“The Albanian-American writer and poet brought to his readers in Tirana a new work featuring travel notes, memories, human portraits, and cultural landscapes from different parts of the world.”
A literary event dedicated to the presentation of the latest book by Albanian-American writer, poet, and publicist Adnan Mehmeti, “Symphony of Journeys,” was held today, September 4, 2026, at the European University of Tirana.
The book is devoted to the experience of travel, the discovery of the world, and encounters with people, cultures, and places that the author has visited over the years.
The event brought together writers, poets, scholars, university professors, publishers, and friends of the author in one of Tirana’s university settings. Adnan Mehmeti himself was also present. He had come especially from the United States to attend the event and meet with readers, colleagues, writers, and friends in Tirana.
“Symphony of Journeys” emerges as a book in which travel is not merely a movement from one place to another, but becomes a distinctive way of reading and understanding the world. Its pages bring together personal experiences, impressions, landscapes, characters, cities, places, and episodes that acquire meaning through the perspective of an author who knows firsthand the experience of emigration, diaspora, and communication between cultures.
A Literary Encounter with the Author and His Work
The event was opened by Suadela Balliu, Director of UETPRESS Publishing, who also moderated the gathering. She praised Adnan Mehmeti’s new publication and expressed her pleasure at welcoming the author to this literary event in Tirana.
Prof. Henri Çili then spoke about the importance, within Albanian literary journalism and documentary literature, of works that combine documentary value with aesthetic and literary qualities. He emphasized the contribution of UETPRESS Publishing over the past 24 years in promoting literature, authors, and works of significance to Albanian culture.
Prof. Çili also presented a new album featuring 100 paintings by Ismail Kadare and spoke about UETPRESS Publishing’s plans for the coming year, which will coincide with the 25th anniversary of this well-known publishing institution in Albania and throughout the Albanian-speaking world.
Mujë Buçpapaj: Adnan Mehmeti Brings a New Experience of Travel Writing
Dr. Mujë Buçpapaj, Chairman of the League of Writers and Artists of Albania, literary scholar, poet, and publisher of the literary and cultural newspaper Nacional, also addressed the gathering.
In his presentation, Buçpapaj focused extensively on the aesthetic and stylistic values of “Symphony of Journeys,” highlighting the way in which the author constructs the relationship between travel, memory, observation, and human experience.
He described the book as a new contribution to the Albanian tradition of travel writing, emphasizing that Adnan Mehmeti brings a distinctive experience that combines a national dimension with an international one.
In his speech, Buçpapaj characterized Mehmeti as a multifaceted figure of Albanian culture—a poet, writer, publicist, publisher, and President of the Association of Albanian-American Writers—while praising his continuous work in promoting Albanian literature and culture in the United States and around the world.
According to Buçpapaj, “Symphony of Journeys” demonstrates that travel can become a genuine literary experience in which geographical space simultaneously becomes a space of memory, reflection, and discovery.
Among other observations, Buçpapaj stated:
“From a structural perspective, Symphony of Journeys is a work of distinctly intergeneric nature. It combines travel writing with the essay, the diary with memory, cultural journalism with historical reflection, and prose with poetry. This combination is not accidental. Modern travel writing itself communicates with history, journalism, anthropology, autobiography, and cultural studies.
Therefore, the work calls for an interdisciplinary reading. Adnan Mehmeti’s creative profile also contributes to such an interpretation. As a poet, prose writer, publicist, publisher, and an important figure in Albanian-American cultural life, he brings into the book not only the experience of the individual but also the perspective of the intellectual who places personal experience in dialogue with history, culture, and community.
Ultimately, Mehmeti’s journey acquires a philosophical dimension as well. A person sets out to see the world, but along the way discovers himself. He sets out to explore cities, but encounters history. He sets out to see monuments, but encounters memory. He sets out to discover other cultures, but returns to fundamental questions of identity and belonging.
At this point, travel becomes a metaphor for human existence itself: from the birthplace toward the world, from the past toward the present, from memory toward the future, and from the self toward self-knowledge.”
Emi Krosi: A Work That Enriches the Tradition of Travel Writing
Literary scholar Emi Krosi also praised the book, focusing on the author’s language, style, vocabulary, and descriptive power.
She emphasized that Mehmeti succeeds in creating a text in which descriptions of places and characters are accompanied by reflections that give travel a broader cultural and human dimension.
According to Krosi, the work enriches not only the author’s bibliography but also the broader body of Albanian travel literature.
Yllka Lezo: A Wealth of Characters, Settings, and Images
Yllka Lezo, publisher of the newspaper Diaspora, also spoke about the book, focusing on the richness of the characters, settings, and images that the author brings to its pages.
She described “Symphony of Journeys” as a distinctive book and congratulated the author on the publication, which, in her view, gives readers the opportunity to travel through the author’s words and experiences.
Përparim Hysi: A Creative Work Closely Connected to Albanian Culture and Identity
Writer Përparim Hysi spoke about the values of the book and Adnan Mehmeti’s extensive body of work.
He praised Mehmeti as a writer, poet, publicist, and literary critic, while emphasizing the strong connection between his creative work and Albanian culture and identity.
Kozeta Zavalani Performs the Author’s Poetry
A special moment of the event was the performance of two poems by Adnan Mehmeti, presented by poet Kozeta Zavalani.
She performed the poems with artistic skill, accompanying them with comments on the book and its aesthetic, documentary, and literary qualities.
The poetic performance added a distinctive artistic dimension to the event, creating a direct connection between the author’s poetry and the world depicted in “Symphony of Journeys.”
Meetings with Readers and Plans for the U.S. Book Fair
The event concluded with a reception organized on the occasion, during which the author had the opportunity to meet and converse with participants, take photographs, and answer numerous questions about the book, his literary work, and his future projects.
One of the main topics of discussion was also the book fair expected to take place in October in the United States, as part of a joint initiative involving the Association of Albanian Writers in the United States, the League of Writers and Artists of Albania, and the League of Writers of Kosovo.
The event is intended to provide an important platform for promoting Albanian literature, Albanian authors, and books in the Albanian diaspora, while strengthening cultural ties among Albanian writers in Albania, Kosovo, and Albanian communities abroad.
For Adnan Mehmeti, the presentation of “Symphony of Journeys” in Tirana represented a symbolic return to Albanian readers. For the capital’s literary community, meanwhile, the event offered an opportunity to become acquainted firsthand with a new work and with an author who, for many years, has pursued his creative and cultural activities both within the Albanian cultural space and internationally.
GAZETA NACIONAL