The Unspoken Order of the Countryside

In the Armenian author Narine Abgarjan’s novel Three Apples Fell From the Sky, events unfold in the small village of Maran deep in the Armenian mountains. This is a place where dreams, curses and miracles are taken very seriously and outside influences are minimal. In Sven Olov Karlsson’s novel Bygdedjuret_(The Beast)_, the staging is based on the stereotypical mindset found in central Sweden’s Västmanland County – a type of fretful envy. In this instance, the protagonist leaves the village to become an artist. Which unspoken rules and attitudes dominate village life? Abgarjan and Karlsson will be in conversation with the author Amanda Svensson as they discuss rural and village mentalities in Sweden and Armenia. Interpreter: Anait Palm.