SOURCE: Calonne, David Stephen. “William Saroyan and Multiculturalism.” Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies 6 (1992-1993): 107-17.

In the following essay, Calonne remarks on the centrality of ethnicity and diversity issues in Saroyan's work.

William Saroyan was “multicultural” long before it became the fashion: questions of “ethnic” identity are central to his lifework and his writings are directly relevant to the current fierce debate on university and college campuses concerning what shall be defined as “American culture.” His Armenian heritage sensitized him from childhood to the situation of “minorities” (or what used to be called “foreigners”), to racism and injustice, and characters representing virtually every race are depicted throughout his stories, plays, novels, and memoirs. Armenia's historic role as an intermediary zone between Orient and Occident, its ability to assimilate other cultures yet retain its own unique character, gave Saroyan a perfect vantage point from which to create...