By artan pernaska
apernaska@tiranatimes.com
Sunday, the 7th of June, saw the closing of The Eleventh Prishtina Book Fair that had been running in Prishtina, capital of Kosovo, since the 3rd of June. Over 100 editors from Albania, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well as Albanian editors abroad, including from the US, joined in the fair to display their latest publications.
Books – factors of integration
Nazmi Rrahmani, head of the Society of Editors of Kosovo, declared that “efforts are being made to create conditions that books penetrate with more ease and less impediment since books are one of the most important factors of Albanian cohesion”. Rrahmani noted that the literary institutions of Kosovo have made proposals to alleviate taxes and other barriers for the free circulation of books.
Living without books – living in blindness
The Fair was attended by numerous book lovers as well as those just curious, coming to check for novelty or looking after their own reading interests. The president of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, was “special guest” of the Fair. He recalled that many distinguished figures of the Albanian cultural and intellectual world have crossed formerly the alleys of the Fair, quoting among others Ismail Kadare and Ibrahim Rrugova. “It has been told repeatedly that books are the most important arms of a nation, books are the light of life, that a nation that lives without books is a nation that lives in blindness” – declared the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, on his visit to the Fair.
A Fair hides another
(Albanian authors living in the USA hold First Fair)
The Eleventh Prishtina Book Fair is not the only one having ended recently, relates Shqip further in its report (5.06.2009). Albanian authors living in the USA have held their first book fair, at Munro College, New York – writes the newspaper. No date was quoted, but the Fair is reported to have united for a few hours nearly 130 editors and authors. The Fair was organized by the Albano-American Writers’ Association. Adnan Mehmeti, director of the association, and Albana M쭹shi, organizer, underlined the work that has to be done in the editing market. Albanian authors living in the USA have arrived from Albania, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro. An old and a young generation of Albanian authors living in America are reported to have met at the Fair.
