By Sokrat Shyti
Part Twenty-Six
Memorie.al / The writer Sokrat Shyti is the “great unknown” who, for several years, has revealed the peak of the iceberg of his literary creativity. I say this based on the limited number of his published books in recent years, primarily the voluminous novel “The Phantom Night” (Tirana 2014). The novels: “BEYOND THE MYSTERY,” “BETWEEN TEMPTATION AND WHIRLPOOL,” “THE DIGGING OF NIGHTMARES,” “THE SHADOW OF SHAME AND DEATH,” “THE CHIEF COLONEL,” “THE DAMPENED HOPES,” “THE CONFUSIONS OF DESTINY” I, II, “SURVIVAL IN THE COWSHED,” as well as other works, all novel manuscripts ranging from 350 to 550 pages, are waiting to be published. The dreams and initial fervor of the young novelist, returning from studies abroad full of energy and love for art and literature, were cut short early by the brutal edge of the communist dictatorship.
Who is Sokrat Shyti?
After returning from studies at the State University of Moscow, shortly after the interruption of Albanian-Soviet relations in 1960, Sokrat Shyti worked at Radio “Diapazon” (which at that time was located on Kavaja Street), in an editorial team with his journalist friends – Vangjel Lezho and Fadil Kokomani – both of whom were later arrested and subsequently executed by the communist regime. In addition to the radio, 21-year-old Sokrat, if we can imagine him, had passionate literary interests at that time. He wrote his first novel “Madam Doctor” and was on the brink of publication, but… alas! Right after the arrest of his friends, as if to fill the cup, one of his brothers, a painter, escaped abroad.
Sokrat was arrested in September 1963, and in November of that year, he was interned along with his family (his mother and younger sister) in a location between Ardenica and Kolonje in Lushnje. For 27 years in a row, the family lived in cattle shed made of reeds, without windows, while Sokrat was subjected to forced labor. During those 27 years, he was legally obliged to report three times a day to the local authority. He had no right to move from the place of internment and was deprived of any kind of documentation, etc. In these conditions, amidst a cattle shed, he gave birth to and raised children. It is precisely based on this event, or more accurately, a very long history of persecution, that he was inspired to write the book “Survival in the Cowshed”!
Agron Tufa
Continues from the previous issue
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK “SURVIVAL IN THE COWSHED”
However, the most practical solution was not to see each other, so as not to hurt one another. Given this, we needed to make the decision after a long conversation, after examining all the possibilities one by one. Because unilateral reasoning not only fails to clarify the steps that need to be taken but rather worsens our pure relationships to the point of insult against each other.
Meanwhile, it was urgent that the gnawing of this uncertainty not drag on. The cultivation of patience serves only temporarily, until the moment of finding a solution, if it truly exists. But I was aware that this speculation risked remaining suspended, without shape or concrete form, no matter how much her unwavering determination appeared…!
One day around 2:00 PM, we encountered each other in front of the “Myzeqeja” hotel: I had just gotten off the bus from Kolonje and was heading to my older sister’s house, while Arqelina was heading to her uncle’s house.
– “I felt that I would meet you precisely at this hour in this place!” – she said with a trembling voice, extending her hand to me.
– “I had a similar premonition…” – I replied.
– “We had to meet! – She added with a determined tone. – Even if it hadn’t happened today, I would have found a way to let you know.”
– “Is there something urgent that needs to be discussed?” – I asked with a worried look.
– “I don’t know what sources my people have heard, but last night in our house, a heated discussion arose about me…”!
– “In what way?” – I interrupted.
– “They presented me with three suitors for engagement…” – she said, sighing deeply, her gaze locked on my eyes. – “And you objected to all three?!”… – I completed her thought.
– “Exactly for this reason, the questioning and remarks began: Explain to us why you don’t like them. Or do you feel as if you’ve fallen from the sky and are waiting for a prince on a horse to ask for your hand?… Since I found myself cornered, I didn’t know how to respond, and I felt compelled to tell them the truth: I have found my lifelong partner!”
– “And immediately the hail of questions began,” – I added.
– “Of course. Since you found it, why didn’t you tell us from the beginning, but instead made we ponder!” – My uncle pulled my attention with a firm tone.
– “How did you respond?” – I asked with curiosity.
– “Because you didn’t ask me,” – I replied.
– “Surely they directed the most curious and anxious question at you: who is this friend of yours?” – I completed her thought.
– “Sokrat Shyti!” – I affirmed, bowing my head.
– “Surely after this affirmation, there were flashes of lightning and thunderous objections!”…
– “The first one to jump in was one of the cousins: you must have lost your mind!”
– “I can imagine which cousin it was,” – I added while wiping my sweaty forehead.
– “He didn’t speak poorly of you. On the contrary, he praised you to the skies! He said you are a talented, hardworking, honest guy, coming from a reputable family. And before the wheel of punishment caught you by the tail, without committing any sin, girls in Tirana were admiring you. Is that true?” – She addressed me with anxious curiosity, considering her recent concerns.
– “Where did your cousin get this information?”… I contested. – “In my opinion, these must be his personal thoughts that are misleading you,” – I added further.
– “So you think they are just speculations on his part?” – She pressed.
– “Speculations or momentary fabrications, one or the other,” – I reinforced my opinion.
– “The important thing is that his word carried weight, everyone supported it and came to the same conclusion that the so-called prince charming only has an attractive outward appearance, while the rest is lacking. First and foremost, he is not a free citizen! How can you create a family with a guy when he has neither a present nor a future?!”
– “They spoke the truth to you,” – I replied.
– “That’s all you can say?!” – She added with a stern tone.
– “I did not express my opinion. If I were in their position, I would act the same way if I were asked to express an evaluation of the situation.”
– “But now that I am asking you and waiting for your answer?”… – she surprised me with the direct question.
I was left momentarily silent, quickly concocting responses to find which of them would serve as a soothing promise, without assuming the role of a healing balm.
– “First, you must ask yourself, as the harsh consequences will weigh on you,” – I added after a moment. – “You are of age. Your people have the right to be concerned. Therefore, they will tell you what consequences to expect if you choose according to your own head. But the final word belongs to you.”
– “I am clear about that,” – she interrupted me. – “I am expecting another answer from you. Because if I don’t have your full support, we remain isolated!”… – she added with tearful eyes.
A piercing anguish twisted my chest: I barely restrained myself from bursting into tears. If at this moment we were in a secluded corner, without passersby and curious gazes, I would embrace her and cover her with kisses to calm her, to let her know that my support would never be lacking. Nevertheless, I gripped her hand tightly to silently show that I was close to her mentally, physically, and spiritually.
– “It is enough for you to be assured that your inner impulse springs from me, to convince yourself that I am present with you and you with me!… – I emphasized slowly. – “But here we are in the most unsuitable place for such important and delicate conversations. So let’s go to the garden in front of your house…,” – I added with a determined tone.
– “There, one of my brothers might find us!”… – she said, frightened, with a trembling voice.
– “And then?!… We will not engage in clandestine love. Whether today or tomorrow, one day we will be seen. Remember the popular wisdom: iron is worked while it is red from heat. Since your people have received the warning from you, I am neither anonymous nor an unknown boy, but with a name and surname, and my family origin is well known. When you have determination and clarity, the effort you start will carry to the end. But most importantly: you must have complete confidence in yourself.
You need to be clear: the attacks have just begun. Tomorrow and the day after they will increase and take on threatening forms and shapes. When your people realize that they have lost the struggle through the method of persuasion or the abandonment’s allure, they will turn to acquaintances in the party and state apparatus for help, so they can explain to you what blind path is leading your life’s flow, as immediately after the passionate love in the early months comes the birth of children; the concern and attention will naturally shift to their future.
Naturally, they will highlight the harsh life in the village: the unsuitable housing, the lack of drinking water, the shortage of firewood, the weak electric current, the muddy and dusty roads, and numerous other deficiencies. Meanwhile, in the city, a secure future awaits you, whether here or in Tirana, as living conditions change like night and day compared to the village.”
– “I have taken all of this into account!” – She spoke with a determined tone.
– “Let’s go to the garden in front of your house so we can talk more freely, as we feel like traffic police here…” – I said with a smile. – “And on the way, you can sift through and review once again what I brought up.”
– “I have sifted and reviewed it dozens of times during sleepless nights…” – she added, lowering her gaze. – “My concern is not about myself but about you!” – She emphasized with a trembling voice, casting a wavering glance.
– “However, we need to go through all the filters once again from the beginning to the end, because we are facing the greatest and most important test of our lives!” – I insisted. – “I would never forgive myself if after a while you felt disappointed, especially when faced with the numerous difficulties of life…!”
– “Why do you have this doubt?” – She asked me with a worried look.
– “I don’t have a doubt, but an internal gnawing. My observation applies to both of us. Therefore, we need to take measured steps.”
– “Have you still not said anything to mother about me?”… – she addressed me with a hopeful look.
– “And what should I tell her? That a mutual feeling has arisen between us? Her first question: Do I know your family? As soon as she finds out whose daughter you are, she will further explore the conversation, touching on the most delicate points I mentioned earlier. In the end, she will surely emphasize: Zoia’s daughter must tie her head with forty towels before she decides to leave the city life.”
– “Apart from this observation, are you sure she won’t express any other objections?” – She added with a doubtful look.
– “Our mothers have decades of experience, filled with painful experiences, as they have endured two world wars and the horrors of famine. As if this weren’t enough, my mother’s bitter fate threw her into the quagmire of an even more terrifying suffering. Therefore, in these circumstances, it may seem unfair to her that a city girl, in the bloom of youth, should fall prey to love…!”
– “The final designation sounds inaccurate!” – Arqelini intervened with an elevated tone. – “My love should not be seen as prey, for it is not such!” – She protested. – “If compared to prey, then your mind goes to the trap. Am I right?”
– “Absolutely. But at this moment, we are talking about the stance of my mother, not mine. I explained to you why I haven’t informed her without clarifying the further course of our relationship. Because we are both in different circumstances, besides the fact that my mother doesn’t even consider the engagement of her son for two reasons: first, my sister comes before me in line. Secondly, and most importantly, we still do not know the surprises of the future.”
– “A few signs of prosperity have been given, starting with your participation in the amateur theater group,” – she said. – “The second significant sign: gaining the right to visit your older sister after three years of separation shows that the barriers have been lifted. And the third: there is hope for you to start working in education…!”
– “Where did you hear this third one, and from whom?” – I asked with curiosity.
– “At home. When I passed into the other room with teary eyes after heated discussions, the ‘family council’ continued to examine the honorable situation. Aside from the stark opposition regarding why an engagement should not take place between us, the message was clearly received. You can guess for whom it is meant…”!
This message completely matched the statement of the assistant to the First Secretary when he delighted me with the softening of his stance towards our family. If I had heard this moment of relief about work for the first time, it would naturally have pleased me, even though it sounds surprising and unbelievable. Obviously, Arqelini expected enthusiasm from my side, considering the 360-degree change in attitude towards me. And when she didn’t notice this, she addressed me with a reproachful tone:
– “You’re hiding something from me! Instead of embracing me for the great news, you stay silent and pensive!… As your close friend, I have the right to hear what troubles you, especially if you truly intend for me to be your lifelong partner!”
– “Are you asking me to repeat what I said from the beginning? Why are you so distrustful?” – I replied with reproach. – “It’s not about repeating, but about saying what you haven’t said yet!” – She insisted.
– “Aside from what I expressed, I have nothing else!” – I emphasized.
– “What I know better than you doesn’t need to be heard a second time from your mouth. I have unwavering faith in human love, which gives us the strength to face every difficulty. Besides, I am not a prince’s daughter, accustomed to luxury. Our parents raised us with sacrifices. Thus, we will raise our children the same way. The love between two people should be valued as a sacred gift, given only once, considering that all phenomena are devalued in its presence. Therefore, we must consider ourselves fortunate for having been given this chance. Isn’t it strange and miraculous that fate brought us together?!…
You had to break ties with the Soviet Union, return to Albania without finishing your studies, come here as a political persecuted person, and finally become the reason for the urgent replacement of a role in the drama, so that your name and situation attract the attention of the First Secretary of the Party Committee, and this, with extraordinary kindness, not only changed the course of your fate but opened a new path for the future of our lives!”…
After this accurate, summarizing reasoning that sealed the promise given, we parted ways to meet as soon as possible, designating Saturday as our day and the garden as the most suitable place, until we found a temporary shelter. After two days of thrilling conversations, where our feelings and thoughts were laid bare, a police officer came to the Cultural House with orders from the chief to inform me that at precisely 12:00 PM, I needed to present myself to the guard officer of the Internal Department.
– “According to your trained eye, how do you see this call: as favorable or resentful?” – I asked him, as I had some familiarity.
– “Since the chief’s voice and face were clear, it must be sunny…” – he said with a smile, gesturing with his hand.
But this response did not calm me, and inside, the worm of doubt gnawed at me, wondering whether perhaps the deputy chief of the Internal Department was cooking up some other hidden malice, the likeliest being a transfer to an internment center, a cunning trick rooted in my initial request when I asked to be removed from the cowshed.
Since the police officer did not clarify which chief was calling for me, he only specified the time I needed to appear before the guard officer. To have a concrete idea about the purpose of the call, I thought to meet beforehand with the officer in charge of the internment-expulsion sector, hoping that he would have full knowledge of me, and moreover, given (according to the account of my sister’s husband), he was friendly towards our family, I believed he would be willing to give me some clarification regarding the 12 o’clock call.
However, the officer at the Service, at the entrance gate, told me that the meeting would take place precisely at the appointed time. Therefore, at this time, you must present yourself.
– “Or do you have something urgent that cannot wait?”… – he asked, peeking his head out from the window.
– “The notice only mentioned the time, without specifying which chief called for me?”… – I added.
– “Your chief himself,” – emphasized the officer of the service. – “So don’t worry. Later, when he arrives, I will inform him that you came since he is not here now. So go to your rehearsals and give us a beautiful theater, to please us…!”
However, the brief explanation from the service officer did not fully reassure me; it felt neither here nor there, because from the tone of his speech and the way he looked, he belonged neither to the sinister intentions nor to sincere assertions. Therefore, the call from the chief remained a mystery for me, even though I had no reason or provocation to think ill, considering that he had direct connections with the chairman of the Department, and according to the explanations from the assistant to the First Secretary (after the meeting with the great Party leader), the colonel was ordered to take a softened stance towards my family, contrary to the hostile attitude maintained over the past three years. With this, I reminded myself not to show any signs of confusion or turmoil before my friends.
Exactly at the appointed hour, I presented myself for the second time to the service officer, smiling.
– “Here he comes…” – he said, pleased, looking at the Chief of the Internment-Expulsion Office (a calm and composed man among the rare officers who knew how to speak with a human tone), who immediately noticed the anxiety in my eyes as soon as he cast his attentive gaze, and naturally asked about my mother’s health, assured that during these days and nights, she had been in the house of the older daughter and must have certainly rested and relaxed.
– “I don’t know how to thank the First Secretary of the Party Committee and the chairman of the Department!”… – I said, having my mind on the purpose of the call.
– “There will come a time for you to express that in your own words, when you see with your own eyes the expected fundamental changes…” – he added with a smile. – “For your information, the first significant change starts today. We are headed there…”!
Although I remained stunned by curiosity, I restrained myself and did not ask. We walked in silence. When we reached the intersection of the center, he raised his hand to a Chinese “Xhip,” and we both settled into the back seat. From the casual exchange of conversation with the driver, I got the impression that they knew each other well and must have traveled together on previous occasions.
In Kolonjë, the “Xhip” left the paved road and took the gravel path leading to the Monastery. But it stopped in front of the old one-story building of the Locality. The fact that the chairman of the Locality and the Chief were waiting for us meant that they certainly had knowledge of our arrival. They greeted me by shaking my hand (the first time in three years!) and told my chief that everything was ready, and we could set off./Memorie.al
Continues in the next issue
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