Human and social sciences
Anahid Hagopian
The Golden Bracelet
Anahid Hagopian grew up in Aleppo, Syria, in the years leading up to the Second World War. Her childhood was spent amidst civil unrest, conflict, and uncertainty, faced with challenges around education, identity, women’s rights, and family secrets, including her mother’s precarious and sometimes dangerous social position as a wealthy courtesan in French-occupied Syria.
This is a story about the unbroken bond between mother and daughter, and the sacrifices made by one mother so that her daughter could achieve her education, which she always called her “golden bracelet of independence”.
Anahid Hagopian, grew up in Aleppo, Syria, in the years leading up to the Second World War. Decades later, she found herself on the other side of the world, first in London, U.K., then in Toronto and Winnipeg, Canada. In Toronto, she wrote poetry, prose (for which she received awards), a syndicated column, screenplays, and book reviews. For decades, she passionately taught French to public school children, of all ages, both in Ontario and Manitoba until her retirement.