YEREVAN BESTSELLER 4/36 : Armenian readers prefer Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. “The Picture of Dorian Gray”byOscar Wilde leads the list of YEREVAN BESTSELLER project of ARMENPRESS.

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist who is impressed and infatuated by Dorian'sbeauty; he believes that Dorian’s beauty is responsible for the new mode in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat'shedonisticworldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life.

“The Little Prince”first published in 1943, is anovella, the most famous work of French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviatorAntoine de Saint-Exupéry. “The Little Prince” is 2nd in this week’s list.

The third position in this week’s ranking is “Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life”. Published on September 8, 1998, it is amotivational business fable. The text describes change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to those changes by twomiceand two "little people," during their hunt forcheese. ANew York Timesbusinessbestsellerupon release,Who Moved My Cheese?remained on the list for almost five years and spent over 200 weeks onPublishers Weekly's hardcover nonfiction list.It has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and remains one of the best-selling business books

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Stories” collection, comprising several of the Russian writer’s works, is ranked 4th this week.

“Book of Lamentations” or “Book of Prayers” by Gregory of Narek is ranked 5th in this week’s list.

Written shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, the prayers of St. Gregory of Narek have long been recognized as gems of Christian literature. St. Gregory called his book an "encyclopedia of prayer for all nations". It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer by people of all stations around the world.

A leader of the well-developed school of Armenian mysticism at Narek Monastery, at the request of his brethren he set out to find an answer to an imponderable question: what can one offer to God, our creator, who already has everything and knows everything better than we could ever express it? To this question, posed by the prophets, psalmist, apostles and saints, he gives a humble answer– the sighs of the heart– expressed in his Book of Prayer, also called the Book of Lamentations.

Mark Aren’s “Where wild roses bloom” in ranked 6th. 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.

“Pride and Prejudice”is a novel byJane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character,Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues ofmanners, upbringing,morality,education, andmarriagein the society of thelanded gentryof theBritish Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman, Mr Bennet, living in Longbourn.

Set in England in the late 18th century,Pride and Prejudicetells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after two gentlemen have moved into their neighbourhood. The novel is ranked 7th.

“Veronika Decides to Die”is anovelbyPaulo Coelho. It tells the story of 24-year-oldSlovenianVeronika, who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. This book is partly based on Coelho's experience in variousmental institutions, and deals with the subject of madness. The gist of the message is that "collective madness is called sanity".

Veronika Decides to Diehas been adapted fortheatrea number of times, and was also used in other artistic references. The novel is ranked 8th in this week’s list.

“The Fault in Our Stars”is the sixthnovelby authorJohn Green, published in January 2012. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 ofShakespeare's playJulius Caesar, in which the noblemanCassiussays toBrutus: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings." The story is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old girl withcancer. Hazel 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-basketballplayer andamputee. The novel is ranked 9th.

“Dear Life”is ashort storycollection byCanadianwriterAlice Munro, which concludes the list.

Ruth Scurr, writing in the Telegraph, points to the autobiographical aspect of the collection and declares the collection to be "a subversive challenge to the idea of autobiography: a purposeful melding of fact fiction and feeling".The reviewer goes on to suggest the collection might be Munro's last, but if so would be a "spectacular" finale.

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