In a conversation with high school graduates at the Albanian Literary Festival, writer Ben Blushi described writing as a difficult experience, but at the same time as a choice that enriches life. He spoke about the success of his books, the public debates that have accompanied him, and advised young people to write, emphasizing that literature should touch on the big themes of life.

Writing is torture. This is what writer Ben Blushi would say to young people in his conversation at the Albanian Literary Festival. A kind of fever that does not let you sleep or wake up calmly. "I have been living this condition for 30 years and it has not left me a single day," he said, admitting that literature has pushed him to give up many other things in life. However, despite the difficulties, he emphasized that writing makes life richer, even when it does not reward you easily.

The author of ten books also spoke about the jealousies of writers, which, as he emphasized, in a small country like Albania are tiring...to the point where they don't tire you anymore. Since 2008, when he published the novel "Living on the Island", Blushi has been ranked among the best-selling authors since the '90s, where, according to data from his publishers, he has sold nearly one hundred thousand copies.

I didn't know your father wrote the book “Ben Walks Alone.” How much of a connection could the Ben of that book have to you?

Unfortunately, there are many connections, because he is me. That's how I was: a mother's boy. Not all the stories are mine, but some of them are. To this day, my father is the person who has known me better than anyone else, because he wrote very true things. He wrote "Ben Walks Alone." And I've been walking alone for about 57 years. Walking alone, I've left behind a lot of things that, if I had walked with others, I probably wouldn't have left behind. So, yes, I am that Ben.

What impact has the fact that you come from a cultural family, with a dynasty of writers – great-grandfather, grandfather, father… had on you? Is this limiting or facilitating for a writer?

You have parents with different professions: someone is an engineer, someone is an agronomist, a businessman or a doctor. In general, these professions are inherited in a way. I believe that this is one of the reasons I started writing, because in my house I saw people who wrote constantly every day. If they had been businessmen, maybe I would be rich today. If they had been doctors, I could have become a surgeon. But they were writers, and fortunately I also got into this path. I am glad that my entire family in the last 100 years has given this country more than 100 books, probably more than any other family in Albania.

In 2014 you won the European Prize for Literature. How did you receive it and what did it mean to you??

In fact, that prize seems like a big deal, but it's not. It is given on a rotating basis every year in different countries in Europe, so it is not a competition where thousands of writers compete and only one wins. The only positive thing is that it is often perceived as something important by the public, and this also helps in selling books. Another advantage is that the prize is financed by the European Union: the winner does not receive a financial reward, but his book is financed to be translated in other countries. Thus, this book "Otello, the Arab of Vlorës" has also been published in about ten countries with the support of the EU.

Do you think writers who come from politics have greater challenges than writers who are just professionals?

When I was good with politics and the party I was in, people who supported that party bought my books, while the other side didn't. When I broke with both parties, I lost readers from both sides. In Albania, parties are very militant and their followers are influenced by the political positions of the authors.

When you are not good with a party, this is also reflected in the public. But this does not mean that today I do not sell books. My last book sold very well. I have recovered from this kind of wound and have decided not to damage my books with political positions anymore. The relationship between the writer and politics in Albania has always been problematic. In general, the writer loses when he gets involved in politics. I did not go from writing to politics, but the opposite: I was first in politics and then I started writing. This is also one of the reasons why I left it, because otherwise I would have stayed there. Arguing with parties in Albania is not good, because you always lose "market".

If you are close to the parties, you earn more, sell more books and are invited to festivals. But I have lost these “privileges”. Two years ago, for example, about 20 writers went to Turin, but I was not there, because I had broken off relations and today I am still the only active writer who has never benefited from the translation quotas financed by the state. But I have also become accustomed to this discrimination.

Politics and literature: two fields that are at once very different, but in some ways also similar in essence. Which of them has left the greatest mark on you?

For a long time I did both in parallel. I remember that once Fatos Lubonja, who definitely wanted to criticize me, wrote that I was paid from Albanian taxes as a deputy, but instead of going to Parliament, I wrote books. When I spoke every day in Parliament, those who wanted to criticize me would say that Blushi doesn't do any work but only writes books or that writing books is not work, but a joke.

This is how things are in Albania. There have been people with criminal pasts in the Albanian Parliament, even when I was a member of parliament. But, according to some people, the problem wasn't them, the problem was me writing books. I was the last writer in the Albanian Parliament and both parties that are there did everything they could to prevent me from being there anymore.

This is the relationship between literature and politics: it always has its costs.

Have you regretted getting into politics?

No, I haven't regretted it.

Your work is among the most debated in contemporary Albanian literature. In addition to its success in circulation — which is extraordinary given the size of the Albanian public — there has also been much discussion about its literary nature and impact. Some see it as a work of primarily journalistic and provocative nature, while others see it as a modern literary phenomenon or a new phase of Albanian literature. What do you think about this debate?

Of course there is debate. But this is a bit like getting twenty people together and trying to convince you that your green T-shirt is red. You know very well that it is green. So I don't get tired of this story anymore. Even here there are people who think that I am not a writer, but that doesn't bother me. There are people who spend all their time convincing my readers that I am not a writer. This has turned into a competition. These people meet in bars and divide the roles. How are we going to attack Blushi today.

Writers' jealousy is a big problem in Albania, I believe everywhere in the world, but Albania is a small country and writers' jealousy is very tiring... to the point where it doesn't tire you anymore.

My last book was very well-received and sold well, but many of those who wrote about it didn't bother to ask whether the book was good or not. Their argument was: "This is not a writer, this is a journalist."

In fact, I'm no longer a journalist.

I am now a full-time writer. I have quit every other job and dedicated myself solely to literature. In the last two years I have written five novels; two have been published and three more are in the works. This is the only thing I do every day. But the debate continues. I used to be accused of writing books “with Albanian taxes”, while today it seems as if I am accused of writing books “at the expense of other writers”. So I always find a back on which to place the computer of my sins.

Before writing the book "I am a Muslim," you were in Mecca, but you decided not to participate in the Kaaba ritual. Do you regret that? And if not, what was the fear that stopped you?

It's a very interesting story. Two or three years ago I was in Saudi Arabia, invited to a book fair. I went first to Jeddah, the port city where pilgrims who arrived by ship used to disembark and then continue on to Mecca, about 50 kilometers away. I followed the same route: first the fair in Jeddah, then I traveled to Mecca.

I went with a lot of prejudice, because I generally have no affection for religious rituals. But, for the sake of truth, I liked the atmosphere. It was an ordinary day, not some big religious holiday, and yet there were probably about 50 thousand people there. On other days the number can reach hundreds of thousands.

I joined that crowd, taking pictures, because I'm a big photographer now. To get to the Kaaba, you go through several gates and checkpoints. It's not just security checks; it's also a kind of psychological filter. You always have the option to stop yourself before you go all the way. And that's exactly what I did.

I didn't enter into the ritual of circling the Kaaba because I didn't want to. I thought to myself, "What if this experience changes me? What if it creates a feeling in me that I don't recognize?" And I was afraid of this idea. Not religious fear, but fear of inner transformation. I thought, "Why should I become a Muslim? I'm fine the way I am." And I decided not to do the ritual.

This whole experience later became the core of the novel “I am a Muslim”, which is largely based on my experiences in Mecca, on the fact that I went there, but at the same time I did not go all the way. However, I took some pictures and posted one of them on Facebook. As soon as I published it, I received hundreds and thousands of insulting comments. Many Albanian believers accused me of entering Mecca “as a saboteur”, because they knew that I am not a practicing Muslim.

But the story didn't end there. Some of them also sent anonymous letters to the Saudi embassy against me. And this had real consequences. A few months ago I was invited to Saudi Arabia again, but my invitation was canceled at the last minute. I had quite a few consequences from this book. If "I am a Muslim" had not been published, perhaps I would still be traveling there today. But the book was perceived by some as a provocation against Islam and against Mecca, and this created strong reactions. Fortunately, fate has not decided for me, but I can no longer go to such a beautiful place as Saudi Arabia.

I haven't had the chance to read the book yet, although I really wanted to, because the title is quite controversial, especially for me as a Muslim. I was concerned about the way you treated religion. I can't judge the book without reading it, but I wanted to ask you: was the title "I am a Muslim" chosen for marketing or because that's how you felt? And why did you say that you were afraid of becoming a Muslim?

Excuse me, why do you find the title controversial? The book is called “I am a Muslim” and you yourself are a Muslim. Why should this bother you? In fact, you have not read the book yet, so perhaps the title gives you an idea that is not necessarily what the book contains. Unlike you who believe, I fear God. And yes, I mean it seriously: I am afraid, because I think that faith can radically change you. I am scared of the idea of ​​total surrender to a force greater than myself. That is why I say that I am afraid of surrendering to a being that, according to me, does not exist.

The title was not chosen to provoke, on the contrary. The book tells the story of an atheist, a man like me, who lives on the street of Kavaja, in a community filled with ordinary Muslims, calm and loving people, with whom I coexist every day. And this character, after his experience in Mecca and after all the relationship with the community where he lives, ultimately changes. He experiences a kind of internal transformation and at the end writes on Facebook: “I am a Muslim”. That is why the book has this title. It is not a speculative title, it stems from the story that is narrated in the novel.

I really liked the way the book "I am a Muslim" was written, especially the way you play with boundaries, without going overboard with insults. My question is: what did you want to say with the episode where Ali Baba buys a pair of rosaries to count his troubles, when in Islamic tradition they are used to count prayers and thanks to God?

It is a metaphor. I believe that for many people, tespies are also a way of calming down, a kind of relaxation. I have a friend who, whenever I travel abroad, says to me: “Buy me a pair of tespies.” He changes them often, especially when he is stressed. The more stressed he is, the faster he moves his beads. Even many Greeks, who are not Muslims, wear tespies. So, it has gone beyond its religious function and has also become an object of habit or relaxation.

Now, I want to say something else. You are young and the fact that you are a Muslim is no problem for me. I have nothing against Muslims and I wrote this in the book. What worries me is when you believe that Muhammad flew from Mecca to Jerusalem. Why? Because because of this flight, which about 1 billion people like you believe, children are killed every day in the Middle East today. Why are children killed? Because some people believe that Muhammad ascended to heaven on an animal that was neither a horse nor a donkey, that is, a divine, invented animal called Burak. This is a great misfortune, that the world continues to believe. We cannot believe these things. If you strip religion of these, you will be very good believers.

What was it like when you worked as editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Koha Jonë" and how did that period influence your literature?

It was a very beautiful time. First, because we were poor, much poorer than today. Journalists at that time were paid little, but on the other hand they were much freer. We had no material interests, we had nothing to lose, and perhaps that is precisely why we enjoyed that job so much. Unfortunately, that period did not last long. After 1997, Albania changed a lot and the press turned into an industry. While before, journalism had something artisanal, almost romantic. Later, televisions came and changed the entire cycle of Albanian media. But we had a very good time at “Koha Jonë”. Working there was a kind of status. It was not just work, it was also pleasure, and in a way, sport. I have a lot of nostalgia for that time, because I felt extremely free and journalism was done with passion. And it had an impact.

What are you working on now? Do you have a new book or project?

I have several projects. Last year I wrote a new novel. The book is called “The City That Banned Sex”. It is the story of an imaginary city in Albania, where at a certain point all the women decide to go on a kind of “love strike” and stop having sex with their husbands. This throws the city into a huge uproar. Everyone thinks that the men will revolt, but the opposite happens: they don’t react at all. And then it is the women themselves who start to worry and decide to end the strike, because they ask themselves: “How is it possible that nothing is happening?” And this is the essence of the novel. Don’t worry, this event takes place in the year 2056.

Are you happy and how do you define happiness?

Intelligence and happiness don't always go together. That doesn't mean I'm intelligent, but I'm not always happy.

In his essay “Why I Write,” George Orwell says that he did not write without a motive, whether political or to raise public awareness. Does he understand and accept the fact that even in England a large part of the people did not read, and for this reason he saw the writer as responsible for raising the reader’s awareness of key points in society?

Should the masses be made aware of reading?

To say that people don't read is to excuse a failure. People read, but not everything. The literature of 100 or 50 years ago was a kind of uncompetitive commodity. Why? Because there were no alternatives.

In the 1800s–1900s, when the greatest literature was created in France, Russia, and all of Europe, what did people have at home? They didn’t have television, radio, Facebook, Netflix, or Instagram. Their lives were much simpler: they woke up early, went to work, didn’t have cars, didn’t have today’s entertainment. At that time, books were almost everything — a novel could replace any form of information. That’s why, when you read Balzac or Dostoevsky today, you are amazed: the book was a world of its own, like a “television” of the time. Today it is different. How can you convince a young person to leave TikTok or Netflix to read a book? It is very difficult. That is why it is not enough to say “people should read,” but you need to understand the reality in which we live. Literature today cannot remain the same as it used to be. It must change its form, pace, and mode of communication to attract the reader’s attention. It's not true that people don't read — they read, but they choose differently. I've sold 100 books. Why have I sold them? Because I choose the big topics of the world. Religion is one of them. Sex is definitely one of them. The relationship with death is one of them. The relationship with politics is one of them. I have these topics. How do I have them? In an Albanian context. I know what happens in Albania. I have a book, published by UET Press, "The Candidate", where a candidate for mayor is elected to office after he is dead. You don't believe it, but this is true. Ask your parents and they will tell you that they have been voting for candidates who are politically dead for 40 years, because they are corpses in the political sense of the word.

And since I deal with these topics, people like my books. Writers who say we have no connection with the market...there is no world like these anymore. They are beings from the last century. They are the ones who think that the market, the reader and of course other writers are to blame for their failure.