#TiranaReads Austrian Literature
"Literary Evenings with Austrian Writers" was organized on 23–25 May 2018 by Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy and the support of Raiffeisen Bank, as part of the Austria–Albania Cultural Year's activities.
1st Night, 23 May 2018
"Literary Evenings with Austrian Writers" under the Austria–Albania Cultural Year
Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy in Tirana on 23 May 2018 hosted the "Austrian Literature Nights" under the theme "Tirana Reads". This activity, which comes within the framework of the Austrian–Albania Cultural Year concluded its first night successfully with the participation of many young people in the "Goethe" hall of the "Kujtim Spahivogli" Experimental Theater. The first night guests included three Austrian authors Andrea Grill, Klemens Renoldner and Christina Maria Landerl, and Albanian author Agron Tufa.
Director of IDMC, Dr. Jonila Godole, in her welcome address briefly explained the purpose of the activity, how much literature has been transformed over the years, the crisis of modern literature, and what influential authors bring to the audience.
Present at the event opening was also the Austrian ambassador to Albania, Dr. Johann Sattler, who talked about the synergy created by the exchange of views between Austria and Albania authors and translators.
The attempts to free literature from totalitarian structures were the focus of Agron Tufa's address. "The Albanian writer is very stubborn and closely connected to one's roots, even when experimenting. And if there is something that makes them similar to foreign writers, that must be the power of collective dreams," he noted.
Andrea Grill said she always thinks about her readers when writing. "When I write I have to think about the audience I am writing for so I can connect with them," she said while adding that technology will change literature in the future just like everything else.
In the second part of the activity, Klemens Renoldner read a fragment from his newest novel that is expected to be published in 2019, "Cape of Good Hope", which recounts a child's memory of his grandfather and talks about education and morality, the two poles, yes and no, tolerance and authority etc.
2nd Night, 24 May 2018
Second night of "Literary Evenings with Austrian Writers"
The second night's special guest, author Andrea Grill, was involved in a discussion with the audience moderated by Lazër Stani. Mrs. Grill revealed her relationship with Albania and Albanian writers had greatly influenced her writings. She read excerpts from her novel "The Yellow Uncle – A Family Album".
"Literary Quartet" was the highlight of the second night. Conceived as a round table with four literary critics from Albania – Jonila Godole, Agim Baçi, Alda Bardhyli and Lili Sula – it introduced to the audience four Austrian authors published in Albanian language, such as Elfriede Jelinek (Women as Lovers), Rainer Maria Rilke (Duino Elegies), Stefan Zweig (Mendel the Bibliophile), and Andrea Grill (Tränenlachen). Each participant shared with one other their thoughts on the books and discussed the different points of view for each work.
3rd Night, 25 May 2018
"Literary Evenings with Austrian Writers" 2018 closes successfully
The third and last night of the "Literary Evenings with Austrian Writers" finished on 25 May 2018. The first part of the event was dedicated to Austrian author Christina Maria Landerl. In a conversation with translator Edlira Agolli, Mrs. Landerl shared with the audience moments of her life and work, how she had entered the world of literature. She said she drew inspiration from her native country of Austria, and one of her stories entitled "Time to Leave Town" was dedicated to that.
The remaining duration of the activity was provided to renowned author and journalist, Stefan Zweig. The audience gained an impression of his lifestyle, creativity, the central messages he conveyed, what other authors influenced him, his philosophy of life, and the role of literature in society. All these were presented by the director of "Stefan Zweig" Centre in Salzburg, Klemens Renoldner, under the moderation of Albanian author and literary critic, Agim Baçi.
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