Albanian author wins EU prize for literature

TIRANA, Oct. 9 – Albania’s Ben Blushi has been announced as one of the best new and emerging authors by the European Union Prize for Literature.
Blushi, a journalist, writer and politician was awarded at the Frankfurt Book Fair for his Otello, Arapi i Vlor쳠(Othello, Arap of Vlora) book published in 2009.
The narrative style, rich language and profound erudition contained in the novel Otello, Arapi i Vlor쳠place it among the most beautiful and accomplished works of Albanian literature, organizers said. The book is set in the years 1300-1400, in two well-known urban centres of the Middle Ages, Venice and Vlora. The background is realistic, and the author’s literary creation is tied so tightly to historical fact, it seems that these events really happened in Vlora 600 years ago, and that Shakespeare simply took the events and set them in Venice.
“The Prize is dedicated to the best new and emerging authors in Europe, regardless of their country of origin or language. The aim is to showcase Europe’s best contemporary literature, encourage cross-border sales and promote the translation, publishing and reading of literature from other countries,” said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
Each winner receives Euro 5,000. More importantly, they benefit from extra promotion and international visibility. Their publishers are encouraged to apply for EU funding to have the winning books translated into other languages to reach new markets.
About the author
Ben Blushi was born in Tirana in 1969. He studied at the University of Tirana, graduating in Albanian Language and Literature. He was editor-in-chief of the newspaper Koha Jon묠and in 1999 embarked upon a political career in the cabinet of the Prime Minister of Albania. For several months he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, in late 2000 he became the Prefect of Kor衬 and in 2011 he was appointed Minister of Education. Blushi is currently a Member of Parliament, representing the Socialist Party.
In April 2008, Blushi’s first novel T롪etosh n롩shull (Living on an Island) was published, which turned into a phenomenal success. Indeed, within a couple of months, the book had sold over 30,000 copies, a record for the Albanian market. Blushi’s 400-page novel offers the reader a panorama of Albanian history under the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the 18th centuries, with a broad and not uncontroversial treatment of the country’s Islamisation. His acclaimed second novel Otello, Arapi i Vlor쳠(Othello, Arap of Vlora) appeared one year later, followed in 2011 by his third novel Shqip쳩a (Albania). With the novel Otello, Arapi i Vlor쳬 Blushi was awarded the Author of the Year prize at the Tirana Book Fair in 2009. The three novels form a triptych of quality new Albanian literature and represent a cultural phenomenon which deserves to go beyond Albania in the forthcoming decade. In April 2014, Blushi had a book of essays published, H쯡 e Shqip쳩s련The Moon of Albania).