From Alma Mile
Memorie.al / “The apple leaf”, “The artist”, but above all “The big buffet”. These were some of the nicknames of the agents and infiltrators, who ensnared and led to punishment the painter Edison Gjergo, the author of the famous painting; “The Epic of the Morning Stars”. What are the names hidden behind these nicknames, of course, not only they know, but also their former colleagues. It is not known if they are still alive, if they feel guilty or if they think that they have simply completed their “duty”.
The walls of the “House with leaves” have heard children’s cries for the first time, when in the time of King Zog, that building was built as a maternity hospital, and later, in the time of the dictatorship, you would hear conversations, arguments of all kinds…! Where once life was born, persecution was born, why not death.
The National Museum of Wiretapping, opened a few years ago, resembles a labyrinth. The makers have preserved the previous structure, preserved the apparatuses and filled it with sounds of the past. Hundreds of stories and secrets are hidden there.
One of them is the story of the painter Edison Gjergo. A room of the museum is dedicated to the case of the painter, who was convicted because he did not like socialist realism, because the fire that warmed the partisans in his painting was “unreal”.
“It was realized with formalist means, of cubist expressionist art, of an eclecticism and a bourgeois revisionist soup, which seriously undermines the content”, concluded the League of Writers and Artists, in its expertise on Gjergo’s works.
In “The house with leaves”, the painter’s file has been disclosed, from the moment he started being followed by agents, such as; “The big buffet” and, as he was spied on by his fellow artists, with the nicknames “The Artist” or “Apple Leaf”.
Along with the reports and tasks given to the infiltrators, the characteristics of the agents and how they were recruited are also given. In this case, of the “Big Buffet”, which is not known why it got this nickname, because they liked the bar-buffets of the time, or the buffets that were held in the standard living rooms of the years of the dictatorship.
It is learned that the “Big Buffet” had agreed to become part of the State Security bodies, in exchange for freedom, after serving the sentence for “hostile activity”.
Thanks to the will of “Big owls”, “Apple leaves” and “artists”, Edison Gjergo was arrested and sentenced for; “agitation and propaganda”. He was released from prison in 1982 and died at the age of 50, completely devastated, in 1987.
The information report of Sigurimi’s collaborators, with the spying on the painter Edison Gjergo
Received P. Op…
Given to the agent; “Big buffet”
Tirana, on 12/6/1973
R a p o r t
Monday, May 29, around 8:30 p.m., he met Edison Gjergo in the “Peza” cafe. Edison, drunk, asks him to rent it with a brandy. He asks Edison, why are you so upset?
Edison: “I’m upset, because that’s the very nature of man, who doesn’t find comfort in this world.” Edison begins and preaches quotes from the philosophy and philosophers of existentialism, such as; J. P. Sartri, Albert Kamy, etc., among which we find it true that; “Human living is worth nothing”.
“Man consumes this truth when he dies.” He continues: “The human will is always conditioned by the circumstances in which it is.”
The source says that; on this side, materialism is more convincing in its own words.
Edison: “Leave me… don’t take Marxism in your mouth, no one even accepts it today.”
Source: “Tell me, what makes you so pessimistic? We told the truth, maybe the delusion you suffered in art”?
Edison: “No more st. b… for that. I will not do this, I will do another gender. The truth is that I love a girl who works in the library at the Palace of Pioneers. She showed me sympathy for my work. I don’t know how to do it!”
He tells him that; sympathy for work does not absolutely condition love. Another day he met with Edison, who said to him: “Tell me that, instead of staying for two months, I will do five months, of course I will do some work, this is what a friend of mine advised me, who has responsibility in the Ministry of Education. Short of talking, this is enough to wash away the sins and the sins we have not committed”.
Based on the interpretation of the source, Edison’s expression suggests that his work in the field or base has rather a punitive character.
“The Big Buffet”
Single specimen
Berat, on 20.VIII.1974
Operational note
In the meeting held on 19.VIII.1974, with former B.p. “Fleta e molla”, among others, told me that: “From the end of May 1974, that he did not remember the exact date, the painter Edison Gjergo had come to the Textile Factory ‘Mao Ce Dun’ to get necessary materials , for the execution of the painting on the picture, on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition of figurative arts, soon.
On the part of the Combine, Edison was given adequate assistance and all requests for materials were met. Edison was given photographs, from the work of textile workers.
In a conversation that Edison had with B.p., “The Apple Leaf”, among others, Edison had told him: “As for the paintings that I have created, such as ‘The Extinguishment of Well 542’ and ‘The Epic of the Morning Stars’ , for this they have been unfairly attacked by some friends and leaders of the League of Artists of Albania”.
Edison continued that; “Some have reacted negatively, due to not knowing enough about the execution of a decorative painting.”
Edison left Berat, saying that; after I finish the textile paintings, he will come again to see them with his Kombinat friends, but until now, said B.p., he has not come. Task: B.p. gave you as a task, that in case Edison comes to Berat, again, to meet and talk with him, about the paintings he made from textiles and what Edison thinks, about the impact he had on the decadent creativity in painting…!
Operative worker
(…….)
Single specimen
Tirana, 17.7.1973
Task for B.p. “Artist”, to consume them in conversations with the object of pre-processing
Given that B.p. The “artist” has given an important piece of information about the Edison Gjergo object and that there are companies and opportunities to get involved in the processing of this object, we think that this B.p., which is held in connection by….to perform these tasks in conversations with the object.
1) Since it also connects the professional side, both B.p. and the object, B.p. to try to meet him in the club of the League of Writers, or by going to the studio of the object, under different pretexts, to see the creations of the latter and to discuss with him the creativity of the object, the positive and negative sides that has an object in creativity, on the nationality that we should have in the creations, having a national basis, on the painters of socialist realism in our country and the modernist painters of western and revisionist countries. This is in order to clarify what thoughts the object has.
2) To talk about the measures taken recently, about the fight against foreign influences in art and culture and how these measures, reflected in the field of creativity, to spark discussion, to mention what high level they were presented the creations at the exhibition of the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Army. On this occasion, discuss with him about holding the plenum and striking the anti-party element, giving him the opportunity to give an objective opinion on these elements.
3) Talk to learn the subject’s thoughts about the art perspective of our painting. For the role of the Party and our leader, in terms of defining the path that art and culture should follow. Here to tell him that; after all, art should represent the politics of a country and not be separated from politics, saying, what does the object think about this…!
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
TIRANA DISTRICT COURT
No. 186
Decision “In the name of the people”
Tirana District Court consisting of the chairman of the session…. Nd. The judge… Assisted by the secretary… today on 28 and 29.04.1975, in the court session with open doors, considered the criminal case that belongs to the defendant:
Edison Gjergo, son of Vangjeli and Kornelis, born in 1939 in Tirana and resident in Tirana, Ward no. 10, “Bajram Curri” street, building 490/2, floor 1, ap. 5, social origin, senior official, status, painter near the League of Writers, with higher education (Institute of Arts), now unemployed, i unmarried, no children, completed military service, not convicted, non-party, arrested on 15.01.1975.
Accused: Agitation and propaganda against the people’s power, this crime provided for and punished by Article 73/1 of the Criminal Code, the Court after reviewing the investigation materials, after discussing the case in its entirety and after listening to the defense and the last word of the defendant, who asked for mercy:
Notes:
During the trial, it was proven that the defendant Edison Gjergo committed the crime of agitation and propaganda against the popular government.
This defendant, acting contrary to party policy, has made various paintings with reactionary content.
The defendant admitted before the court that he did not like the art of socialist realism and therefore propagated, praising the reactionary, modernist painters, Chagall, Picasso, etc., the defendant showed his hostility towards socialist realism not only by talking to different people, but also in the works he has done…!
Who was the “Big Buffet” agent?
Single specimen, Tirana, on 5.9.1976
Characteristic for the “Big Buffet” agent
The agent “Bufeja e Madhe” was recruited into the service of the State Security bodies in 1949, at which time he was in prison, for hostile activities. His withdrawal was based on his early release from prison.
From that time until now, he has been in regular contact and his data has been valid. With these data, strikes have been made on the enemy element, processes have been opened and currently, there are many problems with a sharp hostile character in pursuit.
Since September of 1975 and until now, the time that has been taken into account by me, it has provided 12 data with operational values. In meetings, he is very regular, follows the schedule, enters carefully into the designated base and tries to implement the tasks assigned to him, but during this period, the following shortcomings were also noticed, which should be taken into account in the future:
He often has a mania to meet, even before entering the base, when he has been consulted, advised and taught how to act. At first it was justified that; no one recognizes us, but later reacts correctly.
There have been cases that he does not clarify the problems until the end, for this it is justified that; I’m afraid of getting burned and I don’t know how to act. It has been criticized several times and in all meetings, it has been kept close, it has been taught how to act.
He is devoted to his personal interest, if this interest is touched even a little, he gets angry and creates the impression that the State Security is doing this to him. This has been clarified, and to some extent it has been convinced.
It is characterized as a neurotic type, gives sometimes hasty thoughts about the person…!
Note;
The “Big Buffet” agent provided important information about facility 2/A, which had terrorist and diversionary tendencies. To verify the data of this agent, the combination was organized with T.O., where this B.. was intercepted, with the aforementioned object, where it was proved that B.p. was in good positions and the object was in hostile positions.
On this basis, the object was arrested, but it was not analyzed in the investigator and in this way, after it was analyzed in the ministry with the authorization of the deputy minister sh…. and by order of the Director of Internal Affairs, this agent was used as a witness in the process of this defendant. The trial was held behind closed doors. Memorie.al
Section Chief
Tirana, 28.8.1977. (………..)
