Wars affect human life in the profoundest and most irreversible ways. How does one reconcile the pain of witnessing, survival, and loss? Armenian writer Narine Abgaryan’s short story collection "To Go On Living" (2018) sets out to explore potential answers. Unfolding in an Armenian mountain village in the immediate aftermath of the 1990s Nagorno-Karabakh War, the thirty-one short stories trace the interconnected lives and struggles of villagers who tend to their everyday tasks, engage in quotidian squabbles, and celebrate small joys against a breathtaking landscape. "Writing about war," Abgaryan writes, "is like destroying your hope, like looking death in the face without looking away, because, if you do, you will betray yourself."

A public reading of select passages from Abgaryan’s collection, followed by a conversation with the author and the English-language translators of the book: Dr. Margarit Ordukhanyan and Dr. Zara Torlone (Professor, Miami University, OH). Moderated by Knar Abrahamyan. Reception and book signing will follow the event.

Author bio

Named one of Europe’s most exciting authors by The Guardian, Narine Abgaryan is the author of a dozen books, which have collectively sold over 1.35 million copies. Her book Three Apples Fell From the Sky (Oneworld, 2020) won the Leo Tolstoy Yasnaya Polyana Award and an English PEN Award, and has been translated into 27 languages.