The Armenian Institute is proud of its language students, this year numbering 34. Teachers Sona Kalenderian and Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian have successfully brought knowledge and a love of the language to their students for many years. This year we begin a new series of short public talks by our students on subjects of their choice and interest. These will be in West or East Armenian and range from 8 to 20 minutes. Please join us to learn about the varied subjects they will cover but also to encourage them and to practise your own Armenian. Discussions will follow the presentations, ending with time to share refreshments and further conversations.

Donald Hindoyan (West Armenian) will give a talk devoted to Carzou (1907 -- 2000). Aleppo-born, later resident in France, Carzou’s unique style emphasises line over colours, the latter depicting mood in his works. His surrealist content of images provoke responses to the Armenian Genocide. An award-winning artist in his lifetime notably receiving the Hallmark and Légion d'honneur, Carzou is remembered today with two museums in his name in France and one in Armenia.

Andre Martirosyan (East Armenian) will give a talk on Franz Kafka’s popular novel The Metamorphosis and its various interpretations by literary critics.

Stephen Masters’s (East Armenian) talk is entitled ‘Giving New Life to a Neglected Novel’. Learn about how a conversation during an Eastern Armenian lesson, led to Stephen digitising a 1946 copy of I Ask You, Ladies and Gentlemen, by Leon Z. Surmelian (recently published by Armenian Institute). You will discover some of the difficulties and peculiarities in this process, on the journey to the recent republication of the novel for a new generation of readers.