Written by: Besiana Kadare
Touched to have participated in this evening in homage to Ismail Kadarena, organized by the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, the French Academy and the Embassy of Albania in France, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of my father's birth. I was particularly touched by the fact that, beyond the institutional framework, friendship found its place and took the floor.
Friends who were important to Ismail, as well as connoisseurs of his extraordinary work, came to say, each in their own way, what remains alive in a work: Angelin Preljocaj, Jacques Attali, Tedi Papavrami, Éric Faye, Jean-Paul Champseix, Mireille Clapot. Hearing fragments from “Broken April” and “Three Arched Bridge”, recited by Albanian actors Simon Pitaqaj and Aphrodite de Lorraine, was truly beautiful. Hearing the Albanian language echo in this temple of French culture had a very special meaning. I was moved to be able to express myself on behalf of our family, in this place of heritage, where thought is worked on in the long term and where works continue to dialogue with time.
Below I am sharing the speech I gave there.
Dear friends,
Ismail's departure has left an infinite void. For his family, for his readers, for his country. But this void is not silence. It is inhabited. Inhabited by a thought that did not die with him. Great works do not die with their authors: they migrate to those who read them. They enter us, slowly take root and transform our way of thinking about the world, freedom, power. Being gathered here, at the Institut de France, in this place where French thought gathers, is transmitted and confronts itself, has a special meaning for us. To commemorate Ismail here means, in a way, to bring him back home.
In the heart of this house of the mind that welcomed him and whose profound values he embodied in his work. France is our second homeland. The one that welcomed us in 1990, when we left communist Albania. A country that offered my father not just a shelter, but something even rarer: a space of freedom. Here he was able to continue writing without hindrance and was recognized as a major writer of European literature. I take this opportunity to recall with emotion and deep gratitude the figure of Claude Durand, a great publisher and dear friend of our family, whose support, loyalty and intelligence played a decisive role. Being Ismail Kadare's daughter meant growing up among sentences left in suspense, open manuscripts and dense silences where everything was said without being exposed. What he was beyond this, I understood only later. In his books, of course. But also in the eyes of those who loved him through his writings and who offered me an opportunity to see him differently. For a long time I believed that my father belonged only to me. Later I realized that he belonged to the language. To an entire people. And now, to memory, but not to that which hardens, but to that which watches over, protects and transmits.
Taking inspiration from Albania, Kadare built an entire universe that reconstructed its internal architecture. His work constitutes a persistent resistance against fear, against the falsification of reality, against the totalitarian monster. He gave the history, myths and divisions of the Albanians a dimension that surpasses them. He gave the Albanians an axis of thought: the opportunity to know themselves without masks and to stand on their feet, without illusions. His work has never sought comfort. It has chosen clarity. He spoke of Albania, of course, but to highlight a universe that was only his: a world invaded by myths and legends, populated by aedes and oleanders, where severed heads travel and comets pass. And at the heart of this world, the totalitarian Monster always appears — Ottoman, Soviet, Chinese, it doesn't matter — that power that claims to rule even over the dreams of its subjects. It is a seminal work, where history is freed from boundaries to become universal. When a great writer passes away, the universe he created escapes time and continues to exist. Tonight, we are experiencing exactly this. On behalf of the entire Kadare family — Elena, our mother, Gresa, my older sister, Doruntina and Adriani, her children, Risto, their father — I warmly thank the Institut de France for this beautiful homage.
We are deeply moved. A special thank you to Ambassador Dritan Tola, for his personal commitment in organizing this event. Finally, we thank our friends who are here and especially Ismail's friends. Those who accompanied him with their loyalty, love and devoted presence.
edition
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