FLASH
Shkruar nga Ben Blushi
I tried to wake them up a little by telling them that many years later, Elon Musk's household robots will come to Gramsh and do most of the work of women.
I was invited to Gramsh for a meeting with readers.
The Albanian provinces are the last museums that show what life was like under socialism.
In this city there are no new buildings, no traffic lights, and no paid parking lots.
Maybe there isn't even a bus because Gramsh is very short and one road connects all the houses.
What is certain is that there is no elevator and no bicycle shops.
Traffic chaos is unknown and wherever you park your car, you are no more than 70 steps away from home.
The last big news that Gramsci produced was three years ago when three Russians were arrested filming a defunct military plant.
But now the Russians have been released from prison and Gramsh's reputation as a spy city has faded.
According to Chat GPT, the most important news in this city is the arrest of a party leader for being drunk. This happened in July 2018. Since then, tourists have doubled, but they stay in the mountains and you don't see them in the city.
Every evening at 6 o'clock the main road is blocked by the police and people do a walking tour.
Those who can't understand how cities like this still exist should know that from four to six o'clock everyone is asleep.
Televisions turn off, pressure cookers stop, cars stop, and every resident respects silence by not even talking to themselves.
If you take the road to Gramsh, during these sleeping hours you won't find anyone except a cat, even that one sleeping in the shade of a tree.
After the general nap, the city wakes up at half past six and people begin their collective walk.
Girls walk faster, mothers sit on benches, while old men wash dominoes.
Gramsh has many flowers and this decor makes the city more friendly even when you don't know anyone.
According to the old socialist custom, waiters water the sidewalks in front of the bar with long hoses.
That's why the afternoon is cool even when it's muggy.
Gramsh's asphalt is watered every day for free by its residents and the municipality does not spend money on washing the streets. I arrived there at bedtime and walked around a bit until the people who were going to meet me woke up.
Of course there were few of them. Some very pretty little girls and some teachers who were dressed in new clothes.
No one had read anything from me, except for a blind teacher who taught at the gymnasium. Perhaps because of my lunchtime nap, the teachers asked me some questions that I didn't understand well, while the students were clearer.
I tried to wake them up a little by telling them that many years later, Elon Musk's household robots will come to Gramsh and do most of the work of women.
The teachers all leave happy that they won't make it this day and there's no reason to stress prematurely.
This was more or less my conversation with Gramsci's readers.
I gave them some copies of my novel Artificial Paradise and on the way to Tirana it felt like I was returning from a Natural Paradise.
I'll go again one day to participate in the afternoon tour.
I'll probably meet someone who's read this article and we'll laugh together.
Lini një Përgjigje