The 22nd Tirana Book Fair was held at the Congress Palace in Tirana, the capital of Albania, between November 13 and 17, 2019 with the participation of publishers and various organizations.

Minister of Culture of Albania Elva Margariti delivered a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fair, organized by the Albanian Publishers' Union with support from the Ministry of Culture of Albania. Noting that the fair should be regarded as a venue where views are exchanged and communication is established, Margariti stated that she saw books as friends bringing two foreigners together.

During the fair which was attended by approximately 100 publishers and associated organizations from Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, Yunus Emre Institute's Tirana Branch promoted the Institute's training and cultural and artistic activities as well as the Turkish authors' works which were translated into Albanian.

Common Turkisms In Balkan Languages

The Institute conducted various events and programs by inviting eminent writers of Turkish and Albanian literature, and on Wednesday, November 13, Prof. Assoc. Dr. Lindita Xhanari Latifi became the guest of the Institute's booth to talk about her book "Balkan Dillerindeki Ortak Türkizmalar Sözlüğü" (Dictionary of Common Turkisms in Balkan Languages), in which she compiled the common Turkisms (Turkish loanwords) in eight Balkan languages. Latifi gave information on her book, a first in its genre, and signed her book for book lovers.

Traces Of Turkish Literature In the Balkans

On Thursday, November 14, a panel discussion entitled "Traces of Turkish Literature in the Balkans" was held with the attendance of writer and poet Zeynel Beksaç, from Prizren, poet Seyhan Yakupi from Skopje, Rexep Hida, the owner of Fan Noli Publishing House, who translated many distinguished works of Turkish literature into Albanian, and Prof. Lindita Xhanari Latifi as speakers.

At the panel discussion, writer and poet Zeynel Beksaç and poet Seyhan Yakupi presented papers entitled, respectively, "Balkanlarda Türkçe Yazmak" (Writing in Turkish in the Balkans) and "Makedonya Türk Edebiyatında Roman ve Hikâye" (Novel and Story in Turkish Literature in Macedonia." Prof. Lindita Xhanari Latifi indicated that the traces of Turkish literature in the Balkans should be examined in two periods while Rexep Hida discussed the reasons why Turkish literature was popular among Albanian readers, stressing that they had translated 230 works from Turkish authors into Albania during the last 12 years.

Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Tirana Murat Ahmet Yörük pointed out that there was a dictionary with 4200 entries containing the common words in Turkish and Albanian and a new dictionary with 9000 entries will be published in coming summer months.

Interview With Ercan Kesal

Actor and director Ercan Kesal have met the readers and students. Kesal was the guest of the fair on Friday, November 15, meeting the students of New York University, affiliated to the Maarif Foundation of Turkey. Giving an interview to Klan TV, Kesal answered questions about his artistic and literary life.

Kesal also gave a talk at the Institute's booth in the fair. "I am very happy to be here. As a matter of fact, I have been to many Balkan countries, I think, all Balkan countries except Albania, for many times in connection with film festivals. I feel like I am at my own home, in my neighborhood in a very familiar city," he said.

Tarık Tufan Meets His Fans

Another guest of the Tirana Book Fair was writer and screenwriter Tarık Tufan. Tufan met his fans on Friday, November 16, signing his books translated into Albanian: "Bir Adam Girdi Şehre Koşarak" (A Man Entered the City Running) and "Kekeme Çocuklar Korosu" (Choir of Stammering Kids). Tufan also commented on his readings which were influential on his own sense of art, receiving a great deal of attention from literature lovers.

The 22nd Tirana Book Fair, attended by some 100 publishing houses and various organizations, ended on November 17, 2019.