Unveiling "My Armenian Friend": insights from the translator (video)

Who was the writer that became the mystery of modern French literature? Readers kept searching while he hid under a pseudonym. Published in 2001 as Gabriel Osmond, he wrote 4 novels in 10 years. Finally, in 2011, a reader noted that Osmond's "20,000 Women in the Life of a Man" was inspired by Makine's novel "Dreams of My Russian Summers", after which Andreï Makine admitted that Osmond was himself.

"My Armenian Friend" was presented by Newmag at the first French book festival. The memoir was translated from French to Armenian by Anna Baghdasaryan. She lives in France: "Makine enjoys a great reputation here. He is a popular author among academics. And for students of my age, he is an exotic author, with memoirs about the new culture and Soviet Russia. His leitmotif is Russia itself, along with the French culture, which he has deeply felt from childhood."

According to the translator, Makine has a unique writing style. He writes in French and the pure language of Moliere and Racine. Of course, there are sometimes long-winded sentences, which you will not find in modern French literature. "In the book, we have a story within a story. It represents a different ethno-culture through a 13-year-old character. It's a true story. Makine has repeatedly said that he is his friend. When asked about the reasons for writing the story, he quoted Michele; it is necessary to shed light on the dark pages of history. To immortalize Vardan so that he does not become the silent shadow of the past. We have a rich palette, representatives of different social classes, a teacher, a former prisoner, 13-year-old boys, and mainly Armenian heroes."

Things happen very fast and in tandem. The book is read in one breath because Makine presented himself with all his professionalism.