About the book: 1963 / The novel describes the events of the period of the 9th–10th centuries, when the struggle between the Arab Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire flared up. The situation in Armenia turned out to be especially difficult; it was fragmented into separate feudal principalities. The theme of the novel—the liberation of Armenia and the Armenian people from the Arab yoke—is based on true historical events. Indeed, Ashot II Bagratuni, nicknamed the Iron, led a fierce struggle against the Arab troops together with the patriotic feudal lords. Ashot, as sources testify, was a courageous fighter and fearless warrior. By personal example, he inspired his comrades to victory. His popularity among the masses was great. Muratsan was able to emphasize the advanced role of Ashot as the unifier of Armenia - the writer well understood that the idea of ​​​​unifying the country, even under monarchical rule, was more advanced for that period than the idea of ​​​​preserving a fragmented feudal state. In contrast to the Armenian bourgeois-nationalist tradition in historiography, which completely idealized Ashot, Muratsan took a critical approach to the personality of the Armenian king. The author, in characterizing his heroes, is far from reactionary-romantic idealization. For example, he does not spare Catholicos John, a major hierarch and historian, showing his cowardice and political inconsistency. Noble patriotism and democracy, ardent love for the people gave Muratsan the opportunity to create a historical novel about one of the heroic pages of the struggle of the Armenian people for liberation from the foreign yoke.