The unsuccessful rise of transport fare, the false alternative of Europe-Eurasia, and other shocking events overshadowed the 16th special session of Armenia’s Union of Writers. Earlier, there were some intrigues in the event: Abgar Apinyan was coming “his crew” and starting a squabble with the writers, indecent words, a little squashing, in other words, an interesting journalistic material. But Abgar did not come, and everything proceeded as it should be, let’s say, 40 years ago, by unanimous voting, Levon Ananyan was re-elected for the fourth term, who, probably, wants to exceed Nazarbayev or Karimov with his longevity in the office.
The problem, however, is not the individuals. If Abgar would come and make scandals, definitely the Armenian literature will not benefit. It is clear that the Union is dead, Brezhnev structure with its formal events and reports that is led by a usual essayist. But when it was led by the famous writer, the classic of the 20th century, wasn’t it the same structure? And the fact that the talented composer is the head of the Union of Composers, does it change the nature of this organization?
We just have to understand that the creative unions, in the form in which they exist, are created in a totally different country, and for other purposes, and are not subject to reform. To avoid being unsubstantiated, I would like to quote passages from the USSR Writers’ Union Charter: “The Soviet Writers’ Union declares its main purpose to create works of high artistic significance, which … will be filled with the struggle against the international proletariat, with the pathos of socialism triumph, reflect the wise and heroic nature of the Communist Party” (1934). “The Writers’ Union” is participating in the struggle for the sake of communism building, social progress, peace, and friendship between peoples”(1971).
Thus, basically, there was a Ministry of Literature (music, painting), which was intended to serve particular purposes. Let’s put aside whether these objectives were real or illusion, and how the artists were trying archly evade them. Let’s try to understand what problems the Writers’ Union has now that their top leadership together with their surroundings shall live in safe, that the writers shall go to Tsaghkadzor to rest a few days a year, that some pensioners shall get their pension? These are minor goals, and there is no need to keep the Union of Writers for the sake of it. To publish books? But where do they get the money from, the government, or the sponsors? Let it be a group of prestigious experts, who will tell the same government, or the same sponsors that this book is worth printing, and that one is not. That’s why there is no need for a Writers’ Union.
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And, generally, the literature, and the arts is an individual work. The writer writes with his head bowed, non-writer makes judgments on “the role and significance of the literature”.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
