Four writers represent Albania in Leipzig book fair

TIRANA, March 14 – Artan Fuga, Visar Zhiti, Lindita Arapi and Alma Papamihali are the four Albanian authors representing Albania in this year’s Leipzig Book Fair in Germany from March 14 to 17. The Albanian authors will be part of discussion panels and participate in Balkan poetry evening.
This will be Albania’s third consecutive participation at the Leipzig book fair, the most important spring meeting place for the publishing and media sector and has evolved into an attractive hallmark both in Germany and across Europe.. Held every March, it’s a massive draw for publishers, writers, readers and journalists. An ideal communication platform, the Leipzig Book Fair provides extensive information about new publications as well as current and future trends in the German-speaking and European markets.
Last October, Artan Fuga was awarded the Author of the Year prize for his his “Renia e Qytetit” (The Collapse of the City) book, a publication mixing the eye of an observer living in an Albanian town with analysis of facts by a social philosopher like Fuga, at the same time introducing contemporary ideas about life in a city. Fuga was appreciated for the way of writing about the city as a concept, a way of living and metamorphosis. Dr. Artan Fuga is a Professor of Communication Sciences at the University of Tirana in Albania, where he is also Head of the Department of Journalism and Communication.
Visar Zhiti (b. 1952) is the Albanian writer whose life and works perhaps best mirror the history of his nation. He was one of the many to have suffered appalling persecution for no apparent reason. But Visar Zhiti survived – physically, intellectually and emotionally, and he is now among the most popular poets of present-day Albania.