Feast of Ashes: The Life and Art of David Ohannessian

"Feast of Ashes is a passionate journey of discovery, an exemplary work of craft and design history, and a powerful narrative of the meaning of family identity. An extraordinary book--I loved it."--Edmund de Waal "author of The Hare with Amber Eyes and The White Road "
"A hundred years after David Ohannessian brought the art of Armenian ceramics to Jerusalem, his creations still glint from the walls of buildings and in cabinets there--and still testify to his singular talents, his mastery of a time-honored tradition, and his admirably stubborn belief in the possibility that beauty might emerge even out of terrible suffering. With love, care, and an attention to detail as exacting as his own, Sato Moughalian offers a moving tribute to her grandfather and his radiant handiwork."--Adina Hoffman "author of Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City "
"Feast of Ashes is an exceptional story of Armenian artisanship and one of its luminaries, David Ohannessian. As told by his granddaughter, Sato Moughalian, the tumultuous events at the end of the Ottoman Empire and the lasting legacy of Armenian ceramics unfold through her family history."--Dickran Kouymjian "author of The Arts of Armenia "
"Feast of Ashes is a lovingly crafted account of family, loss, and home. Chronicling the last century's unresolved tragedies and injustices on a most personal level, Sato Moughalian forces us to acknowledge what these events have truly cost us all--a necessary insistence, if we ever hope to be free of the grievous mistakes we too oft repeat."--Alia Malek "author of The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria "
"Sato Moughalian is a born storyteller. Her account of the remarkable life of her grandfather, the Armenian ceramicist and tile-maker David Ohannessian, should be read by artists, by historians of the Middle East and, above all, by anyone sensitive to the power of the human spirit to make great art in the face of persecution, migration, and exile."--Tanya Harrod "coeditor of The Journal of Modern Craft "
"More than merely a tribute to the talents of her grandfather, Moughalian's book is a work of alchemy--combining the personal, tragic history writ large, and the somehow uplifting power of enduring art."--Elizabeth Taylor "National Book Review "
"Sato Moughalian embarks on a sweeping journey from the Armenian Genocide to the present day to tell the story of how her grandfather became a master ceramist. Feast of Ashes is a compelling, brilliant work, revealing how one survivor of that infamous crime honored Armenian culture and created glorious art."--David Scheffer "former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, author of All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals "
"Moughalian has crafted a narrative that is as lyrical as it is compelling. She relates the tragedy and triumph of Ohannessian's personal adventures with a compassion and intimacy matched by impressive research into the broader historical context."--Matthew Kalman "The Times of Israel "