Human rights, environmental issues, dealing with the past, childhood trauma, self-awareness, knowing and understanding ourselves and others, journeys and inner thoughts that define our paths.

These are some of the topics that will be addressed at the three-day Festival of European Literature in Tirana. The opening ceremony of the festival was greeted by the ambassador of the European Union in Tirana, Silvio Gonzato.

“After discussions with Alessandro, who wanted to organize something, with a focus on Italian literature, we decided to extend it to three days and the idea was to bring European authors to Albania as an opportunity to promote the common understanding of the traditions of different European countries, which is in the logic of what is happening politically, since the enlargement process has to do with bringing Albania closer to the EU. It is also an opportunity to bring European authors and show them what Albania is today, because I understand that sometimes when I talk to friends about Tirana and Albania, they don’t know it”, said EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato.

This festival is organized by the Delegation of the European Union in Albania in cooperation with the Italian Institute of Culture and the embassies of Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Poland.

“At first I thought of organizing a festival of Italian literature, as Silvio said. But then we agreed on a wider, European festival. Considering Italy as a single culture is a kind of paradox and moreover, in the contemporary world you cannot consider national cultures as isolated. It started from an observation. Considering the dimensions of the country, Albania, it really has a really vibrant and lively life of literary translations”, said Alesandro Ruggera, director of the Italian Institute of Culture.

The first author to present her work was Irish Catherine Prasifka, who spoke about her novels: “None of this is serious” and “This is how I remember her”.

“When you try to be a writer, it is only the passion for writing and literature. I studied literature. I didn’t have much confidence when I started writing and it happened during the pandemic when I had nothing to do. Since then I’ve been on a journey that I didn’t know where I was going, but I’m very happy to be here”, said Catherine Prasifka, author.

Another author present during the first day of the festival was the Greek author Christos Armando Gezos.

“Every time I come to Tirana I feel in a family place. “Mud” is my first novel. It has been translated into Albanian and French. It’s about a young man, an anarchist, looking to find his place in the world”, Christos Armando Gezos, author.

The festival will take place from December 12 to 14, 2024, promoting in Albania contemporary authors and literary works from all over Europe, with special attention to those translated and published in the Albanian language.