Ismail Kadare and his hometown Gjirokastra

2024-07-01 19:19:00, Kulturë CNA

Ismail Kadare and his hometown Gjirokastra

Ismail Kadare's house, Gjirokastër. Source: Ministry of Culture

In Ismail Kadare's hometown, Gjirokastër, the residents expressed their deep sorrow for the death of the well-known Albanian writer. In the house where Mr. Kadare was born, which has now turned into a museum, visitors said that the news was shocking, but the work of the famous writer remains to be passed on by all generations. Contemporaries of Kadare say that Gjirokastra gained worldwide fame from Kadare's creativity, just as the writer also got a lot from the stone town where he was born and spent his childhood.

In the birthplace of the famous writer Ismail Kadare, the national flag was lowered, while the residents of Gjirokastra received the news of the writer's death in shock.

Thanas Dino, an early friend of Ismail Kadre, said that the news was unexpected. "While Kadare was getting ready to go to the summer house for the holidays, we received the sad news," said Dino.

Mr. Dino said that "Ismail Kadare was a man of balance. Kadare had a deep inner love and cared deeply about people, despite the perception that he was indifferent," Mr. Dino said.

"If you were with Ismail, you would be balanced. It seemed to me that he was a man who gave balance to the whole society, the whole country. The great figures are like guidance from the mountains, like those Seeds in the sea that guide navigators."

Ismail Kadare's house, Gjirokastër

Mr. Dino further says that Gjirokastra and Kadare are inextricably linked.

"Ismaili is a writer of this format, of this type because he is from Gjirokastra. Look at the dimensions of Gjriokastra, a dense and compact and high city. His mind is a small Gjirokastra and his work is like that. If he was from another city, he would write a different literature. The work of Kadare is the product of this city, a great fortune".

Kadare's literary work will now take on even greater weight, says Mr. Dino.

"It is a very big loss, a day that we thought would not come, not me and the people of literature, but the Albanian nation itself thought that this day would not come. But now we have so much power and I think that his work will take on a greater weight, now he will be more sought after and we will be more oriented towards him. This is the greatest honor that can be given to a writer and a great figure".

While Cezar Kotoni says that since he was little, he used to read the works of Kadare. Cezari, who had frequent meetings with the writer, says that Kadare was always interested in the strange things of Gjirokastra.

In the birth house that has now been turned into a museum, visitors today received the news with shock, says Bruno Pjetri, guide.

Ismail Kadare's house, Gjirokastër

Two Spanish tourists visiting the house said that they have read some of Kadare's works. "He was a great writer and he is leaving behind a great work. We learned from the neighbor of the house here that Kadare passed away today, we are very upset".

Journalist Engjëll Serjani says that Gjirokastra has its precious part in Kadare's works, from the novel "Chronicle in stone" to the most recent novel "Wrong Dinner".

"Kadareja gave a great name to Gjiroakstra not only in the Albanian space but all over the world with over 50 translations of his works, most of them with events and episodes that come from this special city", says Mr. Serjani.

The master of Girokastri polyphony Roland Cenko came to the writer's house today to convey the motives of pain but also the words of the heart for the outstanding writer.

Kadare gave his birth house to the stone city almost 30 years ago and it now welcomes thousands of visitors.

In one of his visits there in the room of the house where he was born, Kadare said that he sat on a small bench and wrote, to a beautiful light entering through the window.../ VOA