"In 2002, Melikian repatriated to Armenia from the United States where he spent two years studying the Armenian epic tradition. He also inadvertently started compiling his observations on post-Soviet Armenian society which provided the raw material for his epistolary novel, Journey to Virginland. His manuscripts were obtained by the National Security Service (formerly the KGB) triggering his effective exile from Armenia. His wife was interrogated at the headquarters of the NSS and was threatened with prosecution for "treason against Armenia" should she fail to cooperate. After a decade of persecution and national ostracism accompanied with several hundred assassination threats (including by government officials) incited by the Armenian Church, Melikian renounced all ties to the Armenian nation, culture, literature, and identity. He lives in Los Angeles."