Who is the Armenian friend of Andreï Makine who became the hero of the book? (video)
“My Armenian Friend” enchants with its multi-layered nostalgia. The memories of the isolated Armenian community, the homeland, are interwoven with the memories of the young boy, his friend of childhood. Makine writes about Armenians and Armenia with emoti
The Armenian friend is 15-year-old Vardan, who lives in Devil’s Far Quarter. Armenian families from the poor suburbs came to Siberia to await the trial of their relatives. The charge was the creation of a secret organization ahead of the anniversary of the Genocide and the idea of restoring Armenia's independence. Political prisoners were kept five thousand kilometers from their homeland in an old monastery converted into a prison.
“Michele said that we should let the silence of history speak. We should talk instead of relatives and friends about everything that they cannot speak about. If I didn't talk about my Armenian friend in this book, what response would his life get, who would know about him? He is the general image of those people who come to life, remain in the shadows, fight and leave”.
The book “My Armenian Friend” becomes more mysterious and exciting when it turns out that the Armenian boy, Vardan, may not be Armenian. He was adopted by a widow Shamiram in Karabakh when she learned that her mother had died during ethnic clashes, probably after being raped by Azerbaijanis. Growing up and being brought up in an Armenian family and in an Armenian environment, little Vardan became an Armenian with a dream of Ararat and memories of the Genocide of his predecessors. As a believer in being Armenian, the child inherited the severe disease called “Armenian”.
“What surprised me about this boy, despite his Yerevan disease and the tragic situation in his country, was that he could create a tender, lyrical environment around him. After all, he was a very happy child. The world forced him to be cruel and aggressive, but he found his place under the sun and said no, there is another way to live, to feel alive and I will reveal it to you: the way of lyrics, the way of being far from the world a little, but at the same time, a way which does not deny the reality”.
Andreï Makine masterfully presents the story of friendship and love through the character of his Armenian friend, mentioning different tragic periods for Armenia and Armenians: Genocide, Artsakh war and exile of dissidents.
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