Yerevan

The famous Russian theologian, writer and priest Georgiy Chistyakov once said, “Armenians easily adapt and thrive within the culture of any nation, but they were unable to integrate their own culture into the cultural treasury of humanity.” In fact, if we start listing all the authors who became classics outside of Armenia, we can see that the orthodox priest has a point. But this is just the first impression. Armenians would not have achieved such paramount heights in other cultures without having their own culture to lean on, thereby making it universally available to everyone. We offer you the names of poets and writers, who not only contributed to the treasury of the world’s literature, but in many aspects revealed the depth of the Armenian character.

As Franz Werfel mentions in his memoirs, “Armenians are a peaceful people, gifted with talent, thought and soul.” Does it really matter in what language Armenians, in pursuit of their soul, share their thoughts? Doesn’t the heavy Bitlis accent break though the Saroyan English texts? And in the delicate French prose of Henri Troyat, can you not detect the chatter of Armavir, a city founded in 1839 by his own grandfather Torosian? And who can deny the Armenian temper of Sergei Dovlatov, even though he only spent a couple of days in Armenia? No, it is not just the genes. It’s the culture that draws its sources from the foothills of Erebouni, and radiates all over the world.

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