Throwing Lana off the edge, sidewalks … old books take refuge in this artistic form through the novels. They are attractive not only to explore abandoned libraries, signatures of personalities filled with mysteries, but also for their rare exoticism: works, authors, covers, the age of sheets that inspire tragic stories … but again with readers’ resistance Fanatics of the capital
On a May afternoon of the year I went to the Youth Park, opposite the building of the former Ministry of Defense. A shorter storm of dense rains had cleansed the air; The asphalt and the sparrows mirrored, as painted in the sunset, some pink reflections in the puddle, as if it were a violation of still perverse paints.
While the sidewalk chapel, adjacent to the Park’s edges, drew attention to the occasional and monotonous calls of the two Roma boys who, as soon as a passerby approached, repeated in turn the same call:
-Haydeal, Good Commodity, Free Commodity …! Good Mall, Free Commodity … I stopped the steps and saw that over the edges of the border, in a length of 5 to 6 meters, on a transparent plastic coat, were placed old books of all sizes. Even without the call of two Roma teenagers, based on my old habit, I would probably have forbidden to blur those titles, although I’ve been increasingly disappointed with odd books on the streets.
The boy hastened to help me, bringing me occasionally thick books, which he kept in some cardboard boxes.
“Do not pull one by one,” I said, “take it all out, stretch it to the boom, that I see myself.
-To sell them here, – he argued that he should be the greatest, – we do not derive the other commodity, that it breaks us.
I shook my head and I was away, after separating a special Flober (“Lady Bovari” with translation into Gezzan Zekrija Rexha) and, for childhood nostalgia, “The Legend and Adventure of Ulenshpigel and Lame Gudzak” by Sharl De Koster . As I was paying, without eating in Shopping, the Roma boy made a sudden proposal:
-You want to, uncle, open the three boxes, see the pot … masanej put them in the box again. How do you say, open them up?
-Happy … Soon ama! – I told.
The two guys listed edited books, trying to point out some volumes of a Russian encyclopedia. But I continued to look at the covers, generally familiar bilingual titles, until I stopped in front of a soft, black, untitled cover book, thinking that the title could be found on the inside pages. Just after browsing the two empty pages, I ran into a handful, clear, careful, somewhat steep writing.
I thought it might be a diary and I’ve been browsing some other papers. I did not dare to date. Any translation maybe …? Judging by two or three Albanian names, this was the case. I did not understand the nature of that writing by hand so that not to attract the attention of the boys, I closed that thick booklet in the form of the book and asked:
-Have you give me that?
– An old baby boy, – dismissed the haircut, who was supposed to be the boss of that adolescent dormitory.
It lasted for this five-year-old and asked him where they had taken these books … and added:
-I know for many years all the bölinists and vendors of the books of Tirana, but I have never encountered you – while I was struggling with the black block in my bag of arms.
-Well, uncle … so … piss on those of you, did they have a first day? If you want to know how to do it, the first day … and with the kismet … – he left the sentence unfinished.
I managed to get closer to him and I said to him, the low voice, as the secrets say,
– I did not ask you where you got the books! If you see them, all books have on page 3 and 17 the personal library T & L. stamp. Look at … Look at! And that means that all of these books you are selling are part of a family library. Who gave you? I asked him steadily, weighing on the heels on the rim.
The boy lowered his eyes and murmured, as he collected books pulled out of the boxes, said:
-Vallahi has given us one to sell and the profit we have to share with fifti-fifti … I do not know much.
***
Throwing Lana off the edge, sidewalks … old books take refuge in this artistic form through the novels. They are attractive not only to explore abandoned libraries, signatures of personalities filled with mysteries, but also for their rare exoticism: works, authors, coverlets, age sheets, and inspiration for tragic stories … One case is The above fragment, part of the prologue of Agron Tufa’s novel, has inspired the writing of “The Stone of the Tomb I Confess”, where nothing changes from the reality of the Belialists on the edges of Tirana to go to tragic stories.
Coguk, Dostoyevsky, Balzak, Flober, Enver Hoxha, Naim Frasheri, Kadare, Petro Marko, Gogol, Stendal … Almost a complete Russian literature, encyclopedia, book about agriculture, livestock, medicine, Albanian literature throughout the dictatorship “coexist” for sake A fanatic reader for old books, though they can not stay together, in the sun, and lying in the mud.
Another Case: One of the novels by Chek, whose title in Albanian is translated “Bukinisti Mendel”, tells the story of the seller of antique books that spent the days at Café Gluck in Vienna in the years before World War I, the beginning of To which he, immersed in readings, did not even know. We will not go on with the tragic story of Jakob Mendel, because at the Rinia Park, on the streets, the tortuos and the lane of Lana, finds the bukinists of the capital. Nicholas is one of them who has placed books on the edge opposite the former Dajti hotel. At every hour of the day, she finds younger younger, but every age that is attracted to older books. Searching on them is a kind of curiosity, an attractive force linking today’s book destiny with the past. Distinguish the bakeries from this. Those who sell on the street are supplied by storages that keep the libraries down, both personal and public. While bakeries who have a “secret” hideout and are not very exposed, they sell books that have been taken in the streets of cities from the west, where the author’s name, the cover and the paper quality are the first thing that encourages them to buy. Nicholas, but others tell us that interest in rare books, especially in foreign languages, has increased recently. “We are especially looking for books by authors who do not have them in the library, and they can not find them in the bookstore.” Old books? In fact, all the dictatorships from the 45th to the 90s are there, and it is not happening that rare books will be faced before these years.
At the 15th edition of the book organized in Tirana, a booth named “Bukinisti’s House” was baptized, but it was unborn, an idea by publisher Mehmet Gëzhilli, to have a home, a bookstore, a place to buy Used books used, old of any field, any language, period, or forgotten books …
But lastly, there is again a rebirth, revival of old books. The tendency that comes from social networks, such as the organization of the books used recently, at the beginning of this year, along with the new ones. “Pointless Area Publishers”, though having a sporadic history in dealing with old and used books, often hear from them about social networking under the name of “Spark Log” inviting readers not only to receive books, But also to donate.
But these remain isolated, despite the willingness to “rebel” a gloomy reality of how books are traded in the capital, at least those older people who inspire literature as well.
Street libraries once stolen
Several years ago, the entire Injaz Zamputh library had ended up on the street. At the Lana Bridge, Zampouth’s firm was about the historical books written by him, and the rare books he had in the library. This was among the fate that has followed the libraries of many personalities in history, where many of them share the most fatal events of the robbery of communists. At No. 2 of Almanac, a publication of the Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, among others is included a search by Çelo Hoxha on
Sequestration of the libraries of these three signers of Independence. How commissions were set up, who signed the order, and to whom were handed over the keys of the libraries of Kruja, Frashëri and Nosit. Hoxha brings
Documents of the Central State Archive (Ministry of Propaganda, D. 126).
“One of the crimes of the communist regime is the looting of libraries of private persons, among which were the libraries of some of the most prominent people in Albania’s history.
Until now, we have only discovered a part of the looting process of the library of the three signatories of Independence: Mid’hat Frashëri, Mustafa Kruja and Lef Nosi. The Ministry of Propaganda informed the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice on February 21, 1945 that a commission was being set up to seize the books of the three signatories of Independence, so this ministry had to send a representative to that commission … ”
The document states: “The National Library Directorate will withdraw the books of the library
Sequestered by Lumo Skëndo, Mustafa Kruja and some of Lef Nosit’s books deposited at the State Bank. For this, we ask that a quality delegate be appointed from this office, as a member of the commission, which is formed by the press, propaganda and folk culture for the withdrawal of the traitors in question. ” As this is the case, even after the collapse of communism, the libraries continued to be “hostages” of the system, without the contribution of the National Library being rejected or “robbed” without honoring these figures.
Platformat online
Title: “Five-Element Primary School Programs”; Gender: Guide; Publishing House: Technical Printing; Year: 1928 -The book’s link is stable. On the side of the cover is a bit torn because of the time. On the first page is a person’s name written. The book pages are squashed in several places.
Title: Second Letters to the Teachers of Shqipnis; Gender: Guide; Publishing House: Nikaj, Publication of the Ministry of Education; Year: 1924. About the book: Binding pages is good and durable. Pages have some yellow spots due to time. The front page is slightly worn and stained.
These are just two examples they received for the earliest books found on the online “Book House” platform, where the old book is included as one of its sections for interested readers. The availability of the data, and the information we receive holds the historical links, the year and the impression of a nearly exalting state of the rare books. For many years, the “Book House” is very active in this regard, but also in the introduction of new books. Another online platform, despite the name, bukinist.al has recently entered the market with the sale of books, mostly young ones. Its leader, Albert Gjoka, says there is a lot of interest from readers to order online publications, but on the other hand, it also casts in consideration the fact that the time has come to study these online book sales platforms in Albania.
This contribution is also linked to a survey conducted by bukinist.al for readability by disseminating a questionnaire. This is one of the few cases in which the interest of the reader approaches a sociological view of what the Albanians read, while it is totally absent in the terms of the book’s free sale, especially for the street market and the fairs.
V.Murati
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