Literary creativity of Hysen Sinani

(Novels)
Hysen Sinani writer’s creativity begins early, at a very young age, but he published for the first time literary stories and reportages in 1974. Later, when he was literary editor of the “Light” (“Drita”) newspaper, he published his first novel (1980) with the simple title “George”, (Gjergji) the name of the hero of the novel. Although this story has a history from working people’s life and passion, it doesn’t pass without severe criticism in the press of time, like those of ideological character that damaged more Albanian authors. The main criticism, notably in the Plenum of the League that year, more or less was this: “the employee had gone away from his social destination, giving a very bad example in our society” etc, as the novel’s hero, George, from worker becomes a literary translator realizing his passion, as for example “Martin Eden” who becomes a writer, but nobody criticizes him why he abandoned his longshoreman fellow… Another novel even more criticized than the first one, is his second novel titled “I didn’t forget that day” (“Nuk e harroja ate dite”) (1989). This creation is prohibited for three or four years in the editorial board of the only publishing house for “disparagement of Albanian reality”. Finally, after it was read and discussed in responsible instances, it is given permission to the publication, but it almost passed in silence, with the exception of an article which he criticizes in “Voice of the people” (“Zeri i popullit”) newspaper who calls the novel unrealistic and inconsistent with the Party line for the relations between the individual and the collective worker to whom he belongs. This work has at its center the life of a worker who fights against the power of corrupt leaders of a socialist enterprise. A year later, but by the only publishing house, the third novel with the same working theme, that would complete the cycle of corruption of the socialist society as the later months showed would be published. But the novel “A man like this” (“Nje burre si ky”) was only published in early 1992 when the socialist system was being collapsed. In this novel appeared the hopeless situation of Albanian simple man. More specifically, the lives of two hostile couples who were forced to coexisted under the same roof, because of housing shortage and how to somehow mitigate this housing shortage. In democracy, the author Hysen Sinani says that he had been willing to handle the topic of social protest, of whatever kind and whatever time it was. After several years for nothing in emigration, he returned to Albania and, within two years (1999-2000), he published two novels: “52 men for a woman” (“52 burra per nje grua”) and “Bad soil legend” (“Legjenda e dheut te keq”). The last one is a rare test of Albanian autobiographical novel, one that even today after eleven years since its publication; none of the Albanian authors has ever dared to repeat it. The novel, like a creation between memories and descriptions from the author’s own life, leads the reader in three European countries (Greece, Italy, France) where the main character goes to work or to meet his friends, telling the reader those part of Albanian character that are neither worse nor better than those of other peoples, which means: people vary a little between each other, their management policies vary widely. The press received well this special work, but did not spread enough its model. The other novel, “52 men for a woman,” handles the story of a young woman, a victim of the customs in the past of Albania. With bold dramatic and poetic tones, the whole novel is a unique description of Tirana village life in the last centuries.
Two years later, in 2002, another novel comes from this author, unlike any other previously published in Albania. This novel has also a very strange title: “Triseta, theorem of love” (“Triseta, teoreme per dashurine”). It is the first Albanian book with such a noted eroticism in a science-fiction atmosphere. Those who have read it think it is a premature book not for the reader but for Albanian writers race, who if they haven’t written themselves an innovative work, never accept that others have done it. “Triseta” of Hysen Sinani shows in a joyous way “the planting” of human semen in four centers of our globe, one of which is this “small place” where we live today. Then, from this macro-world touch down to Albanian today’s micro-world life, where in strong contrast with a great love, the narrow-minded society is dragged and especially that of the Albanian politics. For this novel, I have the impression that the Albanian criticism has only uttered a few words. There is a possibility that they haven’t understood it.
The last of Hysen Sinani’s published novels is that with the ironic title “The Sadist”. Another successful test of the author: an action-novel between the cruel revenge and human biblical destination, a simple story about ordinary people and an association of opinions about that who likes to contemplate. Technically it has a prominent structure: a statement issued from the holy books, the Bible or the Koran, which precedes the act of revenge of “The Sadist”. Some brigands have raped his fiancée, so he decides to kill them one after another. What did the press say about this book? Some quick thanksgivings and nothing more.
Throughout this ten year period, Hysen Sinani has made many other literary works like works’ translation of distinguished French and Italian writers, or even genuine lexicographic creations as two Greek language dictionaries, one of them medium and the other large.
He is currently working on a new novel unlike others, a “novel-contemplation” the author would call.

Paulin Rranzi
Writer

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