Prishtina, 6 June 2023
Under the motto “Book Triumphs”, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the opening of the 23rd edition of the Book Fair, full of titles, organized by the Association of Kosova Publishers and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Initially considering it as a book festival, Prime Minister Kurti expressed his desire that this book fair, which is equivalent to an open mind and a town in itself, has a mental and spiritual impact, especially on the youth.
Knowing the importance of the book, Prime Minister Kurti spoke to the audience about the Government’s approach and actions towards the development of the book. On this occasion, the budget for the book has increased sixfold, from one hundred and sixty thousand euros to one million euros. He said that the Government does not only support literature and publishing houses, but all literary genres and the independent author directly. It also supports the development of audio books, programs to promote reading, and literary residencies.
The digital transformation is also affecting the National Library of Kosovo, turning it into the most advanced library in the region. The Prime Minister also mentioned some of the initiatives aimed at facilitating reader access to books, including the Kosovo library network system, the Digital Library and the National Library Education Program.
With high praise for the presence of the great Albanian writer, Ismail Kadare, Prime Minister Kurti in this ceremony emphasized the importance of Kadare’s contribution in shaping the Albanian nation through his novels and poetry.
“We are very honored and infinitely happy to have among us, our great writer Ismail Kadare, and I must say that we all grew up with him, which means that our self-awareness as an Albanian nation is in a significant amount shaped by the novels and poetry of Ismail Kadare. We are indebted to him beyond words”, stated the Prime Minister, who then held a conversation with Kadare, where the latter presented him with his signed book “Aksidenti”.
In this event, in addition to the presence of Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the writer Ismail Kadare, the Speaker of the Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku, the Ambassador of Albania, Qemal Minxhozi, the Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, as well as many writers, authors, readers, professors and students, were also present in the atmosphere of the opening of the fair.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full speech:
Dear and beloved Ismail Kadare, in my opinion the greatest living writer in the world today,
HonorableMrs.Elena Kadare,
Honorable Speaker of the Assembly Konjufca,
Minister of Culture, Çeku
Mayor of Pristina, Rama
Ambassador of Albania, Minxhozi,
Ladies and gentleman,
Honorable writers, authors, readers, professors and students,
Sisters and brothers,
Honorable attendees,
Today, on the occasion of the opening of the Book Fair, I am very pleased to greet readers, publishers, authors, translators and printing presses. Together you make possible one of the earliest and most beautiful human experiences, the relationship with the book.
Anyone who walks among the books at the fair, as well as among the library shelves, has the opportunity to imagine on the spot the long-term work of humanity in creativity, the polyhedral knowledge of society about the true measures of history.
The fair is like a book festival. The reader can come in every day, and can even come not only as a reader, but also as a writer and bibliophile, because the book also has its own beauty as a craft.
I myself feel the fair as a town, but also as an open society, as an open mind.
I deeply wish that the fair has a mental and spiritual impact on youth. I want to see as many young people here as possible. There are many titles, proposals to think about for all of us. Our revivalists even have their own editions that were never before. I found out that a previously unpublished book by Dora d’Istria is also appearing, so we can also have the pleasure of being the first to read earlier writings. A fair offers not only knowledge, but also the pleasures of knowledge.
Honorable attendees,
Our government has completely restructured the approach to book development. We have increased the budget for the book sixfold, from one hundred and sixty thousand euros to one million euros. From supporting only literature and publishing houses, today we support all literary genres and the independent author directly. We are supporting the development of audio books, literacy programs, and literary residencies.
Meanwhile, the National Library of Kosovo is making a digital transformation, becoming the most advanced library in the region, and the system of the library network of Kosovo, the Digital Library and the National Library Education Program, are just some of the initiatives of the National Library that are also connected with municipal libraries, facilitating the reader’s access to the book.
We are very honored and infinitely happy to have among us, our great writer Ismail Kadare, and I must say that we all grew up with him, which means that our self-awareness as an Albanian nation is in a significant amount shaped by the novels and poetry of Ismail Kadare. We are indebted to him beyond words.
Myself, every year I read “Përbindëshin”, “Kronikë në gur”, “Aksidentin” and “Pallatin e ëndrrave”. I read them once a year, so that I don’t have to pick them up every week, because we have a lot of work, obligations and responsibilities to the citizens.
Kadare’s novels help you escape temporarily from your profession, so it is necessary for me to keep this rhythm once a year, not more often.
Now, the Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca, who is a good author, will be here after me, and I try to keep up with him by being a good reader.
Allow me to finish my speech by saying that I wish success to the 23rd edition of the book fair, and as the theme of this year’s edition says, the book definitely triumphs.
Thank you!
Last modified: June 15, 2023