page_title: Albanian literature
section_title: Contemporary period
hierarchical_section_title: Albanian literature / Contemporary period
caption_attribution_description: English: &#160;Ismail Kadare doing a public reading from one of his books. Zurich, Switzerland, Autumn 2002. Deutsch: &#160; Ismail Kadare anlässlich einer Lesung. Quelle: Zürich, Herbst 2002
context_page_description: Albanian literature stretches back to the Middle Ages and comprises those literary texts and works written in the Albanian language. It may also refer to literature written by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and the Albanian diaspora particularly in Italy. The Albanian language occupies an independent branch within the Indo-European family and does not have any other closely related language. The origin of the Albanian language is not entirely known, but it may be a successor of the ancient Illyrian language.
  The Archbishop of Antivari Guillaume Adam wrote a report in 1332 in which he said that Albanians used Latin letters in their books although their language was quite different from the Latin language.
  The oldest surviving documents written in Albanian are the "formula e pagëzimit" recorded by Pal Engjëlli, Bishop of Durrës in 1462 in the Gheg dialect, and some New Testament verses from that period.
context_section_description: Albania's best-known contemporary writer is Ismail Kadare, born in 1936 whose novels have been translated into 45 languages. With his novels The General of The Dead Army (1963), The Siege (1970), Chronicle in Stone (1971), The Three-Arched Bridge (1978), The File on H. (1981), The Palace of Dreams (1981), The Pyramid (1992); The Successor (2002), Kadare brought Albanian literature into the mainstream of modern European literature.
  The central theme of Kadare's works is totalitarianism and its mechanisms. His work represents an artistic encyclopedia of Albanian life. The philosophy, beliefs, dramas and historical and cultural traditions of Albania, filtered through the artistry of the writer, in Kadare's work express the vitality of the spiritual culture of the Albanian people. Kadare creates a modern prose making wide use of historical analogies, parables and associations, Albanian legends and mythology. Starting from the epic world of medieval legends and ballads, the prose of Kadare brings ancient folk traditions 'up to date' by showing their relevance to the modern world.
  Ridvan Dibra is a leading figure of contemporary Albanian literature, and author of several innovative works. He has been rewarded with several national and international prizes, including the Rexhai Surroi Prize for the best Albanian novel of the year 2012, for his novel, "Legjenda e vetmisë" (The Legend of Solitude).
  Luljeta Lleshanaku is one of the most important and most acclaimed Albanian poets today. She's the author of seven volumes of poetry, a couple of which have been translated in various languages. English translations include: "Fresco" (2002), "Child of Nature"(2010), "Haywire: New and Selected Poems" (2011) and "Negative Space"(2018), the translation of which by Ani Gjika has been shortlisted for the 2019 Griffin Poetry Prize.
  Fatos Kongoli, born in 1944 in Elbasan, is considered to be one of the most "forceful and convincing" representatives of contemporary Albanian literature. During the Stalinist dictatorship in Albania he did not write or publish any important works. He came to prominence after the regime fell, with his novel The Loser (1992). His novels deal with the years of the Hoxha regime and the aftermath, as the Albanian society transitions into a democracy without being able to shake off the demons of the past.
  Other important writers include Ben Blushi, whose debut novel Living on an Island (2008), dealing with the islamization of Albanians, went on to become the best selling book after the fall of communism in Albania. His second novel, Otello, the Moor of Vlora (2009), was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature. His later novels went on to become national bestsellers.
caption: Ismail Kadare at a reading in Zurich.
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