Ask me how much I knew about Albania before coming here and my list would be a short one: Enver Hoxha, bunkers and Sir Norman Wisdom. I have no idea when or how I acquired this extensive body of knowledge, but the association of Norman Wisdom with Albania was by far the most interesting part of it. I remember watching Norman Wisdom's old films on British television. My parents were fans of his wholesome, slapstick comedy, but apparently missed the ideological significance of Pitkin's relationship with Mr Grimsdale. Pitkin, the downtrodden and oppressed representative of the workers, triumphed every time over his capitalist oppressor, Mr Grimsdale - and he got the girl. It took a theorist of Hoxha's insight and profundity to discern this deeper political message. It always seemed tremendously unlikely, yet the story of Sir Norman's fame in Albania has been reported in worthy sources like the BBC , the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph . According to the Guardian, when Wi...
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Ok, I understand that they don't want to deal with the past anymore, but throwing away any book is a sin. Afterall, it's a part of our past and history and we should learn from our mistakes not be in denial. At least keep them in a library from reference.
It's tragicomic. I don't think that throwing away "any book" is a sin. There are plenty of books that are pure garbage. And most of Enver's repetitive propaganda fit that description.
Take the book Alwyn has photographed. "Historia e Partise Punes se Shqiperise". That book is not the true history, but it's what Enver wanted people to be perceived as history, hence it's pure garbage, and deserves to rot away.
nice catch Alwyn!
When are you leaving the land of eagles anyway?
Ohh you should have seen my fathers bookcase a few years back.
He had volumes of them, I think there are about 12 volumes (Works) in total. Turned out a bit useful (the actual pages, not the content) in the end because I perfected the "art" of paper plane making.
Even now at 23 I'm a true expert on paper planes!
Anon If you click on 5265 (now 5265-1) you'll see the original. I've played with contrast and sharpness a bit. It's 3.4 MB so it might take a few moments to load.
I think we should preserve all points of view. You can analyze and study Enver's technique so that we won't be fooled again.
THese books are certainly kept at the reference library...I think what Alwyn has photographed was the throw-away collection of some family/person.
It is actually interesting to read a few passages from some of them (especially the ones bearing the name "Enver Hoxha" as the author). When reading them, if you can get past the obvious propaganda, one can sort of disect the passages to find some historical trueth. Not that anything printed in them was true, but only saying one can find out how the party perceived certain individulas and how they reacted after each split with each superpower etc etc. Whats always amazed me is that Hoxha himself was credited with 100 books, most of them coming after 1978-79. Sadly as most people know, he was so inadequate after that time, that he could barely attend party meetings, let alone write books. No doubt most if not all of them were shadow-written, and I think a few of them by good writers too. For example "Titistet", or the "Titoists" in English, is full of historical passages and half-trueths. I doubt Hoxha himself could have written a 400 page book so elequently all the while being in charge of the party and state!