Street in Turkey’s Bitlis renamed in honor of William Saroyan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The administration of Turkish town of Bitlis has finally approved a decision to rename one of the streets in honor of Armenian American writer William Saroyan.

According to Ermenihaber, the order was signed by governor Orhan Ozturk, who previously opposed the initiative, saying that Saroyan “has no connection to the town”.

Renowned writer William Saroyan was born on August 31, 1908 in Fresno, California, to Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan, Armenian immigrants from Bitlis. Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his native Fresno. Some of his best-known works are The Time of Your Life, My Name Is Aram and My Heart's in the Highlands. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy.