– Husik, don’t you think that the “Garun” monthly is turning into something in the past?
– The “Garun” monthly has been presenting Armenian culture for the past 40 years. It remains the only monthly where young people have the chance to print their articles. It doesn’t matter if the editors and the chief editor don’t think alike on literary nuances, it simply gives youth the chance to gain experience by expressing themselves and creating something new.
– But readers don’t feel that something new.
– The editorial staff also feels that way. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time…Ten years ago, it seemed as though the “Garun” monthly was like a political refuge for writers. The same thing is going on today. But maybe the articles are not that fresh because there is not enough time. However, last year “Garun” published an amazing article about the nuclear power plant, an article which wouldn’t be published back in the days of the Soviet Union because it would go against the president. Each line was filled with facts. But that article didn’t really attract the public eye. I can’t really say why “Garun” is not read that much nowadays…it’s not sold, the editorial staff can’t give money to the authors and they are slowly starting to leave.
– But no literary monthly staff gives high paychecks to any author, but writers continue to write and publish their articles. So, the paycheck is not really a reason for the authors to leave the publication.
– I remember when Hakob Movses was editor for poems at “Garun” back in the 80s. One time they asked him why he prints bad poems and he said “if you bring me genius poems, I will print them”. That’s it. This has always been the problem. There are simply few good ones out there.
– What does today’s writer need besides money?
– The writer doesn’t need anything. I guess all he needs is time. It seemed as though there was supposed to be some literature boom after the 90s, but we haven’t seen that boom to this day. You know what, it’s like they came and told us that we are independent, but we hadn’t gained that independence through victory; it was simply told. We weren’t ready for that independence. One has to be ready deep down inside.
– You are member of the Writers’ Union, administrative member of the union and head of the young writers department. Do you get something out of that, especially since as far as I know, you don’t get paid for that? What does the young person striving to be part of this department have to do?
– Young people between the ages of 18 and 20 come here and they really have a lot to learn. Surprisingly, they develop at a fast rate. They need to develop; gathering, reading, listening to each other and discussing different topics really helps them. I personally neither have the time nor the desire for that, but I am so connected to them, we get along so well together; I fear that one day the writers’ union will simply lead them on the wrong route.
– How will they do that?
– Let’s say a young writer reads a good poem, but the union members say it’s bad. Since the writer is young and doesn’t have much experience, he may not resist the criticism and believe in whatever they say. I see a small thing, I get inspired, pass it on to the kids and they develop. Many people may consider that department as Soviet style, or even a formality, but it’s not a formality. But it’s not a formality because all that helps the kids. I take the well-written pieces home and print them in the “Garun” monthly. I must say that there are many pieces that are printed without the consent of all members, but they do give youth the opportunity to take the first steps. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad; you have to give the youth the chance to gain experience through writing. Nowadays, there are many good works in Armenian literature that are worth translating and presenting to the world. We simply don’t have the opportunity to do that.
– Sure we do. After all, isn’t that what the Writers’ Union is all about?
– I have found out from someone that the Russian “Oktyabr” monthly is currently preparing a special monthly dedicated to Armenian literature. In Armenia, many people were spreading rumors that only elder and Russian literate writers were going to write for the monthly. Meanwhile, Bitov, who for some reason is taking part in the publication, has asked the youth to write for the monthly; he even said that it’s ok if they bring a couple of lines and he will edit them. The “Oktyabr” monthly has already published Azerbaijani and Georgian editions, but it turns out that Armenia wants to keep young writers under the shade and only present elder writers. Why? What are they afraid of? I don’t understand. I have asked the young writers at the union to bring translated pieces so that I can at least send something to Russia. This environment and the mentality is what’s going to keep us from moving forward.
– What are the elders so afraid about?
– I don’t know. There is some kind of separatism. You can see it everywhere around the country-people differentiate between someone who has lived in the Soviet Union and someone who is living in the modern world. In some way, the elders consider themselves as the right, Soviet people, while the youth is the wrong, non-Soviet people. It seems as though there’s nothing, but in reality there is a gap between elder and new generation writers.
– Perhaps young writers must try to understand the elder writers and not anticipate anything from them, take their own roads, do something new and call it their own. Why aren’t they doing that?
– We simply aren’t united, that’s why. We are like the stalks of grass and we let others walk all over us.
– Not one young writer was present at the Pan-Armenian Writers’ conference held in Beirut. What is the meaning of this?
– Perhaps I will sound wrong to say this, but I say it’s ok. A group consisting of 50-52 writers between the ages of 60-65 made the trip to Beirut. The youngest of the writers must have been around 45 if not older. I would like to ask the question: isn’t there the young generation of writers in Armenia-20,25,30,35 year old writers…? A couple of years ago, if my memory serves me right, I wrote the following in “Garun”: if we take out the writers up to the age of 40 out of Armenian literature, we will be left with nothing, literature will end, literature doesn’t have a backbone. Let’s remember Charents, Teryan, Metsarents…there was nobody in the group at that age to go to Beyrut. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying why I didn’t go. But I’m sure there will be someone in the crowd who will ask if there wasn’t any young writer among all of them. If you are taking 52 writers, at least take writers of different generations. I truly respect the elder writers, but the Writers’ Union shows that we have no writers to continue the legacy. This is my interpretation.
– But what is the purpose of those conferences? Should we really feel bad that young writers weren’t presented, especially when the president of the Writers’ Union has announced that there will be a young writers’ conference in the summer in Tsakhkadzor?
– Those conferences don’t have a purpose. The last two conferences were held here in Armenia. What did they give?-nothing. That’s why I suggested letting young writers go abroad and the elder stay in Tsakhkadzor. About 90% of the youth, including me, have never been on an airplane. The state collapsed, the world has changed, it would be nice to have them see new things and communicate with others. Many haven’t seen anything else besides these dusty streets of Yerevan. Why should the elders only be given the right to travel?
– What, has the Writers’ Union turned into some tourist agency? What is the main problem facing the union today? Do we really need to have a writers’ union?
– If it exists, then it’s necessary. In general, before destroying something you must create something new and then think about destroying it. You are asking me about the role that the union plays and I say that the union must do everything it can to make sure everyone is equal, so that there is no gap between elder and young writers. I remember Hrant Matevosyan’s words when he said: yesterday’s president must work closely with the new president in order for a country to be stable. There shouldn’t have been this gap between the writers of the two generations. Today, the elder generation is separating itself from the youth.
– Another issue concerns the reconstruction of the Writers’ Union. What do you think about the proposals?
– Remember what happened when the “Paplavok” café was reconstructed. The aura was gone and that area became foreign. The same will happen with the Writers’ Union if not the worse. The Writers’ Union is a place where a writer like me can go and meet another writer, talk about different topics such as literature; in other words, it’s a little, familiar corner. Nowadays, the city is becoming more and more foreign.
– Perhaps the union will really gain something with the reconstruction or, as the union members say, they will get some profit out of it.
– Have you or I ever cared about the income of the union? What are we going to get out of it?
– Nobody will get anything out of it?
-I don’t know…