Newmag Presents the Literary Debut of German Director and Playwright Nooran David Kalis - the Novel “The Moon Is Our Sun” (Trailer)

A moving, dramatic and shocking debut novel about wild and passionate, rough and reckless emotions, as well as a return to Armenia. The German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau described the book as “terribly cold and angry literature in the format of gangsta rap.”

“The Moon Is Our Sun” is a story about longing, surrender and painful attempts at rebirth. The psychological and social portraits of the characters carry strong autobiographical elements. Critics describe the novel as a fierce, uncompromising literary “gangsta rap.”

After the death of his father, Alain drops out of school and starts working as a club doorman. He dreams of money, parties in Saint-Tropez and opening his own bar in Genoa. But dreams and reality collide when his cousin becomes involved in dangerous schemes and secretly makes deals behind his back. Brotherhood gradually turns into distrust, betrayal and violence.

Alain’s beloved Flo leaves him and the city, and he is left alone - like a zombie, a shadow wandering between day and night, past and present.

One day, however, his uncle reveals a long-kept family secret: a treasure hidden in the land of his ancestors. Alain then sets off on a journey to that distant homeland - Armenia.

Born into an Armenian-Jewish family that immigrated from Turkey, Kalis writes in a bold and uncompromising language about burning longing, surrender and rebirth, masterfully portraying the psychological and social layers of his characters.

The novel also contains autobiographical elements. In his youth, Kalis himself worked as a security guard, later studying at the Otto Falckenberg School in Munich, where he began directing hip-hop videos.

He later became a well-known theater and film director and in 2006 received the Bavarian Art Prize. In an interview with Newmag, he shared his excitement about the Armenian publication of the novel.

“I am very happy that my novel is being published in Armenia. I cannot describe my feelings, because I am originally from Armenia. I am happy that my first novel, which tells about my youth and adolescence, is finding its way and its reader.”

The title “The Moon Is Our Sun” was inspired by the song of the same name by Jan Delay and Moonbootica, highlighting the musical layer of the book.

The Armenian translation was done by Mariam Gurzadyan. The book’s main partner is Cinema Star Armenia.