TIRANA, Feb 02 – Presented for the first time in the U.S., this volume brings the best of the past 25 years. If you’d ask the poetry, Zogaj, whether he is more of a politician or a poet, perhaps he would not be able to answer. What is important is that he is not a politician in poetry, and thus his lines are timelessly lovely and readable.
When a good book is added to the sea of the book market, it is an important event for the reader, and in this spirit the poetic volume of Prec Zogaj “Occurrence on Earth” was presented. The culmination of decades of poetry, Zogaj shared his work with friends and colleagues at the Tirana International Hotel, amongst the company of politicians, journalists, and artistsנwho were not only there to return a favor but to share a unique moment away from the every day monotony.
“Occurrence on Earth”נa publication of Tirana Timesנis a summary of selected poems stretched throughout 25 years and in 9 poetic volumes. They date as far back as 1985 and continue up until today. These are poems full of life, but also full of death; but mostly full of love. It is thus perhaps fitting that the publisher of the book noted that the inspiration of Zogaj is love, which he finds in his family, mother, daughters, wife, Earth and mother country.
“Do you want to know?”; “Is not turning back”; “She loved me truly”; “Heart”; “At 5 in the afternoon”; “In my parent’s house”; etc. are some of the poems included in this volumeطhich speaks to the poet’s growth.
The Deputy Director of Tirana Times publishing house, Jorgji Qirjako, began the ceremony by noting that though this poetic summary by Prec Zogaj lacked strong media advertisements, it bears the weight of a 25-year poetic creation inspired deeply by great love.
Marking the unique nature of the event, the singer Frederik Ndoci performed one of the most beautiful songs of Albanian music, “Your Eyes”ء song whose text was written by Prec Zogaj, though few people know that.
Later on, some words were said about the book and the poet. According to Piro Misha, Director of the Institute of Dialogue and Media, what is important in all the poetic creativity of Zogaj, is the fact that there is a wall which cannot be passed that he has built inside of himself. That wall divides Zogaj, an intimate and sensitive poet, from the politician who debates and raises his voice. Misha called it an imposed schizophrenia, but Zogaj’s skill the preservation of those “two persons” who are alive inside of him. He added that through this volume one can also see the evolution of Zogaj’s poetry, comparing the poems’ with the occurrences of every day life.
The journalist and poet, Bujar Xhaferi, evaluated Zogaj in the line of Albanian poets who through experimentation treat universal topics. Meanwhile, Zogaj himself while thanking all the participants for their time, said that he would feel a bit guilty for their wasted time if he wasn’t aware that the poetry is a queen of arts, which has the power to speak through metaphors of two powers that make the world go around: love and death.
The event continued with glasses of wine, and autographs from the author in copies of his book which summarizes these past 25 years.
Piro Misha: Prec could maintain politics and poetry
Misha referred to Zogaj’s volume “Occurrence on Earth” as simple, clear, a poetry of feeling, and above all beautiful. “I remember that when Prec appeared for the first time as a poet, there was a whole generation of poets who promised a lot. With the passing of years, and especially with the changes that occurred during the 1990s, and with their inclusion in politics, many poets were not able to afford both career paths,” remarked Misha. Yet, Prec is a poet who has grown up and his poetry is never separated from him despite his political career.
Bujar Xhaferi: New forms which bring the universal
Journalist Bujar Xhaferi did not only praise the 25-year creativity of his friend and colleague, but he also gave us good news. During the promotion of the poetic volume, Xhaferi, perhaps by mistake, revealed another eventشhat of the publishing of a special volume with three poets from Lezhe: Ndoc Gjetja, Rudolf Marku, and Prec Zogajطho brought a breath of fresh air to Albanian poetry. Xhaferi, as one of loyal readers of Zogaj’s poetry, said that his creativity gives the possibility to escape from a reality where harshness predominates. “Prec continues to find new ways of describing universal topics,” said Xhaferi. According to him, the creativity of the 10 last years of Zogaj’s work has consolidated his status as an Albanian poet.
“It’s worthwhile to lose time for poetry”
“This is a very important time for me personally and for the publisher Tirana Times. It was our desire to share this event among friends, readers, and colleagues. I want to thank the Ambassador of Denmark, the leader of the opposition Edi Rama, and someone who is missingנXhek Marinaj, who is the translator of my poems in English. It is the occasion for us to thank him not only as a translator of my poems, but also as one of the best ambassadors of Albanian poetry in the U.S. I want to thank also Tirana Times Publishing House, especially the director Ms. Jerina Zaloshnja who had the idea for this book. Despite the fact that this promotion was organized by Tirana Times, I would feel bad that all you artists, readers, and intellectuals, have left your work aside and come here. I would feel bad that we have taken these moments from you if I weren’t aware of two things:
First that poetry continues to be something very important in this world, and in this life. Last year, the jury of the Nobel Prize gave the award to a poetسomething that happens only every 7-8 years. So poetry continues to be written, poetry exists, there exists this way of thinking and articulating which cannot be replaced by music or by pictures, there exists this poetic perspective, this virtual world with a point of view that comes from the poetic word that will accompany human life until its end.
We can remember a saying by Thomas Eliot, who says that poetry does not only combine some features of other arts in one, but it has an irreplaceable and authentic spot, because it’s the only one which can speak through metaphor for the grand, mysterious, and divine things which are love and death.
I would also cite an expression that Borges takes from Colridge, “If a person traversed heaven in a dream, and if he was given a flower as evidence that he had been there, and waking up he found that flower in his handŠwhat would happen?” Actually poetry is this flower, but in the book and not in the hand of the authorŠnever. It’s not me who has written the book, I have this flower, but it’s in the book. And now I’m not the author, I am the one who is talking in front of you on this winter day with frost in Tirana. I want to thank you for being present in this ceremony of my poetry.”
-Prec Zogaj
