Armenian Magic Stories in Three Apples Fell From the Sky by Narine Abgaryan

In my repertoire of languages, Armenian is the most challenging one. No matter how long I study it, I am still far from being able to properly read a simple text and make a basic conversation. Reading local authors in the original language is out of question as for now - and probably at least the next five years or so, may I have a longer life. The most easiest way to have access to authors from this space is Russian, as in the case of all the sucessful authors from the former Soviet space, but I am lazy for such an intellectual endeavour. Therefore, all I have to do is to wait until a decent translation is out on the market.

Narine Abgaryan, listed by The Guardian´s literary critics among Europe´s most exciting authors, wrote several children books, edited several anthologies of modern Russian prose, and is a successful blogger and lives since 1993 in Moscow. Three Apples Fell From the Sky was awarded four years ago the Yasnaya Polyana Award, considered Russia´s most prestigious award. The jury - that selected as winners among the foreign authors in translation Orhan Pamuk and Mario Vargas Llosa - is chaired by Vladimir Tolstoy, the great grandson of Leo Tolstoy but also cultural advisor to president Putin. Small world...

The story from Three Apples Fell From the Sky is taking place in a remote mountain village, Maran, mostly out of time, unless there is the big war or the big earthquake or the big famine. Tbhe case of the Armenian genocide is gently mentioned but the memories of this traumatic event are not necessarily playing a big part of the memories of the characters. Anatolia Sevoyants, among others a librarian keepers in time of distress, is ready to die, at 58 years old. But her story will go on for at least two other years or so, when the story stops. 

The novel is told in a fairytale style, that suits a realm where dead people are often visiting back home and decisions are taken based on interpretations of dreams. The everyday life of those people might not be extraordinary, but it has its own routine and sense of comfort. As well as its ironies, like in the case of the unique proposal in marriage that Vasily made to Anatolia: He was ´tired of waiting for her to appreciate him for his kindness, so he came to see her with a tool´: a scythe with a sharpened blade. She said ´yes´ because she was expecting to die anyway. There is a dosis of grotesque in most of the characters - especially men - but like in the case of a naive painting, the ugliness is balanced by the simplicity of the everyday human interactions. 

Narine Abgaryan tells the story on a poetic voice which beautifies the mundane. It may be that I am missing many intimate cultural references therefore the book lost me a couple of times - especially in the second part -, but I gloriously made it to the end. Hopefully very soon, will gather my thoughts together to write a review of another Armenian author - also read in translation - and also advance my Armenian language skills.

Rating: 3 stars