Fairy tale ‘Maral and Daddy in Artsakh’ is true story of our lives – Marine Charshafjian

“Maral and Daddy in Artsakh” is a fairy tale based on a true story from our lives, Marine Charshafjian, the book’s author, said in an interview with Alpha News.

“After the 2020 Artsakh war, we lived there—more specifically in Martuni. From the very first moment we set foot in Martuni, we immediately fell in love with both the residents and the town itself. Everything we experienced in Artsakh, I tried to capture in the form of a fairy tale. In Martuni, there was a foundation that carried out various programs, and one of them was the Kaghand Pap (Armenian Santa Claus – ed.) project. We decided to dress up in Kaghand Pap costumes and distribute gifts to children in Martuni’s 31 villages. The fairy tale is based on that story—our life story,” she noted.

According to the author, the idea of writing the book came about two years ago, but her daughter, 4‑year‑old Maral, was the main inspiration to actually begin.

“Lately, I had been thinking a lot about how to tell Maralik about Artsakh, since she is young and doesn’t have many memories connected to it. I thought that a fairy tale is the best way to tell children about the important days of their lives or to convey meaningful ideas,” Charshafjian concluded.