Anglo Armenian author Nouritza Matossian arrived in New York on 15 May to launch Black Angel, The Life of Arshile Gorky, by the Overlook Press, New York. First published in the UK by Random House, UK, in December 1998 to a chorus of excellent reviews, she gave her unforgettable one-woman show. The book was impatiently awaited in Gorky's country of adoption where it was heralded by superb reviews noteably from the New York Review of Books which compared it to another book:'For Matossian, Gorky is a sexier, more romantic altogether more forgiveable man.' While the Washington Times devoted two pages with colour photographs quoting her expose of Gorky's Genocide history through which she interprets his art.

Famous Rizzoli Art Bookstore on West Broadway devoted a window to Black Angel where in the presence of her distinguished publisher Peter Mayer, former chief of Penguin, who head-hunted Matossian for this book, she gave talks and readings. At the literary Grolier Club, Manhatten, she spoke and read, always without notes and with extraordinary warmth and fluidity on the mystery tour by which she pieced together Gorky's true life and how it had become a process of self-discovery. There was a rare chemistry between speaker and audience which brought some of them back to hear her every evening.

Meanwhile all week acceptances for her One-woman Show on Arshile Gorky had flowed into the press office of the Overlook Press, and the National Arts Club hosting the event in Gramercy Park South with a reception in the exquisite Art Nouveau Drawing Rooms. The demand was such that there were fears people would have to be turned away. Dennis Hopper was to attend. At the eleventh hour the performance was moved next door to the Player's Club, historic theatre and home of Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, at 16 Gramercy Park South, New York. Thus two of the most prestigious historic buildings associated with theatre and the arts in New York were hosting Black Angel.

At 6.30pm the wood-panelled theatre hung with oil paintings and stained glass portraits of theatre luminaries was filled to capacity. H.E. Movses Abelian, Ambassador to the UN for Armenia, Will Barnett, artist and contemporary of Arshile Gorky, distinguished members of the artistic and literary communities, museums, galleries and Armenian cultural leaders and organizers took their places while people stood outside, impatient to see this show which had been a great success in thirteen performances in the UK, including the Barbican Centre, now booked for the Edinburgh Festival in August. From the moment Nouritza Matossian entered the hall to resounding applause she captivated her audience. Elegant in an antique pomegranate silk coat, she held the book which had taken twenty years' research and writing. In a simple and engaging introduction she confessed to her early struggle to resist a subject painful to her because of her own family's history branded by the Armenian Holocaust of 1915. Her interviews and research, her travels 'crisscrossing the America, Armenia and historic western Armenia' became an entrusted mission as her interviewees made her promise to write this book. She believed that Gorky's traumatic childhood during the Genocide was 'the fuse in a time-bomb which would surely self-destruct' and that he was a martyr of April 24 along with the Armenian intellectuals who had been killed by the Ottoman regime. When she said quietly, 'I knew I had to write this book because my birthday is also April 24th', there was a gasp from the audience. She added 'With this performance I speak the words and honour the women who trusted me with Gorky's true story: his mother, sister, sweetheart and wife. They gave Gorky the gifts of life, love, loyalty, faith and family. The rest is in the book.' -+

The author slipped behind a white transparent curtain draped between two projection screens. The music of a Van folk-song was heard, D'ele Yaman, sung by a male voice. Then the velvety portrait in black and white of Gorky's mother, was flanked by his painting 'The Artist and His Mother' and Gorky's print of a Black Angel. As a woman sang in Armenian, Matossian's voice was now heard speaking in Armenian, then English, 'my name is Shusanig Der Marderossian, I was born in 1880 . . . ' slowly her silhouette, in red and with a headscarf became visible seated behind the curtain as she told the horrifying story of Shushanig's first marriage.

Soon she reappeared in front of the curtain to begin the tale of Gorky's childhood told by his mother bearing an uncanny resemblance to Gorky's portrait next to her of Shushanig. In pairs images appeared on the screens of his village, lake Van, the church of Aghtamar, his drawings, paintings. She proceeded from his birth to the death of his mother of starvation in a powerful and heart-rending but unsentimental narrative. As the audience sat stunned, sometimes weeping.

The faded out. Jazzy strains of Ragtime. A spotlight. Suddenly a young Vartoosh, the scarf tied around her shoulders, pointed at the Statue of Liberty to her brother on board the ship "President Wilson". She picked up the story and took us to Boston, New York, Gorky's early struggle to study and become an artist, shedding his name on the way. She danced with her brother on her wedding day, a graceful Armenian dance, only to transform herself during another brief blackout.

A beautiful model posing with silk drapery at the Central School of Fine Art, speaking with soft American accent fell in love with the handsome artist who needed lessons from his friends on how to woo her. Sirun took us through the thirties, the Depression and Gorky's mural projects, photos of Gorky parrying with Mayor La Guardia to defend his abstract works, drawings and paintings ended with her departure.

It was the turn of Agnes, scarf around her waist, the young Bostonian woman who married Gorky, gave him two daughters, saw him paint the very best of his canvases in a lyrical summer in Virginia, then witnessed the catastrophe of his end in which she played a controversial role.

In the finale Matossian's precise folding of the apricot silk scarf as she recounted her visit to Connecticut to resconstruct Gorky's last day kept the audience spellbound. There was not a dry eye in the hall. This was storytelling in its highest form, compelling, ancient and hypnotic.

In one hour the audience had traversed a mysterious life through four, no five viewpoints counting the writer's own, with grace and drama. And all the while Gorky was there on stage with each of the four women who told his anecdotes as well as theirs, women who had coloured if not shaped his destiny. This was a magnificent presentation whose economy of means, conceptual breadth and outstanding originality has to my knowledge never been conceived or undertaken by a writer.

Nouritza Matossian, whose writing achievements have been keenly applauded in the world's press for tenacious research, eloquence, courage and passion, should now be recognised as an inspirational actress. She wrote, produced and performed her show. One member of the audience expressed it well, 'We are in the presence of a Renaissance woman'. She gave her book a presentation whose orginality has never been seen in New York and brought her Black Angel back to life. Any city in the world would be fortunate to host this phenomenal performance, as informative on art, as it is a moving tribute to the tragic genius and to the enduring spirit of the Armenians.

Nouritza Matossian will speak and read at the beautiful Skirball Center, Bel Air at 6pm, Sunday 23 July followed at 8pm by Dinner under the Stars.

Black Angel, A life of Arshile Gorky, Chatto & Windus, 1998, UK, & The Overlook Press, NY, 2000

The performance is going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for 23 evenings: Hill St Theatre, 4-28th August 5.20 to 6.20pm. On 9th August the author will read and talk about Gorky and writing the book.

In parallel Nouritza Matossian's show Arshile Gorky:Making the Book will be exhibited in conjunction with the University of Brighton at the Scottish Arts Club, 24 Rutland Square, Edinburgh. This is biographical collection of the author's archival photographs, letters, posters, maps which were used in research on Gorky and his roots.