[Newmag Summer Fest] Meeting with Newmag Authors: What do Armenian Authors Write and are They Interesting to the Reader? (photos)

Harut Kbeyan. Lotto 

Who is Poghos that became the main character of Harut Kbeyan's "Lotto" book? This is the first question that journalist Shaqe Ghazaryan asks the writer. This name was the most discussed in the previous parliament. Poghos was the neighbour of the MP Babken Tunyan. The member of parliament quoted Poghos in one of his speeches at the parliament. However, Kbeyan assures that this character is not the same Poghos that people discuss. "The character had a different name, but at the end, when I read this passage, my wife said that the name Poghos would suit the character. So that’s what I did.”

The first pages of the book Harut started to write 10 years ago. Back then no one was speaking about Poghos in the parliament. One year before the publication the author summed up his final thoughts and finished the book. Harut Kbeyan shares which opinion was most interesting for him about the book. “From the opinions that I’ve heard, I was especially impressed with the comparison of "Lotto" with a sobering mirror. And indeed, you look at the novel and see in the mirror the domestic political life, the literary reflection of what happened in the country. It seems that there are some elements of joke in the book, but in fact the novel focuses on the real tragedy.”

Arman Saghatelyan. Nervus Vivendi

The “Nervus Vivendi” book was published only several weeks before the latest Nagorno Karabakh war. In his book Arman Saghatelyan extensively tells about Martakert. During the first Artsakh war the author himself took part in the battles for liberation. Only 20 days after the book presentation Arman Saghatelyan rushed to Artsakh for the 44-day war. 

The book presentation was on September 2, on the independence day of Artsakh. After the presentation the reality has drastically changed. Some soldiers were the special guests of the event, so they shared some ideas with the author about the topic. The book is dedicated to Arman’s friend Tigran. He was in the hall, taking part in the discussion. Currently he lives abroad. Tigran wanted to go to the battlefield, but was not able due to the circumstances. “There were some restrictions because of the pandemic, that’s why he was not able to come. We didn’t talk on the phone on those days. It was really hard.”

Ani Qochar. “Never Give Up”

There were numerous emotional moments in this hall of the fest. After the hard topic of war, it was time for the meeting with Ani Qochar. During the last several months the “Never Give Up” book has become a life motto for many. Some of them have come to say words of gratitude to the author. In fact, the main purpose of the author was to share her personal experience, motivate people, urge them to fight against hardships and overcome challenges.  

“This book is about never giving up; my call is not only for people with cancer. It is a motivation for various hard situations that people may face. I wrote this book because I considered it to be my main mission.”

Ara Tadevosyan. Two Rockstars, two girls and the Mount Ararat

It was now time for Ara Tadevosyan to sign books and take pictures. The “Two Rockstars, two girls and the Mount Ararat” book is a memoir of a journalist, who made a brave decision and accomplished the biggest dream of his life. The author shared with the readers how he has decided to make one of his craziest dreams come true. “My dream was so bold that it seemed impossible to achieve. However, we were able to invite to Armenia those world-famous rock stars, who once helped the country affected by the Spitak earthquake.”

The author assesses his adventures as almost impossible. He invited Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi to Armenia. In 2010, Ian Gillan performed with the Armenian philharmonic orchestra. “In 2009, when the stars arrived in Armenia, we went to Gyumri and hosted N6 music school. It was the only school that had not been renovated since the earthquake, and Ian Gillan decided that he will fund the school to have a new building.”

The authors of Newmag publishing house are currently working on their new works and will soon present new books about our days, our own problems and dreams.