“Don’t you know the emperor of Gyumri?” Vahan asked.

“Emperor? I can’t say that I do,” I answered, somewhat baffled.

“The whole town knows about Vazgen and so will you. The emperor is coming here to the office,” retorted Vahan with a smile.

Soon after, a man in his 40s entered the room. I was thrown for a loop. The steel blue eyes, broad forehead, the beak nose...Wow, I thought to myself, the spitting image of Napoleon Bonaparte. I was tempted to ask “His Highness” where his entourage of bodyguards was hiding.

The man never said hello to me. I was later told by Vahan that Gyumri’s Napoleon feels he has no need for such pleasantries.

Gyumri is a strange sort of town with its own set of characters who are born here and never see the need to venture further afield. Locals take them to heart and bestow them with fitting nicknames. Emperor Vazgen is one such personality.

Vazgen Karapetyan is into buying and selling books. He’s also a collector; mostly antiques. But you won’t find him in the usual trading haunts in Gyumri. Vazgen conducts business all over the place and over the years he’s gotten to know who has what and who wants what.

If Vazgen doesn’t have what a customer wants, rest assured that he knows where it can be obtained.

Many in town have also nicknamed the man, Vazgen the Naive, due to the fact that he sometimes displays the gullibility of a child.

He also has an insatiable sweet tooth and has been a lover of candies and chocolate since childhood. Vazgen once received a good scolding from his mother for eating an entire bottle of chocolate she had prepared for New Years.

Vazgen told me that a friend had nicknamed him “emperor” not due to his Napoleonic features but rather because he spoke in lofty tones and displayed the severe countenance of an emperor.

“Maybe that guy had Napoleon in mind when he gave me the emperor nickname. Anyway, the name stuck,” Vazgen said.

Vazgen tells me that he has a cat-like nature and has the sensibilities of the feline species.

“If you keep a cat as a pet, you’ll know what I mean. They can sense things in advance. The same with me. I was born in the year of the cat. Who knows, maybe I was a cat in a previous life.”

Vazgen also says that he is a free spirit not bound by the rules and restrictions of everyday life.

“I could never work for the government, in some office. I’d go nuts and expire on the spot,” he confesses.

The son of a shoemaker and a horticulturalist, Vazgen was employed as a labourer in various organizations. His employment usually didn’t last for long and was usually let go for being a lazybones.

“My world is made of books, not stones and concrete. I’ve sold thousands of books over the past twenty years. My aim in life has always been to get a book to its rightful owner. There used to be a big demand for books. But now the computer has destroyed my business,” Vazgen laments.

Gyumri’s emperor loves t play chess. It’s a game of logic and mental prowess. For many years Vazgen played at a professional level.

In fact, Vazgen equates life to a game of chess.

“In the end, it’s the same. All the pieces are wiped off the board, just like we humans. Men are flawed and women even more so. They all wear masks hiding their insincerity. They say they love you but it’s a lie. All the women I have known intimately have only harmed my health and spiritual state of mind.”

Vazgen confides that he’s somewhat of a tormented soul and that he’s half saint, half sinner. He says that he locked in a constant battle to balance the two sides to his inner being.

Even though 2011 was the Year of the Cat according to the eastern calendar, Vazgen says that the past year wasn’t one replete with life altering change. He says that he often consults the horoscope for clues regarding the future.

“Sure, I made some money, but on a personal level nothing really happened. But I have certain expectations for the coming Year of the Dragon. I still have hopes regarding my love life. While idyllic love is a myth, there still remains insincere love and that’s what I’m waiting for.”

Just as I was about to leave, Vazgen asked that I do him a favour.

“I have a photo that I want you to publish in the newspaper. OK? It’s a quality photo that shows a completely different image of me.”

As he makes this request, Vazgen’s expression changes, assuming the regal quality for which he is known throughout Gyumri.