The TV presentation of Ara Zargaryan’s book "Aksel Bakunts’s 'Mtnadzor'" took place (video)

Ara Zargaryan, author of the work "Aksel Bakunts’s 'Mtnadzor'," was a guest on Armenia TV's "Good Morning" show. Referring to the literary work, the literary critic emphasized that Bakunts’s short story "Mtnadzor" has very rich layers:

"Both a hundred years ago and today, the situation in the context of the story has barely changed. In the 1920s, there were Armenian-Tatar and Armenian-Turkish clashes in that area, and history is repeating itself. The Mtnadzor region and the territory of Nerqin Hand are currently occupied today. In 'Mtnadzor' and other short stories, Bakunts describes the decline of the village, showing how villages are emptied. These issues are relevant now as well, schools are closing, people are leaving the villages. Socio-political situations repeat themselves."

Ara Zargaryan worked with photographer Piruza Khalapyan. They used archival documents from the Museum of Literature and Art and studied the writer's archive: 

"We found the homes and cemeteries of two characters from the story 'Mtnadzor'. We were unable to photograph several locations because they were occupied by Azerbaijan during and after the 2022 war. The purpose of creating the book is also to photograph and preserve those territories that are currently occupied."

The author of the book says that a hundred years later, from a geopolitical perspective, the area of "Mtnadzor" is very important today, as Syunik is at the center of attention of major powers:

"In 1925–1926, the Armenian-Azerbaijani demarcation was taking place, and Bakunts was a member of the demarcation commission. Through the writer's efforts, about twenty villages in the Kapan region remained within the territory of Syunik and remain so to this day. Mtnadzor is located in the territory of Nerqin Hand in Tsav village and is part of the Shikahogh State Reserve.

It is now a territory that is occupied, and human entry into that area is impossible because it is a military neutral zone. One of the goals of the book is to serve as a record that, a hundred years later, shows what problems the historical territory of the story created by Bakunts faces."

The language created and developed by the writer is unique, simple, yet very deep. According to literary critic Ara Zargaryan, Bakunts presents realities that carry artistic, geopolitical, social, and emotional significance.