that due to the amount of detail in the opening of the book, the "compassion" for the characters is built up, though due to the amount of detail, there is less "clarity".

Adaptations

There is a film adaptation, '' The Lark Farm''.

Reception

Christopher de Bellaigue Christopher George Lowther de Bellaigue de Bughas (born 23 September 1971 in London) is a British author and journalist who is known for his long-form reporting and works of history. De Bellaigue was formerly the correspondent for The Economis ...

wrote that the translation was "sensitively" done. He criticised some "uneven" elements in the narrative, including flashing forward to the future and some "

bathos Bathos ( ;''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "bathos, ''n.'' Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1885. , "depth") is a literary term, first used in this sense in Alexander Pope's 1727 essay " Peri Bathous", to describe an amusingly ...

" that is present in "deadpan descriptions of hideous events". ''

'' gave the book a starred review. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' refers to the book as an "Armenian

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...

". ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' stated that the novel "delivers vivid, powerful testimony of horrific cruelty and immeasurable loss." The publication stated that the characters are hampered by "bluntly omniscient narration".

References

External links

*
La masseria delle allodole
' - Rizzoli Libri 2004 Italian novels Italian historical novels Novels set in 20th-century Ottoman Empire Novels set in Turkey Novels set in Syria Fiction books about the Armenian genocide Alfred A. Knopf books {{2000s-hist-novel-stub