In June 2015, Plav literary magazine of the Czech Republic released a special issue dedicated to Armenian literature and to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The issue was prepared by the magazine’s editor Pavla Nehasilova, in association with ORER European magazine. Samples of modern Armenian books devoted to the Armenian Genocide, which have received state awards and have become popular among readers over the past decades, are presented in Czech for the first time, reports ORER.

The cover of the issue reads “100 Years Later” and features the colorful image of the painting that Prague-based Armenian painter Hovik Muradyan created especially for this issue of the magazine.

“Genocide is not merely the tragedy of one nation, but all mankind”=this is the title of the first interview by ORER magazine’s editor-in-chief Hakob Asatryan with literary critic, prose writer and translator Alexander Topchyan. In the interview, Topchyan reflects on the books that have been devoted to the Armenian Genocide and particularly Topchyan’s novels “And Even After Death” and “Ottoman Bank”. The magazine includes an excerpt from the first novel, which has been translated by Czech Armenologist Milada Kilyanova. A part of prose writer Vahagn Grigoryan’s novel “River of Time”, which is devoted to the history of the genocide, has been translated by Czech Armenologist Anna Sokhova and has been printed in the magazine. Prose writer Armen Shekoyan’s short story entitled “Igdir” has also been translated by Sokhova and is also included in the magazine. Libor Dvorzhak’s Czech translation of the short story entitled “Crazy Girl” from the “Lady S.D.F.” collection of famous actress, prose writer and translator Anahit Topchyan is also presented in the magazine. For the first time, readers of the magazine are introduced to an excerpt from famous Romanian-Armenian writer and Senator Varoujan Vosganian’s novel “Book of Whispers”, which has already been translated into more than ten European languages and will also be released in Czech later this year. The translator of the Czech version is expert on Romanian studies Yarmila Horakova.

Russologist Radka Rubilina’s essay entitled “Armenia: Between Space, Time and Borders” is devoted to the history, culture and literature of the Armenia people and the Armenian Genocide. Radka works at the Office of the OSCE in Yerevan. This issue of Plav magazine also includes samples of Western Armenian poetry, particularly the poems by Daniel Varoujan and Siamanto. A part of Grigor Narekatsi’s “Book of Tragedies” has also been printed. The samples of the poems have been translated by Haik Outijyan, Milada Kilyanova and Martina Pichmanova in lines, and the rhymes have been done by Ludek Lishka. Andran Abrahamyan’s Czech translation of classic Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan’s work “A Drop of Honey” (Mi Katil Meghr) is also presented for the first time. The poems are presented in both Czech and Armenian languages. Editor Hakob Asatryan’s article is about books devoted to the Armenian Genocide, and translator M. Kilyanova also participated in writing the article. The author reflects not only on the books in Armenian, but also the books published in Czech.