Jonas Jonasson’s best-seller “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” now is available to read in Armenian. The novel has been translated from Swedish by Ashkhen and Artsvi Bakhchinyan spouses. Today, on October 28, the presentation of the book was held in “Zangak” bookstore, where there was no place to drop a needle. Director of “Zangak” bookstore, Emin Mkrtchyan, was happy to say that the bookstore needs to be expanded and was also happy for such interest in the book. “The Hundred-Year-Old Man” deserved the attention of international readers since 2009, and so far is in the list of bestsellers. It has been translated into many languages, also a film with the same name was captured in Sweden in 2013.
Translator, philologist and historian Artsvi Bakhchinyan, in the conversation with Aravot.am, told that the novel “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” is considered to be one of the phenomena in modern literature. “Here, the author was able to combine two interesting concepts. On the one hand, he presents the reader with an intense narrative plot, which develops by detective elements, by all laws of the thriller, on the other hand, he refers to the key events of the century and philosophizes in a very subtext form, about relations of mankind and history. The novel shows how a random and insignificant man, a crazier man can have an impact on the world events. This is the result of a vivid imagination, and no need to seek for historical subtext.
The author was successful to reflect an entire century through the hero’s hundred-year-old life, with all its cruelties and absurdities, thanks to lively narration style and unique approach and humor.” Artsvi Bakhchinyan mentioned that it is his first experience to translate such a complete “great” literary work from Swedish. He also added that he was for the first time, constantly translating and laughing, even though the task of the author is not to amuse the reader. Ashkhen Bakhchinyan said that the book has one major feature, it is the optimistic side, and in that sense, we, the Armenians, can take as an example. Bakhchinyan spouses mentioned that during the translation, they worked on having less “losses” – to convey the idea precisely through translation.
Artsvi Bakhchinyan specifically noted that the Swedish are so polite people that they do not use foul language, and the toughest blasphemy there is the word devil, or No. 17, which is considered devil’s number for them, whereas there is one blasphemer beauty in the novel, who had to be translated precisely. Speaking to the origin of his fellow Swede Ulf Harborg, Swedish by origin and residing in Armenia, talking about his fellow countryman author’s bestseller, signifies the Armenian translation of the book, and expressed the wish of having also more translations from Armenian into Swedish. Ulf Harborg also joked that when the Swedes are angry, they use foul language very well. “Simply, this wonderful couple (Artsvi and Ashkhen Bakhchinyans) living a year in Sweden, probably have not met with blaspheming Swedes.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
