“All those signals that I received from above to convey to you”
“Warlover” sounds more than strange as it combines two words that are poles apart. Ayb School 12-th grade student Ksenia Muradyan, however, doesn’t share this viewpoint as she chose the word as the title of her book of stories.
During the presentation that took place at the school, Ksenia told how the stories were born and talked about the thoughts and emotions she had as an author. Literature teacher Astghik Karapetyan joined her to share impressions of the book. Ayb School graduate Ella Avagyan acted as the presentation host.
The book consists of 25 unique stories, each of which evokes strong emotions. Ksenia says most of the stories do not have an archetype. “I had an interesting feeling. I didn’t know where these stories originated from but at the same time they seemed so familiar and close to heart,” she says. Ksenia explains this “oddity” using a philosophic approach. “All those signals that I received from above to convey to you and change something in your life.”
Some of the stories like “Gallows” and “Yerevan” have an archetype and tell about the everyday life of the capital city. The main character of “Wonder kid” story is Ksenia’s 6-year-old blue-eyed younger brother, who taught her “to long for something she has no idea about.”
Astghik Karapetyan is confident that “Warlover” is not a page turner. Although the book is rather thin, it requires time to comprehend every emotion and change without hustle. The teacher wasn’t surprised by Ksenia’s decision to author a book, however, she confesses, “the style of writing and profound insights do surprise.”
“Love and war have been mixed up like with a spoon in a cup”, Ksenia writes. For her, these two phenomena are intertwisted, the first being a creator and the second a destroyer. It may seem that everything is clearly defined but the author has an alternative point of view. “To make your war make sense, you must love it,” she says. “I am not talking about the war at country borders. The story is about the war with your test paper, bad neighbor, or finally, with yourself.”
How has the book changed Ksenia’s life? Although she still continues to analyze each of her stories, she is confident that “the earth is round and has an axis and it’s important to preserve the balance.” In this context, negative phenomena, for example pain, are also very important. “This book was born as a result of pain that needed to be cured,” she says.
During the presentation, Ksenia thanked her classmates for being an important part of the process. Thus, Anna Grigoryan, illustrated the cover and provided the audio version of the book read by Milena Mkrtchyan and Aram Barseghyan, who suggested making the audio.
“When you see people around you, who are ready to help you, it’s an ultimate pleasure to share your success with them and you feel like the happiest person,” Ksenia says.
The introduction is recited by actor and singer Avo Khalatyan.
“I am not standing at the border but I am the warrior in my own war,” Ksenia says, describing a soldier as herself. When the war evoked dreadful and choking emotions, this book was born to bring her calmness.
She always knew that she will write a book one day but she didn’t know when the moment will come. Asked whether she is going to continue writing, Ksenia found it difficult to answer. However, she is hopeful that her next book, if ever written, will not be about war.
Milena, who voiced the stories, said the book helped her “find her own self.”
The event ended with enthusiastic applause.
Mary Ghulyan, 12th grade
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