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What does it mean to write fantasy in Western Armenian?

They say that flying is meant for only birds and fairytales.
Is that true? At least that’s the truth they’ve been telling us.
Because that which seems improbable makes no room for
what can be possible. And so, the unreal remains in the
realm of fantasy, as part of that hidden truth that only
lives inside of you. 

—Dr. Tamar Marie Boyadjian from The Mepe & the Dragon (Arpi Publishing, 2024) 

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Tamar Marie Boyadjian

Tamar Marie Boyadjian is a professor, author, Western Armenian poet, editor, translator and medievalist. She is the first U.S. born author to publish a book of poetry in Western Armenian: ինչ որ է ան է (Yerevan: Andares, 2015). She is also the first writer of Western Armenian to produce a fantasy series in the language (Arpi Publishing, 2024). She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies. She has also served as the main editor of two out of three extant volumes of contemporary Armenian literature in translation into English: makukachu (Ingnakir, 2017), and unscripted: An Armenian Palimpsest [Absinthe: World Literature in Translation] (University of Michigan Press, 2017). She was the recipient of the Sona Aroyan Book Prize for her monograph, The City Lament: Jerusalem Across the Medieval Mediterranean (Cornell University Press, 2018). Her latest book, Կաթիլ մը կին՝ անանուն, անքերթուած a drop of woman: unnamed, unwritten — will be released in 2024. She currently teaches Western Armenian courses at Stanford University.

8 Comments

    1. Thank you so much for your support! This book is written in a style that is easy to read for elementary age and up. The story is captivating for all ages. We can’t wait to share it with you.

  1. Congratulations, Tamar, what a treasure trove this promises to be! Will love to read it.

    1. Theo so great to hear from you and thank you so much. I can’t wait to hear your impressions. Much gratitude, Tamar

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