Photos for memory. Martirosova M.

The story “Photos to the memory” covers several eras: the post -war years, when the boys did not ask about nationality, but gained respect in the courtyard by force, courage and football skill; The end of the 1980s, when the end of the surname and the shape of the nose overnight became the most important; And modernity, when the conflict experienced not only remained in faded photographs, but again burns and hurts.

The second story in the collection talks about the seventh "G". Previously friendly and calm, the class was divided into groups. In the first - Azerbaijanis, in the other - Armenians, in the third - the rest: Russians, Tatars, Jews, Georgians. The Russian name, mother’s Armenian surname, Papa -Azerbaijani - all this makes Avvanesov a stranger in any company. Why nationality suddenly became so important, the heroine of the story “Red, Yellow, Blue” is not able to understand - the rest, both children and adults, as if the answer is not needed at all.

Two stories together - about one conflict from different sides - now do not belong to any separate nation - but all nations at once. The history of the conflict around Nagorno -Karabakh is a rare topic in Russian, especially teenage literature. Maria Martirosova managed to find accurate words in order to describe the entire depth of the tragedy, leaving aside politics and moralization.

The first edition of “Memorial photos”, published in Komapasgid in 2012, was included in the list of outstanding children's books in the world “White Raven”, compiled by the Munich International Children's Library.