Die posttraumatische belastungsstörung in der zeitgenössischen armenischen literatur
Post-traumatic disorder in contemporary armenian literature

Author(s): Vanuhi Baghmanyan
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature
Published by: Biblioteca Ştiinţifică a Universităţii de Stat Alecu Russo
Keywords: war; literature; armenian; ptsd; soldier; experience; documentation
Summary/Abstract: This report presents the best works of modern Armenian war literature dedicated to the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The authors are soldiers who themselves participated in the war and sustained severe injuries. After recovering, they recorded their experiences and memories in writing. As a result, their works have become unique testimonies of war, which are of particular significance due to their specific cultural and media-related functions of memory – especially since the authors are not professional writers but soldiers. The focus of this article is on the revelation of post-traumatic stress syndrome. For the first time, an attempt is made in modern Armenian literature to identify the central manifestations of this syndrome, such as involuntary and distressing memories of the trauma, avoidance behavior, and hyperarousal. These symptoms reveal the true face of war as well as its immediate effects on the inner world of the individual, which often manifest in various life situations and sometimes lead to irreversible consequences for the soldiers themselves as well as for their families.

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