The Persistence of Keeping the Armenian Identity in Our Regions (Mkrtich Markosyan’s Collections “Our Regions” and “From the Banks of the Tigris”)
The Persistence of Keeping the Armenian Identity in Our Regions (Mkrtich Markosyan’s Collections “Our Regions” and “From the Banks of the Tigris”)
Piloyan Valeri
Summary
Summary
Key words: survivors of the genocide, faith, customs, the fermentation of memory and love, inheritance, ending, family version of Armenian history, satire
Even after the genocide that took place a hundred or more years ago, we must acknowledge that Armenians still live in Western Armenia, and only the religious fanatics felt the responsibility of being the owner. Mkrtich Markosyan’s books “Our Regions” and “From the Banks of the Tigris” confirm their existence and remember them: they are a people. This principle is essential in all his works. Today, M. Markosyan is the last representative of the “literature of longing,” a genre burdened with a special responsibility. His characters’ prototypes, who live as characters in the conventions of writing, no longer exist but generations of those people that followed are still here. What is the mystery of these people remaining Armenian? To keep that spirit alive, a calling voice like that of Hovan’s is needed; otherwise, some of them live isolated from both Armenians and foreigners (referring to Islamized Armenians and those who disregard faith), some assimilate, and the question arises: which gene, spirit, or language will prevail in the face of globalization tomorrow? And another question emerges: should we ignore them – those abandoned on both banks of the Arax, the people of Tigranakert, Malatya, Akni, Artsakh – or will only the religious fanatics feel the responsibility of belonging? At this moment, they live in the hope that they will be remembered.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58726/27382915-2025.2hs-87