Writer Fatos Kongoli declared honorary citizen of Elbasan

TIRANA, April 15 – Renowned Albanian writer Fatos Kongoli has been declared “Honorary citizen” in his hometown of Elbasan, central Albania. The title was awarded by Elbasan Mayor Qazim Sejdini in a ceremony bringing together local government officials, writers and intellectuals.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kongoli, who is one of the most acclaimed representatives of the contemporary Albanian literature, said it was a moving and special moment for him to be awarded a prize in his hometown, although he has spent only five of his childhood years there.
“I have received many prizes which were moments of joy to me, I am pleased my books have been published and acclaimed even outside Albania, but the pleasure and emotions I am feeling today in Elbasan with the ‘honorary citizen” prize is incomparable,” said Kongoli as quoted by local media.
Born in 1944, Kongoli was raised in the capital, Tirana. As a young adult, he was sent to China to study mathematics. Kongoli chose not to publish any major literary works during the oppressive dictatorship Albania. His narrative talent and individual style only really emerged, at any rate, in the nineties, after the fall of the communist regime.
Kongoli has won several prizes for his literary creations in Albania and abroad. In 2003, his novel “The Dream of Damocles” was awarded the Balkanika Prize as the best book of the year in the Balkans. Kongoli has also won the Albanian national prize for literature on several occasions. He won the Silver Quill for the best novel of the year twice, and in 2004 he won the Golden Quill for his complete works.
Alongside Ismail Kadare, Fatos Kongoli is the most widely-read author in Albania today and the most important literary chronicler of the laborious transition process from communism to democracy. His books deal with the effects of the political and social ruptures and upheaval in the everyday lives of the Albanian people, and particularly with the difficulties presented by the moral legacy left behind by communism.