Ag Apolloni (Kosova, 1982) is an Albanian author. He studied Dramaturgy at the Faculty of Arts, and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, both at the University of Prishtina, where since 2008 he works as a Professor of Literature. In 2012, he earned his PhD in Literature. In 2013, he founded the cultural studies journal Symbol, and since 2019 he is also an Editorin-Chief at Bard Books, an Albanian publishing house. His writings and works have been translated in several languages as English, German, Dutch, Czech, Macedonian, Serbian, Greek etc
- Writing is an individual act whose purpose is communication. Therefore, the other, the reader, the public, is necessarily required. My relation with cultural and social circles is neither lacking nor sufficient, but this is something I am working on. Usually, I have maintained this relation more with my literary journal than with my books.
- My hometown, Kaçanik, is a casual topic in my books. Still, when I write of current events, the place where I have been living for twenty years now, Prishtina, usually offers more material. So, my hometown is more like nostalgia, while the city where I live fills me with fury. In some way, these two cities determine the mood and tone of my narrative discourse.
- I often come to Albania, but this is the first time I have come to a literary residency, meaning I have free time to see the everyday life here. As a participant in the Literary Festival “Tirana Gate 2022”, I had the opportunity to meet some friends and colleagues from the Balkans and talk about the corresponding countries’ literature, discussing problems and efforts of the literature of the small countries to communicate in world circles. Also, within the READ program, I have held several literary meetings in schools and other institutions in Tirana. Therefore, I can say this was a good experience of mutual recognition.
- I write because it is impossible not to.Writing, along with reading, is something that gives meaning to my life. I do not know what I would do if I did not write.I cannot stand it if I do not put reality into my rhetorical device. Raw reality does not seem attractive, so I select and modify it by writing. Therefore, writing is a war with reality to tear off its mask and reveal its true face. For me, writing is the most profound form of communication.
