Literary-Musical Evening at NAI
2026-10-10 19:00 | Naregatsi Art Institute
How to Remain Human: Literary Reflections of the Renowned Swedish Writer at NAI
On October 10, Naregatsi Art Institute hosted the meeting dedicated to the creative legacy of the renowned Swedish writer Stig Dagerman took place at the Naregatsi Art Institute as part of the Cultural Exchange Program.
The writer's daughter, Lo Dagerman, arrived in Armenia to speak about his literary explorations and creative journey. During the meeting, she discussed her father's creative crises, his philosophical quests amidst the post-war reality, the need to remain human in those conditions.
Lo Dagerman recounted how, in 1946, her father traveled to post-war Germany, toured devastated settlements, and spoke with people who were trying to rediscover a meaning to life. He witnessed extreme hatred towards Germans.
After returning to Sweden, he summarized the material he collected during that trip, his impressions of the meetings, and his personal experiences in the book "Autumn in Germany." It brought great recognition to the young writer in a short time.
In the second part of the evening, a musical-poetic performance was presented on the stage of the Naregatsi Art Institute. Accompanied by the music of the French-Armenian Band Deleyaman, poet Lia Petrosyan read Stig Dagerman's essay "Our Need for Consolation is Insatiable”.
In this lyrical, autobiographical essay-testament, written in 1952, the author reflects on the meaning of life, inner freedom, and the human quest to find solace.
The Deleyaman Band has staged this performance in different countries around the world, but the work was performed in Armenian for the first time. It was translated from French by Shushanik Tamrazyan.
At the end of the event, Nareg Hartounian, founder of the Naregatsi Art Institute, thanked Lo Dagerman and the Deleyaman Band for their participation and presented them with symbolic gifts. Among these was a souvenir featuring an image of one of the angels from the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shoushi. Hartounian also presented Lo Dagerman with an English edition of Saint Gregory of Narek’s “Book of Lamentations”, expressing hope that it would contribute to deepening her spiritual understanding.
Stig Dagerman is one of the most talented and influential figures of the 20th century Swedish literature. Despite his short life (he died at the age of 31), he left behind a rich literary legacy, becoming a leading representative of Sweden's "Generation of the 1940s" of the post-war period.
Deleyaman is an Armenian-French-American musical band founded in 2000 in Normandy, France, by arranger Aret Madilian, French singer Beatrice Valantin, and French-Armenian duduk player Gerard Madilian.
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