Ag Apolloni's novel about the tragic fate of two Albanian mothers has not even taken five years to cross borders into five languages. It has been translated into Romanian by Marius Dobrescu, who is known for translating dozens of Kadare's books into Romanian. "Since this is a novel that generalizes our pain through mythical paradigms, I believe it will have something to say to Romanian readers as well," Apolloni said. Since the beginning of the year, "A Thread..." is waiting for three more languages
Romanian is the next language in which “A thread of hope, a spark” speaks. Ag Apolloni's novel has already been published in this language by the publishing house “Sitech”. So far, the work that deals with the tragic fate of two Albanian mothers, Paške Marku and Ferdonije Qerkezi, after being published in Albanian in 2020, has been published in English, German, Dutch and Montenegrin. In Romanian, as Apolloni's publisher, “Bard Books”, has announced, it has been translated by Marius Dobrescu, who is known for translating dozens of Kadare's books into Romanian.
"A Thread..." did not even take five years to cross borders in five languages. In addition to local criticism, it has also been appreciated internationally.
Ag Apolloni said that those who have read it in Romanian have told him that it is a beautiful and fluent translation.
"I have no doubt about this, when I consider that the translator of this novel is Marius Dobrescu, who has translated about 50 works by Ismail Kadare into Romanian. Of course, I feel honored by the publication, but even more by the translation or by the translator," Apolloni said in response to KOHĖN. He said that Albanians have old ties with Romanians, whose literature has had a great influence on the modernization of Albanian literature.
"That's why I enjoy the opportunity to communicate with Romanian readers. Cristian Beşleagă, who did the comparative editing and found the publisher, also has a special merit for this publication," he said.
“A Thread of Hope, a Stick of Matches” is the Romanian title of the novel. On the cover is the 1920 painting “Niobe” by Artuš Scheiner (1863 –1938). It is a fitting finding since “A Thread of Hope, a Stick of Matches” begins with two lines from Aeschylus’s lost play, “Niobe”: “Sitting over their graves, she mourned her dead children.” Apolloni creates the Kosovar Niobe portrayed through the figure of Ferdonije Qerkezi, who has been alone for 20 years. He attempts to universalize the Kosovo war by making a comparison with that of the Jews of World War II, through the writer of Jewish origin, Elie Wiesel, who as a child had personally experienced the events of the Holocaust, while as an adult, as a writer, he had worked to prevent the genocide that was taking place during the last war in Kosovo. It is the universal language of the novel that breaks boundaries.
"Since this is a novel that generalizes our pain through mythical paradigms, I believe it will have something to say to Romanian readers as well," said Apolloni.
Romanian is just the next language to be published. Apolloni has announced that “A Thread of Hope, a Thread of Light” will soon be published in Slovenian and two other languages.
"A part has been published in a Slovenian magazine, while the novel is in the preparatory phase of publication. It has also been translated into French and Bulgarian and I hope it will be published soon," he said.
Such publications are coming soon. It will be published in English in May 2023, translated by Robert Wilton, who would consider the novel an extraordinary documentary highlighting the suffering of women for the loss of children. “The terrible echo of war and the distinct suffering of mothers continues,” Wilton said of the publication, which is also available on the giant “Amazon” that evaluates Apollon’s work as “a unique voice from Europe’s youngest country, rooted in its oldest literary traditions.”
“A mosaic of the evil fates of war and the painful consequences of peace, the novel echoes the eternal truths of ancient Greek tragedy, while showing the pain of modern war. It explores the meaning of motherhood, family and home,” writes the global online shopping platform “Amazon”. It cites Apolloni as one of the distinguished Albanian writers of his generation, admired for his most elegant contemporary prose to date and for the rich variety of references. That same year, in February, it would also be published in Dutch. It was released on February 17, when Kosovo celebrated the 15th anniversary of the declaration of Independence. It was promoted in The Hague. The work was translated by Jan Jansen, and published by “Het Hereldvenster”. At the invitation of the Embassy of Kosovo in the Netherlands, the author Apolloni himself was present at the promotion of the book. The book in Dutch had also fallen into the hands of the renowned Dutch critic, Mieke Bal, who, in a comment given to KOHĪN, had described it as a masterpiece. It was precisely this comment of hers about the book that has taken place on the cover of the book published in English. “A masterpiece,” is written above Mieke Bal’s name.
"A docu-novel that, through a restrained style and short narrative, narrates the horrors of war, staying close to the experiences of the victims and at the same time avoiding excessive pathos: this is Ag Apolloni's gift to the world. It is a literary masterpiece that deserves to be turned into a film", said the critic Mieke Bal on the occasion of the promotion of the book in The Hague, Holland.
"A Thread..." – which received the Ministry of Culture's award for novel of the year in 2020 – has only just pulled the "thread" of translations of Apollon's works for this year.
"Within the year, my other two novels, 'The Howling of the Wolf' and 'Little Red Riding Hood, a Tale for Adults', translated by Robert Wilton, will be published in English," said Apolloni, who, in addition to poems, plays and studies, has also published several other books in prose, such as: "The Howling of the Wolf (2013), Zazen (2014), My Middle Ages (2019), Little Red Riding Hood, a Tale for Adults (2022) and "If I Were a Devil" (2024), and as written in his biography, "for several years he has been presenting Albanian literature in various countries in Europe."