By Sokrat Shyti
Part Thirty
Memorie.al / Writer Sokrat Shyti is the “great unknown” who for several years has shown the tip of the iceberg of his literary creativity. I say this based on the small quantity of his books published in recent years, mainly the voluminous novel “Phantom Night” (Tirana 2014). The novels: “BEYOND THE MYSTERY”, “BETWEEN TEMPTATION AND THE WHIRLWIND”, “THE EROSIONS OF NIGHTMARE”, “THE SHADOW OF SHAME AND DEATH”, “THE COLONEL HIGH LEADER”, “CURSED HOPES”, “THE TANGLES OF FATE” I, II, “SURVIVAL IN THE COW SHED”, and other works, all novels of 350 – 550 pages each, are in manuscripts awaiting publication. The dreams and initial zest of the new novelist, returning from studying abroad full of energy and love for art and literature, were cut short early by the harsh edge of the communist dictatorship.
Who is Sokrat Shyti?
Returning from studies at Moscow State University right after the breakdown of Albanian-Soviet relations in 1960, Sokrat Shyti works at Radio “Diapazon” (then located on Kavaja Street), in an editorial team with his journalist friends – Vangjel Lezho and Fadil Kokomani – both of whom were later arrested and executed by the communist regime. Apart from radio, the 21-year-old Sokrat had passionate literary interests at the time. He wrote his first novel “Madam Doctor” and was on the brink of publication, but alas! Right after the arrest of his friends and, to make matters worse, a brother of his, a painter, fled abroad.
Sokrat was arrested in September 1963 and in November of that year, his family (with his mother and younger sister) was interned to a place between Ardenica and Kolonja of Lushnja. For 27 consecutive years, the family lived in a cowshed made of reeds, without windows, while Sokrat was subjected to forced labor. Throughout these 27 years, he was legally required to report three times a day to the local authority. He was not allowed to move from the internment location and was deprived of all kinds of documents, etc. Under these conditions, from within a cowshed, he raised his children. It is precisely from this event, or more accurately, an extremely long history of persecution, that he based his book “Survival in the Cow Shed”!
Agron Tufa
Continued from the previous issue
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK, “SURVIVAL IN THE COW SHED”
“I followed him with my gaze until the turn of the road, imagining at that moment his refuge on the ground floor, where his family lived at that time in the city of Shkodër, near the tower of Gjon Marka Gjoni. Our dormitory was located quite nearby. Franci had generously invited me several times to his welcoming home when we returned from school. At first, I hesitated, considering the surveillance.
But then I broke the rule and accepted. I felt pleasure when I found myself in this aristocratic family, with a civic education, nurtured with culture! Franci had inherited a musical ear from his mother. Therefore, every time I passed their home and heard the sounds of the piano, it brought to my mind the elegant mother, dressed in a gown by the keyboard, interpreting classical pieces by famous composers.
“They must have been reminded of their son in Albania after all these years because of some prompting from their father in Italy!” – I mumbled to myself while crossing the bridge over the stream. A few meters further, I caught sight of the officer from the Internal Affairs Department, the head of the sector dealing with the interned and the expelled in the region. He signaled me to come towards him. – “He must certainly have something to tell me,” – I thought to myself.
– “Fortunately, work is now progressing well in three main directions, so you must be careful not to leave room for gossip,” – the chief began the conversation with a direct warning. – “At any moment, you should be aware of what happened with the unwavering help of comrade Qemal, the extraordinary turning point that couldn’t have been anticipated. It is time to thank your mother a hundred times over and your deceased father, who cooked you with some special gifts. You have a talent for theater and a creative mind, two qualities that helped you in this critical situation to transition from survival to normal living. Without these two valuable qualities that others do not possess, even comrade Qemal couldn’t have helped you. Within record time, from the moment the First Secretary was informed, a normal shelter was secured for you; assurances were given orally and in writing for you to work in education, as well as to fulfill your greatest desire, to turn your engagement with the girl of your heart into reality! Regarding your future progression, that mainly depends on your behavior…!”
– “Do you have any specific criticism, as I must have crossed a line somewhere?”… – I interrupted, feeling uneasy.
– “Precisely why I stopped you,” – he emphasized with a piercing glance. – “A moment ago, you happened to meet your high school friend on the street, and naturally, you were surprised that he is here. Because neither you nor he knew that you were both in our circle with administrative punishment. Therefore, for this case, I do not reprimand you. But next time, I won’t forgive you. So, I want to make this clearer for you to keep in mind: despite being under the same type of punishment, you are the son of a family with a clean background. Whereas your classmate has a father who is involved in activities against the people’s power.
In addition to this, keep in mind: the First Secretary has definitively decided that you will work in the education sector. You are on the verge of being appointed. Do not create troubles for yourself, knowing that all your movements are being closely followed by your opponents. I am sure he has questioned you about why you are in Lushnje, when we know you as a journalist at the Radio. – I carefully sidestepped the answer to this question, so he formed the idea that I had been transferred here, to my hometown. He then advised me not to meet again…!
– “You see how smart the boy is? His friend, who intervened to keep him in Plug, explained to him in detail how he should behave and what attitude to maintain in any case. I have no objections to him: he is an educated and composed young man.”
– “He was like this in high school as well: he spoke less than his peers,” – I added, not knowing what else to say. – “May I make a request, even though this isn’t the right place?” – I added at that moment, as the opportunity arose.
– “I can guess what you want to say: if you are now allowed to travel to Tirana and Berat, where you have your people, and naturally, you must be missing them?” – he seized the words from my mouth.
– “So, I will prepare you two permits for a three-month period. Come tomorrow to collect them around 10 o’clock. If I am not available due to service reasons, the guard officer will hand over the permits, and you will sign in the receiving log. But you must be very careful during your conversation with your older brother and uncle, in responding to their inquiries. You will share only what is necessary and not how the situation actually was, considering that the mistakes made against you have been corrected, and therefore should not be mentioned. Now tell me how the first meeting went with your mother-in-law,” – he suddenly added with a cheerful look. – “I imagine that after the piercing criticisms, (after bringing your head to make our blood water?!), there must have been signs of softening.
I know Mother Ulë well: she is a reasonable woman, knows how to converse calmly, proportionally. Therefore, you shouldn’t have felt insulted when she pricked you. Because the whole family has been worried that their daughter loves an interned man. Although they had no complaints against you and your family since they had known you for years, they were primarily terrified by the horrific living conditions! Had it not been for the great turning point, three hundred and sixty degrees, it is unknown how the quarrel at their home would have ended, considering that the pressures against the girl had reached an explosive boiling point!
“Fortunately, this strained situation turned out well. Now you are facing significant events that will naturally bring joyful troubles. So wipe the events of recent years from your memory. See you tomorrow!” – And without extending his hand to say goodbye, he continued on his way to the Agricultural Research Institute.
This casual conversation reinforced the belief that I was constantly in the crosshairs of public opinion, and thus taking care of myself remained a priority. Especially, I advised myself to be quite cautious when I happened to meet faces that I had seen before but did not exactly know who they were.
Despite the change in attitude towards me, (most now did not pretend that they didn’t know me, nor did they act as if they didn’t see me when we crossed paths on the street), still, some hesitated to greet me, turning away from confrontation. Therefore, the remarks of the officer from the Internal Affairs Department were correct, timely advice on how to avoid sending fabricated anonymous letters with malicious intent addressed to the high chief of the region, which carried dangerous hostile slanders, specifically intended to put sticks in the wheels of my further prosperity. However, I was left impressed by the candid behavior of my high school friend, his request not to acknowledge each other in public places, (even though he did not know that I had been branded just as he was, with the stain of being a social outcast).
He supported this request with a convincing argument that any encounter, no matter how casual, would be closely monitored by spies as an exchange of secret information! When I entered my sister’s house, Stavri had returned from work and was calmly discussing with my mother-in-law the unexpected visit of my “bride.”
– “An essential action, and taken at the right moment!” – he added contentedly when I opened the door to the waiting room.
– “Were you at her house?”… – my mother asked with a searching look. – “How did Ula greet you? Did she soften you up a bit with her reproaches?”
– “I hadn’t planned it myself, but Arqelin insisted.”
– “Good for him. To be two steps away from the door of the house and not go inside? Or do you need a special invitation?”… She is a girl and had the courage to agree to meet and talk with me. Even if she hesitated to come here, I wouldn’t blame her or hold a grudge. (Ula would surely say, when she found out that her daughter was visiting us, while you were just a step away from her door, you didn’t bother to step in? You should have proposed first or asked: is this a good time for a visit? Congratulations to her for being so nimble!”
– “Your generation, mom, has maturity and a wealth of life experience because you grew up through sacrifices and two world wars. So, you weigh our behaviors and actions with the scale of a pharmacist. I wasn’t upset when Mother Ula criticized me, considering that you would have done the same if you were in her place. Do you know why I hesitated for a moment? I had doubts, I wasn’t sure if I was acting rightly without consulting you first…!”
– “Was this the issue? You were concerned that I would be angry because you didn’t ask my permission?” – my mother interrupted my thoughts.
– “This too. But mainly I was worried about not knowing the tense situation, whether this visit should take place or be postponed a little while, until tempers cool.”
– “In my opinion, this visit took place at the right time. If Ula had waited with her nose and lips pursed, only with reproaches, without showing any sign of approval, then their initial objections would have to be explained differently.”
– “The reception started with reproaches and ended with sweetness!” – I replied, pleased.
– “That’s how it should be: the bitter at the beginning and the sweet at the end!” – my mother added with a cheerful look. – “In the meantime, does the topic of engagement come up?” – she asked.
– “I took the opportunity to express our thoughts about March. Mother Ula told me: you will get the answer after we’ve had a family discussion.”
– “Every woman with sense should not be in a hurry to express her opinion without consulting the men of the house,” – my mother emphasized firmly. – “Especially for such a delicate matter as the engagement of a daughter, which has always faced serious objections. Since Ula said, ‘I need to consult with my family members,’ it implies that they will accept the engagement after the change in living conditions.”
– “On my way back, at the bridge over the stream, I coincidentally met the head of internment and expulsions. In the course of our conversation, I directed a request in the form of a question: could I have permission for travel and stay for several days in Tirana and Berat?” – “And how did he respond?” – my mother asked anxiously.
– “Come tomorrow to collect it,” – he replied without hesitation.
– “Here’s another sign of prosperity!” – said my older sister’s husband, who had remained silent during our discussion until this moment.
– “Are you planning to go to Tirana?” – my mother asked.
– “I must go!” – I emphasized with a determined tone. – “First of all, I will meet and talk with my older brother after a long time. I know you have another opinion: that he should come to our mother! But there are several pressing circumstances that have tied his hands and feet. Even though they didn’t move him from Tirana, they showed ‘compassion’; they have not left him in peace. Firstly, they removed his role as Lenin in the play ‘The Kremlin Hours’, with the explanation that an actor with a fugitive brother is not allowed to portray the genius of the world proletariat on stage. Secondly, they stopped the filming of the movie.
Thirdly, they did not allow him to leave with the theater troupe to Kosovo. Therefore, all this time he has been suffocated by the nightmare of fear that they might remove him from the People’s Theater, constantly trapped by malicious intentions. Those from the Ministry of Culture have informed him that an official request has arrived for a theater director from the Executive Committee of Berat, since a professional theater troupe will be created there. I don’t know for sure, but according to some whispers, it is said that this document specifically mentions the name of Ilia Shyti…!”
– “And why, supposedly in Berat and not in Lushnje, where he was born, grew up, and formed the theater group?” – my mother suddenly interjected.
– “Because they could not transfer him to Lushnje for two reasons: first, it would look bad that the older brother works as a director, while the younger brother is a fuel porter! Secondly, it naturally raises the provocative question: why such a radical difference between the two brothers when both are equally innocent?! Third, how would your son and my brother cope with the cruel treatment from their family of origin? And since the malicious people did not want to give up their intentions, they found the professional theater of Berat as a reason.”
– “And how did this story continue?” – my mother asked with interest.
– “I don’t know how the turning point occurred. Perhaps my uncle intervened with the chairman of the Executive Committee, since he has connections, and pleaded with him to help prevent the transfer here, especially after he faced many difficulties finding a home in Tirana after so many years; while in Berat, his talent as an actor would be lost. Apparently, the chairman of the Committee happened to be a good person; he sent an official letter to the Ministry of Culture, stating that we would select the director of the professional theater from the talented boys of the amateur troupe. Fortunately, your son and my brother received support and backing from the most prominent actors of the People’s Theater…!”
– “Thank goodness he was saved!” – my mother said with a sigh.
– “I have also heard this story,” – added my sister’s husband. – “And to be honest, when I found out, I was worried, as recently there have been increased transfers of personnel upon the request of the respective region. Had the request from the Executive Committee of Berat been reinforced, there would be no doubt that this move could have been carried out very easily.”
– “You knew this and didn’t inform me?!”… – my mother admonished us both.
– “I only discussed this issue with Retë. We both thought not to burden you, since without it you were already overwhelmed with many troubles. Lili came to our house after returning from Berat when she met the chairman of the Executive Committee and received his promise of support. It was exactly that evening that she explained to us in detail the story of the transfer.”
– “Thank goodness, oh God, that you helped the older son, as he has five children!” … – my mother prayed, making the sign of the cross.
– “At that moment, I felt hope that prosperity would soon begin for you as well,” – Stavri added with satisfaction.
– “I don’t know why, but my inner conviction told me that in our circle, perhaps our main leader has a tendency to help the innocent, like you. And that’s how it happened. Mother believes that the turning point was made by God, when in reality the merits belong to comrade Qemal…” – he said with a smile.
– “He made it happen, and may there be light everywhere!” – my mother acknowledged.
– “Good people, wherever they may be, are the children of God, regardless of skin color and race. Even though comrade Qemal has the party’s badge, and as a communist does not believe in God, since he adheres to the Canon of Communism, God has crafted him with a clear mind and a compassionate heart, because for our case, his actions were in accordance with the Gospel. If these far-sighted people with sensitive souls weren’t among us, the crowds would risk becoming bestial. Because only justice preserves the world from the iniquities of Satan!”
– “In some respects, like the issue of justice, we agree. But regarding Christ’s pacifist doctrine (when one strikes me on one cheek, I turn the other), we, as atheists, are fiercely opposed to you believers. Communism teaches us that justice in the world is only established by the Proletarian Revolution,” – replied the son-in-law.
– “You are gravely mistaken here!” – my mother countered. – “As long as justice has not been established by God, the Almighty, it is impossible for us, the sinners, with our hands stained with blood, to fix it! Nevertheless, everyone has their own opinion. Perhaps if communists like you were so just and kind, so honest and hardworking, even I would, in my old age, believe in communism. But the truth is different: party-clad executioners kill by night and weep by day! Whoever does not believe in God always doubts their own self.”
“Do you know that the saying often used by you, ‘water from the spring comes pure but gets muddied below,’ was stolen from the Gospel? If you have known this, have you ever asked yourself for what purpose? Let me tell you: to believe blindly that above, from the Party Leadership, directives are distributed that are just and warm, like the rays of the sun, while below, passing through various thoughts, they get distorted, polluted, poisoned, and lose their original composition, which is why all sorts of chaos occurs on the backs of the poor…!” Memorie.al
Continues in the next issue.
