FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
On July 1, 2024, the greatest Albanian writer physically passed away, but his voice continues to echo in world literature. On the second anniversary of his passing, readers receive a rare gift: three previously unpublished works as separate books.
There are writers who escape with time and there are others who beat it. Ismail Kadare belongs to this rare category. Two years after his physical departure, the name of the greatest Albanian writer remains as present as ever, on the shelves of bookstores, in the libraries of the world, in auditoriums, in conversations about literature and in the memory of a nation that he made speak in the language of universal literature.
On the morning of July 1, 2024, Ismail Kadare passed away at the age of 88, as a result of a cardiac arrest. The news shocked not only Albania, but also the international literary world. Tributes at the Palace of Congresses, the day of national mourning and messages from personalities from around the world proved that not only a writer had passed away, but one of the most important voices of contemporary literature.
Kadare was the author who took Albanian literature beyond borders. His works were translated into more than 45 languages and read on all continents. He was awarded the prestigious Man Booker International Prize in 2005 and for decades was mentioned as one of the most serious candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
"The General of the Dead Army", "Chronicle in Stone", "Broken April", "Palace of Dreams", "The Great Winter", "Concert at the End of Winter", "Spiritus" and dozens of other novels, novellas and essays remain today part of the most precious fund of Albanian literature. In their pages, Kadare built a universe where history, myth, power, freedom and human drama coexist with a language that resists time.
On this second anniversary of his passing, there is also special news for readers.
His publisher for decades in the Albanian language, Bujar Hudhri, announced that, in collaboration with the writer's heirs, the publishing house "Onufri" will bring three works by Kadare that have not previously been published as separate books.
" On this day of remembrance and honor, Onufri brings to readers three of Kadare's creations, which have not previously been published as separate books. This publication also marks the first publishing agreement with the writer's three heirs, opening a new chapter in the preservation and further transmission of his work ," writes Hudhri.
He describes this publication as more than an editorial project: "For us, this is not just a new publication. It is an act of gratitude to an author who gave Albanian literature a global dimension, as well as a special responsibility to readers who continue to read and rediscover Kadare, especially the younger generation."
The three works that will be published for the first time as separate books are: "Farewell to Evil", "The Holiday Commission" and "The Legend of Legends".
It is a symbolic way to prove that Kadare's creativity did not end with the author's departure. Even after his death, his manuscripts continue to come to light, adding another chapter to the legacy of the writer who made Albania part of the map of world literature.
Two years after his death, Ismail Kadare is physically absent. But his works continue to live, to be read and to defy time. Because great writers are not measured by the years that pass after their departure, but by the generations that continue to read them. And in this sense, Kadare is not only a great memory of Albanian literature. He remains a permanent presence.
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