Anush Sedrakyan: Why don’t the literary works of Armenian writers become international bestsellers? (photos, video in Armenian)
In the scope of Newmag Summer Fest, Anush Sedrakyan, lecturer in the YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology, talked about Armenian literature, language and the parallels between literature and politics. According to Ms. Sedrakyan, Armenian writers only succeed
Only the interconnectedness of state tradition and language can become the basis of novels with high quality. This may not have affected poetry, but it definitely had an adverse effect on prose. According to Anush Sedrakyan, the radiance of Russian prose would have affected us if the Russian state had not faced certain problems. “Evidence of this is the case of German Sadulayev’s "I am a Chechen" book published in Russia. This is a vivid example of the division between the state and identity. In such cases it becomes even more difficult to not lose your literary direction.”
The ratio of Armenian and Russian statehoods will always be to the detriment of Armenian literature. Despite all the shortcomings, the Russian statehood is more profound and stronger than the Armenian one. The YSU lecturer emphasizes that Russia has a tradition of powerful prose, which cannot be said in case of Armenian literature.“Politics is much more intertwined with literature than with history. To be able to become a state, you must have a dream. Israel had a dream and realized it. America created its identity based on the dream of a nation-state. France never backed down from its dream. The slogan of liberty, equality and fraternity is pursued in France even nowadays.”
Did we have a national dream? Anush Sedrakyan believes that we did not have one. Our dreams have never been clearly formulated. If you want to have a country, the national and state interests must be interconnected. This is where we need to add the language “Language is the first dictator, it dictates the living conditions, the connection of the spiritual world in all the countries.”
In order to publish a literature with international standards, it is necessary to start translating international bestsellers into Armenian. That is exactly what Newmag Publishing House is doing. “Let’s not forget the example of the Jews: they changed the reality with simple, yet powerful steps, they changed the national identity and mentality through education.”
Anush Sedrakyan believes that we need to make use of all the possible mechanisms in order to achieve a substantive change. For instance, Facebook can become a tool, which will help to persuade the users to read more books.
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