Panel discussion "Looking for a Place - Armenian Literature in Europe" at the Frankfurt Buchmesse studio stage (Video)
On October 18th, 2024, a panel discussion entitled Looking for a place – Armenian literature in Europe took place at the Frankfurt Studio stage in the frames of the fair. The speakers of the panel were writers Anoush Kocharyan, Aram Pachyan, Sargis Hovsepyan, literary critic Tigran Amiryan, and the panel was moderated by Jürgen Jakob Becker, Deputy Managing Director, curator of literary program at Literarische Colloquium Berlin. The opening speech was delivered by Arevik Ashkharoyan, the founding director of ARI Literature Foundation followed by a welcoming speech by the director of Konrad Adenauer Foundation South Caucasus Stephan Malerius.
Among the topics discussed were the place of modern Armenian literature on the geopolitical map, the influence of the Soviet years on modern Armenian literature, the importance of using translation as a tool for integration, and how we see ourselves and how we are perceived from outside. The influence of historical memory, collective memory, as well as “memory of memory” in modern Armenian literature was also one of the central topics of discussion. When asked by Jürgen Becker, moderator of the panel discussion, what ideas the participants have for the moto to represent Armenia as the guest of honor of the Frankfurt International Book Fair, all of them mentioned the topics of place and memory in their answers.
YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THE PANEL DISCUSSION BELOW: