MARIAM PETROSYAN BECOMES A RUSSIAN PRIZE LAUREATE FOR THE NOVEL ‘THE HOUSE IN WHICH…’
ArmInfo
2010-04-13 18:02:00
ArmInfo. Armenian writer Mariam Petrosyan has become a laureate of
the international literary Russian Prize for her novel "The House
in Which…".
The only work by M.Petrosyan "The House in Which…" had an interesting
destiny. A painter by profession, Mariam Petrosyan started working
at her novel in early 90s of the 20th century. The story about a
boarding school for disabled teenagers was like a way to evade the
routine. "I was working for myself, and this work became a hobby for
me",- she confessed in a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent. In
1998 Petrosyan carried the hardcopy of her novel to Moscow and left
it at her friend’s. It was this decision that became a turning point
in the destiny of the novel: the hardcopy of the work was moving from
a reader to a reader and at last found itself in one of the Russian
publishing houses.
"The House in Which…" was published in November 2009 and became
popular practically at once. The action of the book is taking place
at a Grey House at the outskirts of the city, among standard new
buildings. The Grey House is bristled up with aerial wires and has
a lot of cracks. It is surrounded by garages, outbuildings, garbage
cans and kennels. The house is something more than just a boarding
school for children abandoned by their parents. The house is like a
universe where the Sphinx, the Blind, the Lord, the Macedonian, the
Black and many others live. Mariam Petrosyan herself characterizes
her novel as "a school everyday life". Critics say that the end of
the book is somewhat vague (the author had to complete her book
on a tight schedule, after she had signed an agreement with the
publishing house), however, even this circumstance is no minus for
"The House in Which…". The novel keeps the readers dazzled from the
very beginning up to the end. Unfortunately, Petrosyan is skeptical
about the prospect to continue the career of a writer. "The House in
Which…" is my first and last book",- she says.