Dragons & Violins: A Memoir of War and Music

Product Description

Dragons & Violins is the fascinating story of the extraordinary early life of Assyrian-
American immigrant George Edgar, born Sarges Georges Yadgar in Persia during the 
Assyrian-Armenian-Pontic Greek genocide. 

Edgar’s Assyrian family escaped to Russia 
amid the upheaval of World War I and the Russian Revolution. His family eventually 
escaped to Constantinople and made their way to the United States, 
arriving at Ellis 
Island on July 4th, 1921. 

As a poor Assyrian immigrant 
in New York City
 during the Great 
Depression, young Edgar 
encountered renowned figures 
such as Yankee great Joe 
DiMaggio, violinist Fritz 
Kreisler, and gangster Dutch 
Schultz; and married the 
beautiful “Miss Assyria” of the 
1933 Chicago World’s Fair. 

Qualifying for the 1936 U.S. 
Olympic gymnastics team but 
disallowed from competing 
due to his foreign birth, Edgar 
nonetheless served as a 
lieutenant in the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers serving with the 989th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company (989thengineertreadway.com) during 
World War II building combat bridges at the allies 
front line from the beaches of 
Normandy on D-Day Plus 
Four to the outskirts of Berlin. 
Ceaselessly struggling to gain the respect of his father, Edgar overcame incredible odds 
to achieve his one true dream… to be a violinist. 

George Edgar’s singular life unfolds against the backdrop of some of the most 
consequential events of the first half of the twentieth century. 
An epic and captivating immigrant story
…..an American story.

Review

“A book that reminds us that the ‘greatest generation’ came from everywhere in the world, and their bravery, intelligence, talent, and determination remain an inspiration for us all. David A. Armstrong’s loving chronicle of his grandfather’s life illustrates the point and illuminates the journey.” –Carl Gottlieb; screenwriter and author of The Jaws Log and Long Time Gone, the Autobiography of David Crosby.

“A moving portrait of an immigrant shaped by revolution, poverty, and the front-lines of World War II.
Yet it was music, most of all, that gave George Edgar’s life challenge and meaning. Dragons & Violins is heartbreaking and inspiring.” –Russell Martin; author of Beethoven’s Hair

About the Author

David A. Armstrong is a director and veteran cinematographer in the motion picture industry and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He is also the grandson of George Edgar and is currently adapting
Dragons & Violins into a screenplay and a limited television series.