Anileve Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Well I ventured on a quest to find fiction written in Armenian. I was looking to find literature, preferably not dealing with the church or genocide, which I can order online. And guess what? I couldn’t find anything. Either the books are written in English or they are Genocide oriented or both at the same time. I don’t understand does no one read literature in Armenia? If anyone knows of a site from which I can order Armenian books please help me out. I find it strange that there are no prolific modern Armenian writers in Armenia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Bark Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Well I ventured on a quest to find fiction written in Armenian. I was looking to find literature, preferably not dealing with the church or genocide, which I can order online. And guess what? I couldn’t find anything. Either the books are written in English or they are Genocide oriented or both at the same time. I don’t understand does no one read literature in Armenia? If anyone knows of a site from which I can order Armenian books please help me out. I find it strange that there are no prolific modern Armenian writers in Armenia. Forget about Armenian writers, I'll settle for Armenian translators. I would be ecstatic to find Harry Potter (or anything kids in the diaspora might think is cool) in Armenian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Eve and TB, did you try Narek.com? I think you can find many Armenian language books there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Bark Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Eve and TB, did you try Narek.com? I think you can find many Armenian language books there. Yes Sasun, of course. I was just joking. In fact, I rarely read fiction, so I wouldn't be up to date on what's available, as I wouldn't be looking for it. But I am serious about the lack of translations for children's and young adults' literature, including pop-culture stuff. I think it is a pity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Ani, try http://www.bnagir.am/ Much of the new stuff is printed by them. In fact you can submit your own work as well They also have a paper version you can subscribe to, in case you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anileve Posted August 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Thanks Sasun, actually Narek site is the first place I looked; I believe they have 2 fiction books in Armenian. The problem is that I can’t find fiction written in Armenian which doesn’t deal with Genocide, and if I do come across something it is usually terribly uninteresting. TB, I would love to find translation as well since it seems that writing is not a popular craft in Armenia unless it has something to do with Genocide in which case you can dig up an ocean of sources. Nairi jan, it’s a great site I found a few stories, but I was looking for a book to buy. Would you know of any other sites? I need to ask someone in Yerevan if they read fiction in Armenian, unless it is still according to the Soviet times when the only decent literature you were able to read was written in Russian. Sigh…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Ani, check this out: http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=6580 Maybe the reason why not much is published in Armenian, as well as the fact that we haven't had a serious literary movement since 1915... Or at least, it was all silenced. I think you have to know where to look and who to contact to get your hands on Armenian Literature (as opposed to Soviet trash). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeznig Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 Whatever the quantity there is some fine Armenian literature out there. For the most modern I cannot vouch. But certainly among the 20th century writers dealing with 'everyday life' as opposed to genocide or patriotism there are the following: Gourgen Mahari - witty, humorous, critical Vartkes Bedrossian - cutting vision on everyday life in Soviet Armenia Hamo Sahian - poet of everday life and the world about us Barouyr Sevak - untouchable in his poetry Stepan Zorian - slightly older generation - a fictional historian of his times. Garen Simonian - science fiction Vakhtan Ananian - novelist and also children's writer Khachig Tashdentz - translator of Shakespeare I could list plenty more... Yeznig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axel Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 I think you have to know where to look and who to contact to get your hands on Armenian Literature (as opposed to Soviet trash). I don't know about soviet trash but you mentioned bnagir.am which publishes the "writings" of such whores as violet krikorian. The few translations of the latter's "works" by a french-armenian fagot (almost a pleonasm) I have had the "privilege" to get acquainted with gave me an idea of how excremental so-called contemporary "armenian literature" can get. This is not a subjective judgment but an objective truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 I didn't judge bnagir, but it is practically the only literary magazine (if you can call it such) that publishes everything. It's up to you to find what you like and what not. But as I said earlier, there is hardly any good contemporary Armenian literature, especailly when you don't know where to look. We need a new movement or at least space for the good authors to come out. So far, we have failed miserably, so that even the few good authors that we have, live in hiding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armine Barseghyan Posted August 26, 2004 Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Check out this: www.hzh.am (Haykakan zhamanak newspaper's site). Onthe bottom of the site there are a couple of Armenian Literature links (modern writers such as Vano Siradeghyan, Armen Shekoyan and others). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 (edited) But I am serious about the lack of translations for children's and young adults' literature, including pop-culture stuff. I think it is a pity. style_images/master/snapback.png Hey TB, you think this is a good start? http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Es%20%20kpayqarem.mp3 Sorry, couldn't resist, ahhhh Here's another, not sure if it's better or worse: http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Maria.mp3 ------------ EDIT: the links are broken as I took them off my website. I got them from here: http://www.yerevan.ru/music/music_by_theme...arch=&offset=40 Edited September 9, 2004 by nairi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 did Gloria Gaynor get a penny from that translation I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anileve Posted September 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Hey TB, you think this is a good start? http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Es%20%20kpayqarem.mp3 Sorry, couldn't resist, ahhhh Here's another, not sure if it's better or worse: http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Maria.mp3 style_images/master/snapback.png "I will survive" is not bad at all although it would have been a lot better without the chorus. "Maria" on the other hand is very irritating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nairi Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Azat, I don't think she would want one if she heard it... Ani, it's pretty bad, esp. from a feministic point of view She sings the complete opposite of Gloria Gaynor. Instead of saying: "I'm never going to take you back no matter what you do", this chick goes: "If you come to my door I'll give you kisses and take you back." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Bark Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Hey TB, you think this is a good start? http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Es%20%20kpayqarem.mp3 Sorry, couldn't resist, ahhhh Here's another, not sure if it's better or worse: http://www.xs4all.nl/~nairi/Maria.mp3 style_images/master/snapback.png Ehm. That wasn't quite what had in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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