YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. This week’s YEREVAN BESTSELLER project of ARMENPRESS is topped by Mark Aren’s “Where wild roses bloom”. This is the second novel of the author which describes the inner world of an Armenophobic Turkish former serviceman, when he, already an old man, suddenly hears a lullaby song that reminds him of his mother and later finds out that the song is in Armenian: realizing his parents were Armenians. The same former serviceman spends his remaining life searching the graves of his parents, without knowing that it was a misunderstanding.

“The Book of Lamentations'' by St. Gregory of Narek published by “MHM” and “Zangak” publishing houses is ranked 4th in the list. The mystical poem "Book of Lamentations" has been translated into many languages and has played a significant role in the development of the Armenian literary language. In 95 grace-filled prayers St. Gregory draws on the exquisite potential of the Classical Armenian language to translate the pure sighs of the broken and contrite heart into an offering of words pleasing to God. The result is an edifice of faith for the ages, unique in Christian literature for its rich imagery, its subtle theology, its Biblical erudition, and the sincere immediacy of its communication with God.

“The Little Prince" by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry comes next. The novella is both the most read and most translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France. The book was translated into more than 190 languages.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde is ranked 4th. It was first published complete in July 1890. It is a philosophical novel.  Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian’s beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter.

“The Fault in Our Stars” is a novel by author John Green, published in January 2012. It is ranked 5th in this week’s list. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, in which the nobleman Cassius says to Brutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings."The story is narrated by a sixteen-year-old cancer patient Hazel Grace Lancaster, who is forced by her parents to attend a support group in the "Literal Heart of Jesus" where she subsequently meets and falls in love with 17-year old Augustus Waters, an ex-basketball player as well as an amputee. 

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury comes next. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel published in 1953. It is regarded as one of his best works. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found. The title refers to the temperature that Bradbury understood to be the autoignition point of paper.

“Steppenwolf” by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse ranks 7th. Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English in 1929. Combining autobiographical and psychoanalytic elements, the novel was named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes.

“Art of Devotion or Ode to Rose” by photographer and writer Edgar Harutyunyan is ranked 8th in the list.

“Mommyland: Flag” by Armen Hayastantsi concludes the list.

To complete the bestseller list, the following bookshops have participated in the survey: “New Book” (093-60-40-64), “Noah’s Ark” (56-81-84), “Narek” (51-91-36), “Bookinist” (53-74-13), “Antares” (091-90-01-23) and “Zangak” (23-26-49).