The Nerve of Life: Newmag publishes Arman Saghatelyan's novel on Artsakh liberation battle

A highly personal narrative depicting the difficult life of the early independence period, The Nerve of Life provides insight into the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) liberation battle and the energy crisis which Armenia faced in the war period between 1991-1993. The main character is the author himself,  at the time a 17-year-old student, who teams up with his friend to head to the battlefield.

Newmag publishing house has released Arman Saghatelyan's novel on the wartime difficulties and the history of survival. The central figures are the two young men who escaped home, immediately heading to the trouble spot, the village of Chldran.

The book is based on eyewitness accounts.

Saghatelyan says he came up with the idea all of a sudden after a surprise encounter with a strongbox, a gift from his grandfather. "I needed it for some reason, and so I decided to arrange all the stuff inside. And while searching through the rubbish, I ran into a thin folder with my notes and records I had forgotten since 1992-1993. I didn't try to delve deep into the details. I just hid the folder."

The handwritten pieces, however, were to be compiled into a book recounting the writers' memories in Russian, and later also in the Armenian language. Recollecting details appeared the most difficult moment, but the written records and friends' verbal stories helped retrieve important episodes.

"The narrative is devoid of fictional characters or invented scenes. You will not come across any outstanding name in this book, though I have met with very many people over past years, who are now influential and well-known figures. There were details, though, I wasn't able to memorize. It wasn't easy to reproduce the kind of humor specific to those difficult days. I don't know; perhaps things turned out much more serious than they were originally supposed to be," the author remembered.

The book has been translated by Anush Muradyan. The editor of the Armenian edition is Armen Amirkhanyan.