#mystey

Travel Destination: Albania

The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Ornela Vorpsi

Set in 1970s-1980s communist Albania. Through short, sardonic vignettes, a young girl navigates a brutal, isolated society defined by dictatorship, misery, and forbidden sexuality, often finding solace only through literature and an ironic inner life.

The Sworn Virgin by Kristopher Dukes

When 18 year old Eleanora's father is shot dead on the cobblestone streets of 1910 Albania, Eleanora must abandon her dream of studying art in Italy as she struggles to survive in a remote mountain village with her stepmother Meria.

Nearing starvation, Meria secretly sells Eleanora into marriage with the cruel heir of a powerful clan. Intent on keeping her freedom, Eleanora takes an oath to remain a virgin for the rest of her life, a tradition that gives her the right to live as a man: she is now head of her household and can work for a living as well as carry a gun. Eleanora can also participate in the vengeful blood feuds that consume the mountain tribes, but she may not be killed, unless she forsakes her vow, which she has no intention of ever doing.

Broken April by Ismail Kadare

From the moment that Gjorg's brother is killed by a neighbour, his own life is forfeit: for the code of Kanun requires Gjorg to kill his brother's murderer and then in turn be hunted down. After shooting his brother's killer, young Gjorg is entitled to thirty days' grace - not enough to see out the month of April.

Then a visiting honeymoon couple cross the path of the fugitive. The bride's heart goes out to Gjorg, and even these 'civilised' strangers from the city risk becoming embroiled in the fatal mechanism of vendetta.

A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare

While waiting to hear whether his newest play will be approved for production, playwright Rudian Stefa is called in for questioning by the Party Committee. A girl - Linda B. - has been found dead, with a signed copy of his latest book in her possession.

He soon learns that Linda's family, considered suspect, was exiled to a small town far from the capital, and that she committed suicide. Under the influence of a paranoid regime, Rudian finds himself swept along on a surreal quest to discover what really happened to Linda B. Through layers of intrigue, her story gradually unfolds: how she loved Rudian from a distance, and the risks she was prepared to take so that she could get close to him. He becomes captivated by her story, and disturbed at how he might be culpable for her fate.

Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare

A stunning tale of a young boy and an ancient land, each awakening to the joys and horrors of the modern world.

The Spirit rose its arms towards him “Don’t you remember? Brothers and sisters, we are. For thousands of years, we dwell under the earth, under the water…

A strange fairytale not necessarily for children.

You can find it in Amazon :

Lovely is the sky

Don't ask why

For nobody knows

Why it touches our souls

Maybe it's deep

But for all I know

It could be simple

Like tying a bow