The writer who refused to be silent: “…Because I am a woman”
2026-02-20 - 20:14
”Write about trees, flowers and nature, but never about a woman’s love and desires.” This directive became the starting point for Narine Apoyan. Speaking with her, one encounters a woman who spent years hiding from herself and her emotions, until one day she chose to release what had long been held captive within. “She is the woman you kill inside yourself, imprisoning her every morning, only to set her free at night to dream and soar...” she introduces herself. Narine’s love for literature began at the age of four. By six, she knew two volumes of [Hovhannes] Tumanyan by heart. Her parents, however, feared that the child would “go mad from reading too much.” She hid books in her clothes and carried them to the haystacks to read in secret. It was there, among the hay, that the writer was born. By the age of 12, she was already writing. When her mother read her first poem, instead of reprimanding her, she said: “You write well; keep going.” Narine considers herself a writer born on the internet. Starting in 2020, her Facebook posts and “statuses” marked the beginning of her literary journey. She wrote “whatever came to mind, however it came,” but always with a sense of responsibility, striving to be worthy of calling herself a writer. Over time, this path led her to the idea of a book. Narine Apoyan signing copies of her book “...Because I am a woman.” A turning point came when Narine met poet and editor Rosa Hovhannisyan, to whom she entrusted years of creative reflections. Hovhannisyan’s response became foundational to the future book: “This is a woman’s cry, and it has the right to exist.” This professional validation became a unique form of creative legitimization and a catalyst, prompting Narine to compile her works into a single collection. Thus was born her collection of poems, titled «...որովհետեւ կին եմ» (“...Because I am a woman”). In this sense, the book became an act of defiance: a breaking of silence and an assertion of self. The “woman’s cry” is not just a figure of speech here; it is the book’s ideological core. It challenges centuries-old stereotypes that attempt to silence women, their feelings and their experiences. The cry was not easily accepted in Armenia. Narine’s candid writing about love became a source of gossip. She was expected to embody the roles of “daughter-in-law” or “mother,” but not that of a woman with her own desires. “Once, they even called my husband in to let him know that I was dragging his honor through the mud,” she recounts. Yet this, too, became part of her personal victory. After the book was published, her family’s stance began to change. Her brother admitted he had been among the “pleasant losers,” and her mother came to take pride in her daughter’s courage. This transformation reinforced Narene’s “victory” arc, both as a writer and as an individual. Silence still holds an important place in Narine’s inner world. Her language is simple — accessible to everyone from a baker to an academic — yet her themes are profound. What, then, does the author remain silent about? “Narine Apoyan remains silent about the most beautiful kind of love...” For her, love knows no prerequisites. Yet Armenian women, she argues, are often loved out of “necessity” and denied the right to make mistakes. Through her work, she seeks to reclaim that right. Narine shows no signs of slowing down. Her next project is a novel that will delve deeper into the themes of distorted destinies and broken childhoods hidden under the guise of “family.” This will be a social and psychological revelation, continuing the logic of her “cry.” “Perhaps the most memorable letter is the handwritten one from 84-year-old Grandma Laura, which will always remain in the very copy of the book she read and returned to me,” says Narine. At the end of the piece, Narine addresses the Armenian diaspora, adding another social layer to the narrative: “Love the homeland, love the country where you live, speak different languages, but love your mother tongue, and above all — love yourselves more than anything. Although nothing is perfect, this is the only path leading to perfection.” Narine’s greatest dream is to be recognized and loved within her lifetime. She has already shown that writing can be a healing balm, and that a woman’s voice is a force that cannot be contained. As she concludes our conversation: “And this is not the end yet...” All photos are courtesy of Narine Apoyan unless otherwise noted. You may follow Narine Apoyan on Facebook or Instagram.