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— And now, with the events in Armenia, do you feel your Armenian blood making itself known?..
— I know that some people consider this terribly shameful, but I have never felt that I belonged to any particular nationality. I do not speak Armenian. On the other hand, I do not speak Hebrew either, and I do not feel at home in a Jewish environment. Until recently I looked at the Armenians' misfortunes as I would have looked at the misfortunes of any other people — Indians, Chinese... But recently, at a literary conference, I met Hrant Matevossian. He is nothing like me; he is a true Armenian, distraught over everything happening in his homeland. He is such a shy, sincere, kind, angelic person that, after becoming his friend, I began to see things, so to speak, through his eyes. When I read about events in Armenia, I imagine what Matevossian feels. That is how, through my love for him, certain Armenian feelings arose in me...