Armenia in Crisis: The 1988 Earthquake FROM THE PUBLISHER
On December 7, 1988, the northwest region of Soviet Armenia, including Leninakan, the republic's second largest city, was devastated by an earthquake which left tens of thousands dead and forced the central government, for the first time in Soviet history, to call for international assistance. Armenia in Crisis documents the tragic Armenian earthquake and the surrounding political controversies that rocked the Soviet Union and contributed to its collapse. In sparse and gripping prose, Pierre Verluise, a French journalist and Soviet specialist, uses the accounts of survivors and relief workers to tell the story of this catastrophe in its human and political dimensions. Relying on personal interviews and press reports, he recounts the destruction and despair, the emotional reactions of survivors and relief workers, the political struggles between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and the Armenians, and the shortcomings in Soviet construction methods and disaster preparedness. The new epilogue by translator Levon Chorbajian completes Verluise's story of human loss and high political drama, with updates of Armenia's independence, the Soviet Union's demise, and the still uncompleted task of earthquake reconstruction.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
French journalist and Soviet expert Verluise describes the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands and forced the Soviet government to request international assistance for the first time in its history. He also explores the resulting political controversies that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. He draws on personal interviews and press reports to set the context of the massive protests earlier in the year calling for reform in the Armenian republic, and Soviet construction methods and disaster preparedness. Originally published as Armenie: La Fracture (1989) by Editions Stock, Paris. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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