Artsakh Writer's Correspondence With French Intellectual Becomes Book
When a French writer asked about Artsakh
Hermine Avagyan, a poet and journalist from Artsakh, has published "Letters from Paradise, Where No One Is," a bilingual Armenian-French memoir based on a nine-month correspondence with French writer and philosopher Ulysse Manhes.
The exchange began during Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh, when Avagyan was separated from her family and unable to return home. Suggested by Artsakh officials, she agreed to write to Manhes—a stranger to her—about her birthplace and experiences. Manhes's initial question asked how people continue living and creating after war. The letters explore themes of loss, memory, belonging, and understanding across two distinct cultural perspectives. Avagyan described the correspondence as therapeutic, allowing her to process longing and displacement. The naturally evolving exchange was eventually published by Newmag, capturing what the participants considered universal human experiences.
