Anatolia Sevoyants, the 58-year old librarian of Maran, is convinced she’s going to die soon. And while you spend the first chapter worrying about her and getting to know her simple, ascetic home - the author Narine Abgaryan transports you to this remote and fictional Armenian village, to meet its dwindling population. Every single home in Maran has its story – sometimes sad, sometimes funny, every single character is memorable and different, but they’re all tied with the scars of a war and famine. Narine Abgaryan doesn’t place the village and the events anywhere geographically and historically specific. It can be any conflict-ridden part of the world, and any war and genocide. Only her colourful language - dropping an odd Armenian word in her own sweet-sounding Tavush dialect -connects Maran to the high and misty mountains in the northern part of Armenia.
‘Three Apples Fell from the Sky’ has been compared to ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’, for its structure, vibrant characters, skilfully embroidered with magical realism and historical references. The book made me also think of Hrant Matevosyan’s writing – warm, inviting storytelling and deeply emphatic look at the life in an isolated Armenian village.
Moscow-based author writes in Russian and the recent excellent translation by Lisa Hayden made the book available to the English-language readers. While the book borrows its title from an old Armenian saying, usually following fairytales (Three apples fell from the sky: one for the storyteller, one for the listener, and one for the eavesdropper), its also is a serious examination of the cruelty and devastation of the war, tragically very relevant to Armenia and Narine’s beloved Tavush today.
Translated by Lisa C. Hayden, Oneworld Publications, 2020
Written by Tatevik Ayvazyan
Originally written for Zanazan Magazine Issue 1