Author and host: HaykHambardzumyan
TOPIC hosts men of culture, clergymen, renowned filmmakers and actors, Armenian and foreign scientists, scholars of Armenian studies, young specialists, writers and journalists residing in and outside Armenia.
How much do the contemporary Armenian art and literature relate to the development trends of world art? What new Armenian studies are currently underway in Armenia and Diaspora? Does the modern art educate or it rather entertains? These and other questions are voiced and answered in the pavilion of TOPIC.  
Frequency: Every Friday, at 21:50
Rerun: Saturday, at 13:30

Journalists' literature


What are the peculiarities of journalists' literature? Does it presuppose a separate system of views and approaches? Doesn't literature suffer from journalistic "investigative" interest or the temptation to transfer information quickly? Literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan are debating in "Parallel Readings".

The ball in the field of literature


Football passions do not give peace to millions of people around the world, including many writers.  The relationship between literature and football is not limited to the autobiographical books of famous football players or coaches, which are loved and very popular. Many of the famous authors of Armenian and world literature are also football-obsessed fans, they refer to this sport in their works. What is football like in literature? Literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan are debating about literary football originals.

Aksel Bakunts. from the intrigue of a beautiful word to the beauty of an exact word


It was Axel Bakunt's 120th birthday anniversary. What is the peculiarity of Bakunts's prose? How was it appreciated in his time and today? Where does Bakunts's prose come from? How do internationalism and national spirit combine in his works? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with literary critic Sevak Ghazaryan.

 

 

 

The "Cold" War and Armenians


The "Cold" War seems to have ended long ago, but the controversy between the West and Russia has intensified again. In these conditions, it is interesting to touch upon the problems of Armenians living in the Diaspora in Soviet Armenia, the activities of parties, repatriation, as well as cultural life in Soviet Armenia during the Cold War. Hayk Hambardzumyan spoke with historian Ara Sanjyan, a lecturer at the Dearborn Branch of the University of Michigan, USA.

 

 

Our cinema: topic selection and realization


What hinders the development of international Armenian film production and international recognition? How relevant are the traditional themes of Armenian cinema and the artistic and technical means of their realization today? Is there a human and technical potential for making modern cinema in our country? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with director, screenwriter Artak Sevada.

 

 

Exile literature. the novel of fruitless space and time


Vache Sargsyan's novel "Akeghdama" written in the 1960s has been published, which is the artistic image of the author's exile experience. What was the purpose of these works of Soviet literature? What are their psychological and artistic features? How relevant are they today? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with literary critic Siranush Dvoyan.

 

 

Decorative-applied art: presentation and publicity


The National Gallery of Armenia is preparing "Color Visions from Ancient Rome: Mosaics from the Capitol Museum ”exhibition, which will feature remarkable mosaics from the Roman period. How did the exhibition become possible, what works of decorative-applied art are kept, displayed in the National Gallery, how is it possible to present them properly and make them public? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with Satenik Chugaszyan, an art critic and head of the gallery's decorative-applied arts department.

 

 

"Sasna Tsrer" - eternal knowledge and the sacred story of the ancestors


How familiar are our people with the epic, what does the reading of the oral versions of the "Sasna Tsrer" epic give, what is the epic in the process of live storytelling, how do the novelists treat the epic? As an old conversation, as a sacred story or a fairy tale? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with philologist Arusyak Sahakyan.

 

 

 

"Sasna Tsrer" - a model of statehood


What is the ideology of the epic, how modern are the ideas realized in the epic, what model of statehood does "Sasna Tsrer" represent? What does the epic say to us and the world today? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with philologist Arusyak Sahakyan.

 

 

Medieval Armenian literature and theology


The rich literary heritage of the Armenian Middle Ages has been little studied with a broad theological perspective. What new discoveries can be made as a result of such studies? In what direction are medieval studies and Armenology developing in Armenia and abroad today? What research is needed? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with Armenologist, theologian Abraham Teryan.

 

 

 

The poem's image or the image of the poem


Samvel Sevada's collection of poems "Constellation of the Virgin" has been published, which also includes the artist's paintings and drawings. How does poetry relate to painting, what inspires the artist in Armenia today? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with painter, photographer Samvel Sevada.

Raffi- Storyteller or Prophet


How familiar are we with the work of the great Armenian novelist Raffi, how relevant are his ideas today? What new discoveries can be made as a result of a new reading of his literary heritage? Hayk Hambardzumyan talked about these issues with prose writer, publicist Alice Hovhannisyan.