1. An exploration of Albanian literature with Johnny Mortimer 

Luljeta Lleshanaku: Suppression of the youth 

“A country where a man is afraid to criticise another one is no socialist country”.

-Enva Hoxha 

Revolutions can often be cruel. Despite normally being a fight for freedom from an oppressive force, they usually end up widening a wound instead of stitching it up. Albania serves as the perfect example of this, with the Balkan nation spending post-war Europe in the tight clutches of the Albanian communist party or, more specifically, Dictator Enver Hoxha. Hoxha’s form of anti-revisionist Marxism-Leninism, which was labeled Hoxhaism, was often regarded as ‘extreme Stalinism’ and centred around the oppression of the people through isolation from the outside world. By marginally industrialising rural Albania and closing the country, Hoxha was able to create the idea that Albania had entered an age of affluence under his rule. This brainwashed people into devoting their lives to the dictator who, for them, was the saviour of Albania. Under Hoxha’s rule, an extension of the civil service was added, The Sigurimi. Akin to the Gestapo of Nazi Germany or the Stasi of the Soviet Union, The Sigurimi was tasked with stopping the ‘corruption’ of their country by oppressing artists, democrats, Muslims, Christians, musicians, and, of course, poets. In the dictatorship, it was the state that chose if you went to university, not your grades or ability, but your suspected loyalty to the country and the party. Unfortunately for young Luljeta Lleshanaku, her application was tainted by her family. In an interview with Viktor Berberi, Lleshanaku remembered her family ‘was marked as enemies of the regime and suffered imprisonment and marginalisation as a result,’ including a period of forced labor. After being denied the right to an education, Lleshanaku found work in a factory despite having a burning passion for poetry. Lleshanaku was only able to pursue her passion after the fall of the communist regime in 1990. Her work was soon published and translated into several languages, and in 2009 she won the Crystal Vilenica award for European poets. She is widely considered Albania’s best poet, with her most emotionally moving and famous poem, ‘Via Politica,’ being praised as one of the best poems of the 21st century.

Via Politica 

By Luljeta Lleshanaku

Translated by Ani Gjika 

I grew up in a big house

where weakness and expressions of joy

deserved punishment.

And I was raised on the via politica

with the grease of yesterday’s glories,

a thick grease collected under arctic skies.

I was lit up. My notebooks, my hair, my heart reeked of

smoke.

That’s when we saw each other clearly.

Or rather, what remained of us.

Damaged like lottery numbers

scratched away with a blade.

How different we were!

Those with round faces were righteous;

those with narrow faces were cautious.

One listened secretly to Puccini,

another to silence, the music’s music.

The oldest one declaimed monologues

inside a ten-by-ten-foot cell

he had built for himself.

And the mysterious one

simply had diabetes.

But how similar we were in severe circumstances!

Alarmed like a flock of magpies

that the smallest stone sends into the sky

toward the mouth of the abyss.

Then it became obvious there wasn’t enough space for everyone.

We separated. Some went on living in via verbum,

telling of what they knew, what they witnessed,

and so, through their narrative,

creating their own grease.

The others crossed over the ocean.

And those in particular who went farthest away

never speak of their annoying history

of wretched survival, burying it

in the darkest crevices on their being.

Unfortunately, as with perfume, its scent

lingers there for much, much longer.

The poem from the start orchestrates the pain in remembering, “where weakness and expressions of joy deserved punishment,” creating an initial traumatic theme that is explored throughout the whole poem. It seems that the speaker is still haunted by the feelings she felt as a girl. The oppressive nature of the poet’s upbringing, where vulnerability and genuine happiness were discouraged or punished, is one shared by many Albanians of the same generation. This reflects the atmosphere of fear and repression that characterised life under communist rule in Albania, where individuality was stifled and frowned upon.

The mention of being raised on the “via politica” (which translates to “political street”) carries the metaphorical weight of growing up within the realm of politics, and perhaps more specifically, socialism. It signifies that the political ideology and its influence permeated every aspect of the poet’s life. The “grease of yesterday’s glories” collected under arctic skies further emphasises this idea, as it represents the remnants of past political triumphs or propaganda that lingered in the collective memory as Lleshanaku recounts her childhood.

The line “My notebooks, my hair, my heart reeked of smoke” vividly depicts the pervasive impact of the political environment on the poet’s personal and emotional existence. It suggests that the poet’s thoughts, identity, and emotions were steeped in the smoke, representing the influence and suffocation of creativity symbolised in the notebook, while also possibly referencing the speaker’s time spent working in a factory which she despised.

The poem then shifts to what can be interpreted as a realisation by the speaker: “That’s when we saw each other clearly” implies that it is through the hardships and severe circumstances they faced that true understanding and recognition of each other occurred. The difficulties they encountered stripped away superficialities, allowing for a deeper insight into their shared experiences and the impact of those around them.

The subsequent lines, “Damaged like lottery numbers scratched away with a blade,” employs a metaphor to describe the individuals. It suggests that they have been marked or scarred by their experiences with socialism, resembling lottery numbers that have been partially erased or obscured. This image conveys the lasting effects of their struggles and the sense of pain and perhaps trauma that they carry. These lines could also be interpreted as remembering the times after the fall of communism in Albania when the veil of affluence was destroyed, and individualism flourished.

“One listened secretly to Puccini” suggests a hidden passion or personal indulgence in music. It implies that amidst the challenging circumstances, there was someone who found solace or escape in the beauty of music, specifically Puccini’s compositions, which were banned in Albania. This line speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, as even in difficult times, individuals seek out sources of joy and inspiration.

The following line, “another to silence, the music’s music,” contrasts the previous experience. It suggests that while one person sought solace in music, another found comfort and meaning in silence itself. It implies that silence can hold its own kind of music or profound resonance, representing a different means of coping or finding connection amidst adversity. This could even represent the mixed feelings the people had with communism in Albania. Despite the modern negative perspective of communism in Albania parts of the country, especially the rural areas, still supported socialism. In fact, a socialist government was elected only 6 years after the fall of the one-party communist state which is still in power today. Although this current government is far from Hoxha’s its shows Albanias unhealthy trust in the past and unwillingness to move forward and try something new, an idea crafted by long periods of time Albania spent in isolation.

The line “The oldest one declaimed monologues inside a ten-by-ten-foot cell he had built for himself” introduces the idea of confinement and isolation, perhaps hinting at the speaker’s family who had been in and out of prison during the regime. It describes the actions of an individual who, in the face of restrictions or physical confinement, resorts to internal dialogues or self-expression within the confines of their own mind. This highlights the resourcefulness and resilience of individuals in finding ways to assert their identity and maintain a sense of agency, even within oppressive circumstances.

The structure of the poem is oddly free verse, lacking a strict rhyme scheme or meter. This form of poetry allows for greater flexibility and creativity in expressing ideas and emotions. By avoiding traditional rhyme and meter, Luljeta Leshanaku can focus on conveying the essence of her experiences and ideas with more freedom and spontaneity. Additionally, the poem exhibits a narrative quality, as it recounts the poet’s personal experiences and observations. This narrative structure helps to engage the reader by creating a sense of storytelling and inviting them to accompany the poet on her journey. Moreover, the use of vivid imagery throughout the poem, such as the references to “grease,” “smoke,” and “lottery numbers,” serves to create strong visual and sensory impressions. This imagery enhances the reader’s emotional connection to the themes and experiences conveyed in the poem.  

Returning to the poem itself, the lines “But how similar we were in severe circumstances!” emphasises a shared experiences and the common ground that emerged among the people depicted. Despite their differences and diverse challenges, they were united in their endurance and resilience in facing the severe circumstances they encountered. On the other hand, this line could be interpreted as praise for the regime. Communism was able to unite the country which had previously been understood as a mixing pot by the Ottoman’s with Lord Byron writing “no nation is so detested and dreaded than Albania, the Greeks hardly regard them as Christian’s or the Turks as Muslims, and in fact they’re a mixture of both and sometimes neither.” If Hoxha was able to unite such a fragmented nation then perhaps he deserves some credit despite being ruthless actions? A moral dilemma deserving of its own blog post I think.

 The subsequent lines, “Alarmed like a flock of magpies that the smallest stone sends into the sky toward the mouth of the abyss,” utilise vivid imagery to portray the collective reaction and vulnerability of the individuals. The imagery of a flock of magpies startled and flying upwards in response to a small stone alludes to the heightened state of alertness and fragility of the people in the face of potential danger or uncertainty. It emphasises the sensitivity and responsiveness that arises in severe circumstances.The following lines, “Then it became obvious there wasn’t enough space for everyone. We separated,” indicates the realisation that the available resources or opportunities were limited, leading to the necessity of separation or divergence. This acknowledges the harsh reality that not everyone could remain together or access the same opportunities and hints subtly at Albanian immigration which remains a prominent issue both in Albania and oversees.

The poem recognises the impact of external circumstances and the paths individuals take and the choices they make. The final lines, “Some went on living in via verbum, telling of what they knew, what they witnessed, and so, through their narrative, creating their own grease,” describe how some individuals chose to continue their lives on “via verbum,” the street of politics. They used storytelling and narration as a means of creating their own “grease,” signifying their own sources of inspiration, influence, and narrative. This highlights the power of storytelling and the resilience of the human spirit in finding agency and creative outlets even in challenging circumstances. However this could also be meant as a criticism of those who dwell on the past leaving themselves to be unprepared for the future.

 The line “the other crossed over the ocean” alludes to the Albanian Civil unrest of 1997 in which con artists working for pyramid schemes were able to steal money from hard working Albanians who had little understanding of how capitalism worked. This was allowed to happen by a weak government who offered no assistance in restricting these schemes even when told to by the IMF. This crashed the Albanian economy and plunged the country into a brief civil war referred to in Albania as the “troubled period” as the country descended into chaos and required UN peace keeping forces to take back half the country. The troubles resulted in a mass migration of Albanian people who clung themselves to ships and planes leaving the country in a desperate attempt to escape to the EU. This line clearly references this. The mention of those who went farthest away and “never speak of their annoying history of wretched survival” points to the idea that some individuals who migrated tend to distance themselves from their troubled past. Stripping themselves of their cultural identity. 

The line “burying it in the darkest crevices on their being” suggests a deliberate act of suppressing or hiding their difficult history within themselves. Perhaps for the writer this trauma has resurfaced. This can be interpreted as a coping mechanism or a way to move forward and focus on their present lives in a new environment. However, the line also highlights that the scent of their history lingers, similar to perfume, “for much, much longer.” This implies that despite their attempts to bury or forget their past, the impact and traces of their experiences continue to shape them. This can be seen as a metaphor for the lasting effects of the migration crisis and the civil unrest, both on the individuals who migrated and on the collective memory of the nation.

In conclusion, the poem explores the poet’s  melancholic past and delves into themes of suppression, resilience, shared experiences, and the lasting impact of historical events. Through vivid imagery, personal narratives, and introspective reflections, the poem captures the oppressive atmosphere of the poet’s childhood, where vulnerability and expressions of joy were punished. It portrays the individuals within the poem as marked by their experiences, but also united by their shared endurance and resilience in severe circumstances. The poem also raises several important questions such as how to combat growing trauma, at the start of the poem I would argue the poet suggests that the healthiest way to dismiss it is to recount what had happened however this is contrasted later in the poem when the poet criticises the people of Albania for dwelling on it for too long and therefore suffocating the future. The use of two such contrasting ideas perhaps hints at the idea of there being a healthy middle ground between the two extremes which is only achievable through experiencing both methods first.