ISMAIL KADARE his word and the time Where does the great writer stand? Now that judgment is calmer, with the lifting of the inevitable fog of polemics and political passions that have accompanied every act and omission of his during these years, now that (fate having willed it so) the great writer is leaving us for good, the more we know him the more we lose him. At least that is how it happens to me. Pieces of the writer, his work, our time, our drama, come together piece by piece, in the harsh light of one another. The full immersion in the world and atmosphere of that drama, the clear awareness that everything cannot be understood outside it, without it, created the strange features of this case. Throughout the 45 years of dictatorship, an entire literature, an entire culture, except for a few cases, remained in an uncertain relationship with the truth. For some it was a refuge, for some a mask, for some an apology, for some a stifled revolt. It was on this ground that Ismail Kadare was born and became great. Can he be understood without this ground? Can this ground be understood without him? I do not know either. But I do know that the question remains open and the answer is not easy. The great writer under dictatorship is always a dramatic knot: at once witness, participant, used, sought after, praised, attacked, read hungrily, and judged mercilessly. Kadare is such a phenomenon. His work was for us a window, a salvation, a fascination, but also a source of doubt and division. Now, in democracy, this dramatic knot does not unravel by itself; on the contrary, it becomes even more complicated. Democracy gives us the freedom to say everything, but it does not immediately give us the maturity to understand everything. So we risk at times sanctifying him, at times tearing him down, at times using him as a banner, at times as a target. In truth, the issue is not only Kadare; it is our relationship with freedom, with the past, with responsibility and with culture. What can we ask of a great writer who lived and wrote under dictatorship? Pure heroism? Pure silence? Absolute refusal? Or art that, in its own way, saved a part of the truth from being drowned? These questions do not have simple answers. They require honesty, not shouting; thought, not anathemas. And perhaps that is our democratic test: the ability to judge without hatred, to distinguish without tearing apart, to understand without blindly forgiving. Kadare is a major part of this test. (Continued on page 9)

- President Berisha received the chairman of the Russian parliament, Khasbulatov - In the Republic Hall, the meeting room, where the honors and decorations shone. Two flags were placed side by side, the Albanian one and the Russian one. After the photos were taken, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, and the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, Ruslan Khasbulatov, sat facing each other and discussed issues related to Albanian-Russian bilateral relations and the situation in the Balkans. President Berisha informed Khasbulatov about the democratic developments in Albania, the efforts to build the rule of law and a market economy. He underlined that Albania is interested in good relations with Russia and with all other countries. Speaking about Albanians outside Albania's borders, President Berisha stressed that the millions of Albanians living in the Balkans are a factor of peace and stability. He called for their national, human and democratic rights to be respected. For his part, Khasbulatov expressed his satisfaction with the reception and praised the democratic changes in Albania. He said that Russia is interested in developing cooperation with Albania in various fields. The meeting also discussed the situation in the former Yugoslavia and the need for peaceful solutions. (Continued on page 2)

The Social Insurance Institute of Albania, Tirana, Kavajës Street near the New Maternity Hospital, announces that the distribution of work books has begun for Albanian citizens who have worked in the former Soviet Union, the Czechoslovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, China, Cuba and other countries. Interested persons should present themselves to receive these books, bringing proof that verifies the period of work, such as a work booklet, certificates from institutions, and other documents. The documents must be original or notarized photocopies. Presentation is made at the Social Insurance Institute, Tirana. The office hours for citizens are every day from 8:00 to 14:00.

- In half of the country, is it not naively displaced?! it is indeed by-tosar and yet gus - The realization? of this essay? appears as an attempt to think through a specific fact and draw from it some broader conclusions. A fact, however small it may seem at first glance, can carry a deeper meaning when placed in the context of our time. Sometimes a simple everyday episode forces you to return to questions you believed were settled: what is truth, what is moral stance, how is opinion formed, how is public speech used. These thoughts do not aim to provide final answers, but to encourage a calmer and more reasoned conversation. Instead of shouting, let us try argument; instead of prejudice, observation; instead of haste, the patience to understand. Because a single fact, if seen with a free eye, can become the key to reading an entire social state.

ALBAN... ILLU... [?]