By Ervin Lisaku
TIRANA, Nov. 16 – The “Tirana 2010” book fair, held from November 11 to 15 at the Palace of Congresses, successfully closed its 13th edition last Monday with a record number of visitors and book sales, organizers said. Six prizes, including best author of 2010, best translator and best children’s book, were awarded in the fair which brought together some 80 publishers from Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia.
This year’s edition of Tirana 2010, the biggest annual book event held in Albania, attracted a record 60,000 visitors with an estimated 200,000 books reported to have been sold. According to the Albanian Publishers Association, the event’s organizer, the 2010 edition marked a 30 percent increase in the number of visitors despite a smaller number of publishing houses taking part. Fiction books were the best-sellers in the fair.
Some 200 new book titles were also promoted by authors who did not hesitate signing their books for their fans. The book fair, held under the “Enlightening young minds” motto, was also considered an opportunity to promote reading by offering books at discount.
In a ceremony held last Friday, the book fair’s second day, Irakli Kocollari was announced the Author of the Year for his “Policia Sekrete e Ali Pashes (The Secret Police of Ali Pasha) book focusing on the Albanian early 19th century ruler of Janina (today’s Ioannina) under the Ottoman empire. The best translator award went to Jorgji Qiriako for successfully bringing into Albanian the “Father Dancing” by Nicholas Papandreou.
The best children’s book writer prize was awarded to Bardhyl Xhama. Behar Gjoka grabbed the best research book award for his study on late Albanian poet Martin Camaj.
The special book fair prize was handed in to economist and politician Anasatas Angjeli for his book on transition and economic freedom in Albania.
Meanwhile, the best stand prize went to the Media Print publishing house for its novelty in introducing its publications to the public with a special design and using video devices.
Differently from previous editions, no prize was awarded for the best Albanian literature author.
Ismail Kadare, Albania’s most internationally acclaimed author and a perennial candidate for the Nobel Prize for literature whose novels and essays have been translated into more than 40 languages, was also present at the book fair promoting his latest book called “Mosmarreveshja” (Disagreement) on Albania’s relations with its own, which he described “as neither history not science, but simply literature, and a literary ordeal”
Several other successful foreign writers, including this year’s Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, had their books promoted into Albanian during the five-day fair.
The Tirana Times publishing house also participated with its own stand in the fair bringing some of the best historical, fiction, and research books, including those on Albania’s road to EU integration published by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS).
A book by director Vladimir Prifti on “how to read movies” was also promoted in the Tirana Times stand, which attracted a great number of visitors.
Each year dozens of publishing houses from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Diaspora participate in book fairs held in different cities of these countries where Albanian-speaking communities are in considerable numbers.
Last August, Albanian publishers had their publications displayed for one week from August 12 to 18 in the tourist city of Vlora, southern Albania, which at that time was packed by holidaymakers. The annual fair came after its successful display in Montenegro’s Ulcinj where it remained open from July 28 to August 3.
