Interview with the Spanish Writer Gonzalo Hernandez Guarch. The Turkish Government Should Repent

00:51     18 January, 2015

-With striking preciseness and sincere sympathy you managed to go deep into the souls of the Armenians and express their sufferings of those years in your books. What brings the Armenians close to your heart? What was that, which raised your interest towards the Armenian Genocide and your willingness to make it known to your reader?

  -I am an impulsive person and there are a lot of things that interest me. When I got interested in the Armenian issue, it turned out that it has a direct connection with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. I understood that I am dealing with a very sensitive story and for many moral reasons I am obliged to make those events known to the world. I am very pleased that I had an opportunity to refer to that topic and partially present it. I have written three books on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian Genocide. In my opinion it is important that these books do not just stay in the libraries or on the bookshelves, but become a topic of interest among the Armenians and other nations. When you read the "Armenian testament" you will have those emotions that connect the victims of those years to Armenia. These emotions are also shared by today’s generation. The Movsisyans do their best for these books not to become a burden for libraries, but to be available for as many people as possible. Here I see a triangle: one of the angels of which is me - I have fulfilled my moral obligations describing those events. The second angle is the Movsisyans - due to their efforts these books were published. The third most important angle are the journalists, whose moral responsibility is to make these books popular among as many people as possible and contribute that many people read them. When people read these books and delve deep into the feelings and sufferings described there, they will get closer and understand each other better. 

  

-The book says that your characters today live around us and fight for the recognition of the Genocide. When will the results of this fight be seen? When will Turkey recognize the Genocide? 

 - The authors think that the characters, they created, are alive and can come out of the books. For example, when Gogol described his characters, they came out of the books and he had to force them back. When writing his books, Charles Dickens’s characters surrounded him, sat on his shoulders, in the corners of his apartment and he had to make them go back into the book. My characters also get out beyond the scopes of my books, for example, consul Khojoyan, the Movsisyans are the heroes of my works who do the same things as those with the same names living among us. I must warn you, while reading these books you will feel how the characters come out of the books and continue living in the surrounding world, on the streets, in the society. I warn you, when reading the "Armenian testament", it will absorb you and you will be late for your work, because of being unable to stop reading. I assure you.

 

-How popular are your books around the world and what responses do you get?

-I receive many phone calls and emails, through which people tell that they have learned many things from my books, they had no idea before. They assure that after reading the books, the scope of their knowledge about Armenians has expanded. The history of Armenia continues and we have an active participation in present phase of its history.

 

-You make great efforts to increase the awareness of the Spanish readers about the Armenian people’s history and their sorrows. In your opinion, to what extend is the Spanish population aware of the Armenian Genocide and processes of its recognition?

-I am convinced that the three writings dedicated to the Armenians "The Armenian Tree", "The Armenian Heritage" and "The White Mount" will gain a universal popularity, especially after being translated into English and French. Today the first two parts are being translated into English in the US and they will probably be finalized until 2011. I hope next year it will be translated into French. I am sure, that this trilogy will become very popular in the nearest future, not because I am the author, but because of the story it tells.  

 

-You have received several awards as well as you have been granted the degree of honorable doctor from the Armenian Academy of Science for the enormous input you had in the fight for recognition of the Armenian Genocide and for the coverage of the Armenian history. Do you visit Armenia often? 

 -I have been in Armenia twice. I have many friends there. I am in love with Armenia and my wife is aware of it.

 

-What about Turkey? Have you ever been there? Are your books known there? 

-Yes, I have been in Turkey many times. I like Istanbul. I think that today’s Turks have many things common with Germans – as today’s Germans have nothing to do with Nazism, today’s Turks are also not guilty for what occurred in 1915. I think lots of Turkish citizens wish to normalize their relations with Armenia. Most of the Armenians will be amazed if they know the reaction of the Turks to the Armenian Genocide. Now it is just necessary for the Turkish Government to repent for not recognizing the fact of the Armenian Genocide.

 

- You have expressed the depth of the Armenians’ soul. What characteristics would you specify? 

 -The Armenian temper is similar to the one of the Mediterranean peoples'. The notions of family and friendship are very strong in your country. The Armenians are educated; they have special love towards arts, music and culture. The Spanish perceive the Armenians as their relatives and they can talk to the Armenians as to their close neighbors or even relatives.

 

- In your opinion what impact did the Genocide have on the Armenians?

-When a member of the family dies he/she is always commemorated with love. The Genocide will always remain in the memory of the Armenians and will fill their souls with sadness. Those events were brutal and inhumane. Many people think that if the events developed in another way, the life of the Armenians would take another path. I must stress that it is not hard for the Spanish people to understand the soul of the Armenians- we are relatives. We are much closer and similar to the Armenians than to Norwegians, Germans, and Belgians.

 

-Thank you very much for the pleasant conversation. I want to thank from the name of the Armenians for the huge work you do for our nation.

Thank you for your words. I would really like the Armenians to get familiar with this book. I would like these books be present in every Armenian house, and while reading them, the Armenians understand that the Spanish writer touched upon this question with the same pain and compassion as all the Armenians.

 

By Anna Karapetyan

Interview taken in the framework of "View at the World" Program (01.05.2010)