‘Valeri Manto’s ‘Agos’ is a tribute to the memory of Hrant Dink’: Ambassador of France to the Republic of Armenia

The Ambassador of France to Armenia, Jonathan Lacote, said that the Agos exhibition is the first public event in the aftermath of the pandemic. Although 2020 was a difficult year for Armenia, despite that, they are happy to resume their activities especially through cultural events. Manto’s Agos story won the highest literary award in France, the Renaudot, in 2018. Agos is Valeri Manto’s second book. By the way, the author also worked at Charlie Hebdo. 

The ambassador said that as soon as the book was published, he got into contact with Manto, after which the ambassador organized for the book to be translated into Armenia. Samvel Gasparyan is the translator, and Hamlet Gasparyan is the editor. The ambassador gave special thanks to the executive director of Newmag, Artak Aleksanyan. “The book is dedicated to Hrant Dink, who was killed on this day in 2007 in Istanbul. We are paying respect to the memory of Hrant Dink with the Armenian translation of this book. This book is also symbolic in the sense that it is dedicated to the freedom of speech. Aside from Hrant Dink’s murder and the events taking place in Turkey, we also witness the events that took place at Charlie Hebdo in the book. We also meet Turkish intellectuals through this book who have had many problems with their authorities, and they continue to have even bigger problems. This year was full of different events, and the events that took place in the aftermath of Hrant Dink’s death continue to take place in Turkey and elsewhere. Within this context, it was interesting for us to find out how Armenian readers would feel about this book,” the ambassador said. He added that, within the framework of these events, round-table talks, the presentation of Agos in Gyumri, and the screening of Serzh Avedikyan’s new documentary Return of the Solog at the Moscow Cinema, which Valeri Manto and Serzh Avedikyan will participate in, will take place in honor of Dink and his journalistic heritage.

Gohar Hakobyan