Saroyan Days
Saroyan Days 2025 was a week-long cultural festival held in Yerevan, Armenia, honoring the legacy of William Saroyan. It was co-hosted by the William Saroyan Foundation, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, and the United States Embassy in Armenia. Saroyan was a creative force across many artistic media, and Saroyan Days celebrated them all.
September 4
The week began on September 4 with a VIP reception marking the opening of an exhibition of over 100 paintings and drawings by Saroyan at the Museum of Literature and Arts.
(Pictured: Claymation figures from the film)
September 5
On September 5, the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography hosted an evening that included a preview of a new claymation production of Saroyan's celebrated short story The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse, a student production of his play Hello Out There, and an appearance by _______________, who presented a compelling one-man show about Saroyan's boyhood in Fresno.
September 6
On September 6, a new collection of Saroyan's work, Twenty-two Unpublished Short Stories, was released at a ceremony held at the National Gallery of Armenia, headlining its curator Scott Setrakian, its publisher Armen Martirosyan, CEO of Antares Ltd., and the distinguished Saroyan translator Zaven Boyajyan.
September 7
On September 7, the Yerevan Book Fair, in partnership with the Saroyan Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, presented the William Saroyan Prize for Short Fiction at a red-carpet event held at the Hakob Paronyan State Theater of Musical Comedy.
September 8
On September 8, there were two events. The National Library of Armenia hosted an afternoon entitled "Saroyan’s Cultural Influence and Armenian Publications," celebrating Saroyan's presence in the Armenian language through national news coverage, translation, and his visits to the country. The event was presented by National Library Director Anna Chulyan.
September 8
That evening, the Malyan Theatre presented Train Stories, a lively stage adaptation of four Saroyan short stories.
September 9
On September 9, the American University of Armenia hosted an energetic and well-attended evening of live readings and discussion drawn from Twenty-two Unpublished Short Stories.
September 10
On September 10, young artists and academics gathered at AGBU headquarters to discuss Saroyan's continuing influence on Armenian arts. Expert panels drawn from leaders in theatre, literature, cinema, and the visual arts offered presentations on Saroyan's inspiration in their work. The gathering was produced by Creative Armenia.
The same day, Theatre on the Roof presented its production of Mama I Love You, its stage adaptation of Saroyan’s novel Mama I Love You and Papa You’re Crazy.
September 11
The celebration drew to a close on September 11 at a reception hosted at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien.
Other activities
The US Embassy helped students to produce a short film representing fours Saroyan short stories
Additional Media
Good Morning Armenia – Scott S + Ambassador Kvien (in Armenian)
General overview of the festival (in Armenian)
Good morning Armenia 2 – the wrap up
National Radio “Coffee and Love in the Morning” (starts at ~50:45)