Narine Kroyan on writing novels that show the ugliness of war

The award-winning Armenian author says literature can either romanticise war or expose its bitter horrors, impacting the choices future generations will make

Newmag

Narine Kroyan on writing novels that show the ugliness of war

Nesrein El-Bakhshawangy

last update on 12 Apr 2025

Narine Kroyan is an important voice in Armenian literature, blending personal narratives into the collective cultural tapestry of her homeland. Throughout her two decades of writing, she has tackled themes of war, trauma, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Her literary career began with a collection of short stories published in 2010. Kroyan's work often focuses on the importance of remembrance and how societies process suffering. Her seven published books all have emotional depth, despite being written in different styles.

Her 2014 collection, Bitterly Born, explores generational trauma, while her 2021 collection, Bella Belladonna, tackles personal and national identity in her hometown of Vanadzor. Her latest novel, Time of the Flies, focuses on a woman's experiences during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

She has multiple awards under her belt, including the Narcis Award and the Orange Armenia Book Prize, which she won twice. Interestingly enough, Kroyan has a PHD in economics from the Moscow Institute of Public Administration and taught at Lori State Regional College. Her passion for literature emerged later.

In a fast-paced world, she reminds us that certain stories must be retold to prevent them from being forgotten, ensuring that history's echoes find a place in literature. Al Majalla spoke to her about life and work and how she channels stories to preserve important memories. This is the conversation.

Literature is an important medium that preserves and shapes the memory of conflicts

Armenian novelist Narine Kroyan

You write fairy tales, short stories, novellas, and novels. How do you navigate these different genres, and what unique opportunities does each form offer you as a storyteller?

I write in different genres, but this is not always a deliberate choice. Creative work doesn't always adhere to axiomatic, rigid, hierarchical frameworks—this is what makes it creative. This means the content often determines the form of the work.

Your work often explores the impact of war on individuals and society. What role does storytelling play in helping future generations understand and process war?

Literature is an important medium that preserves and shapes the memory of conflicts. Literature simply breaks the scholasticism of history; it is presented to the reader through fiction but still appeals to the reader's intellect, emotions and soul.

By showing the ugliness of war and the importance of preserving your humanity amid catastrophe, you can shape a reader's outlook, making them hate war and perhaps stand against future wars. This may seem utopian, but even the heaviest rain is made up of small drops.

The opposite can also be true. Literature can consciously or unconsciously romanticise war in a way that could coax future generations into war. Therefore, writing can be both a weapon and a shield. It is crucial whose hands it is in or whether it emerges from a healthy or sick mind.

For small countries like mine to survive, writers have a duty to preserve our heritage and share it with the world

Armenian novelist Narine Kroyan

What role does contemporary literature play in shaping and reflecting the cultural identity of Armenia today?

If we talk about the cultural identity of the Armenians as an ethnic group, it has been formed long ago—evidenced by our ancient, historical, and cultural monuments and manuscripts. Now that we are a sovereign state, art and literature play a key role in shaping our national identity. Our art tackles the present and future but also draws on our history to warn us against repeating the mistakes of the past.

Which literary figures have most influenced your work?

Some names that pop into my mind are the Italian writer Umberto Eco, Austrian-Czech writer Franz Kafka, American writer William Faulkner, Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, the French existentialists, and Japanese writers like Kōbō Abe and Haruki Murakami. There are so many; I can't list them all.

Having said that, I don't think any literary figure has directly influenced my works, but the greats of Armenian and world literature have definitely shaped me as a person. I regularly read Armenian and Russian literature from different periods as a child. Later on in life, I read French, American, English, Japanese, and South American authors.

What is your responsibility as a writer?

For small countries like mine to survive, writers and artists have a duty to preserve our heritage and share it with the world. This is what I try to do.

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