Kamar Armenian Newspaper about the presentation of „The Book of Whispers” and „The Sandcastle Gilrs” of Chris Bohjalian (photo)

Speech for Life: this is the slogan of the annual festival Literary Ark on September 21 – 29. Forty writers from Armenia and abroad take place in the festival. They are from eighteen countries of the world: Italy, Austria, Albania, Finland, Norway, Israel, Iran, Canada, China, Estonia, Germany, Belgium, the USA and Romania.
Kamar attended the presentations of <<The Book of Whispers>> by Romanian-Armenian Varuzhan Voskanian and <<Sandcastle Girls>> by American-Armenian Chris Bohjalian. If Varuzhan Voskanian (born in 1958) often comes to Armenia and fluently speaks in West Armenian nice dialect, then American-Armenian Chris Bohjalian (born in 1961) does not know Armenian, he is in the Motherland the first time and was very much excited. Varuzhan Voskanian and Chris Bohjalian brought their best books. Both, unfortunately, were about the Armenian Genocide.
<<The Book of Whispers>> by Voskanian was published in Romania in 2009 and it was considered The Best Book of the Year. According to foreigners <<captivating beauty novel>> has been translated into fifteen languages. In 2013 and 2014 the Writers Unions of Armenia, Israel and Romania presented the book to the Nobel Committee. This year only Armenia presented it. The book was not only translated in Israel but in three months had two editions. The Chairman of Israel Writers Union Herzel Hakak, considering the book as <<an intolerable Genocide memorial candle>>, wrote: <<The writer is worthy of this award because he managed to create a true classic literature, and a living, tremendous witness of Armenian people suffering and the Genocide>>.
<<I have done my duty in Romanian>>, – once said Voskanian. Chris Bohjalian has done his <<duty>> in English, publishing in 2012 the novel <<The Sandcastle Girls>>, which becomes bestseller and the author considered it as <<my ever written most important book>>.
As told the translator of the book Aram Arsenyan, Bohjalian wrote fourteen novels on different subjects.
    Chris Bohjalian’s speech was stirring: <<It is a great honor for me to be here. It is very pleasant to come back Armenia. I have spoken about this novel in seven countries but now the first time I do it in my beloved Armenia, parallel to Varuzhan Voskanian’s book. Everything started from Bohjalian family old photo, my charming grandmother Haykuhi and always wearing a suit grandfather … They did not tell us about it. I wrote it because this story is very important and there is right connection between the Genocide, the Holocaust and Ruanda. We were witnesses, it was known in the USA but now it is forgotten. Our history exists in the form of ruins that was the home for us, and now home to birds and seagulls. When writing I took two decisions: to tell them who even does not know where is Armenia, and the second, my story about the Genocide must be a love story>>.
    David Gasparyan, Arkmenik Nikoghosyan spoke about Varuzhan Voskanian’s book. Then Varuzhan Voskanian came in and in nice West Armenian said: <<Although my book is based on real events and real names, this is not a history book. The winners are the heroes of history: commander, king, in literature characters are pervious people … It is very important, the book must not do conclusion, conclusions killed the literature, if you are confident you do not need a reader. What to do? Forget, revenge or forgive? Revenge is the most dangerous, forgiveness is the most responsible. Forgiveness is a dialogue, the opposite must accept guilt. There is no right to steal from us our three thousand years civilization! >>.

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