Pulitzer Prize Poetry Winner

Ozone Journal

by Peter Balakian

Summary

The title sequence intercuts memories of 1980s New York with a journey through the Syrian desert searching for the bones of Armenian Genocide victims. Balakian writes in a long, associative line that lets distant histories vibrate inside contemporary scenes of art, illness, and friendship. The book argues that personal memory is always entangled with the unfinished mourning of history.

Historical Context & Significance

Balakian is a master of the historical sequence, showing how distant tragedies vibrate in the modern landscape.