FIRST REACTIONS TO FRANZ WERFEL'S NOVEL "THE 40 DAYS OF MUSA DAG" IN ARMENIAN REALITY

Franz Werfel's novel "The 40 Days of Musa Dagh" was published in 1933 and had several publications in Western Armenian translations, both Armenian and foreign authors turned to the novel, trying to present the value of the novel from both a historical and artistic point of view. Several works that fell within the observation point of our study are of great importance for the impact and evaluation of the novel. The role, influence and reaction of the novel are shed light on the studies devoted to the novel by Manase Sevak, K. Paldzhyan (Vazgen Catholicos), Avetik Isahakyan, Alexander Pashayan, Asatur Pashayan, and Yair Auron. These interpretations suggest that the novel was made even more important and popular because it was published by a Jewish author on the eve of the Jewish genocide, and that the novel was contemporary with World War II and that the Jewish people perceived it as an odyssey of their history, suffering, and struggle. 1915-20 All Armenians lost in self-defense battles during the genocide, but the defeat of the Armenians of Musa Dagh is the past of heroic resistance that feeds the identity of its current generations, which is also promoted by Franz Werfel's novel.