Memorie.al / I don’t remember exactly, but I must have been in the second half of high school when I entered his shop for the first time. I had started to fall deeply in love with poetry, but also with the feature stories written from time to time in the newspapers, and there I would collect the daily press, especially on Sundays when it was the turn of “Drita” (The Light). This was my routine whenever I was in the city, in Gjirokastër, during the summer holidays.
The bookstore also sold the daily papers; thus, with some there for newspapers and others for books, it was usually packed. Late, very late, did I learn that the man who traded books and newspapers was named Alizot; all along I thought Ali-Zoti was his first and last name combined.
As for “Emiri,” which was actually his surname, at least I had never heard it. This was also due to the fact that my father’s name was Ali, and I thought he was my father’s namesake. His first name had become so renowned that a surname seemed unnecessary – perhaps a unique case for this legendary Gjirokastrian bookseller.
At that time, I couldn’t have imagined that exactly half a century later, I would come across a book dedicated to the life and activity of this man, written with such love and skill by his two sons, Shpëtim and Ibrahim Emiri. “Send me your address so I can mail it to you,” Shpëtim – one of the sons and authors living in Tirana – wrote to me a few days ago.
He kept his word, and before long, the book with his autograph arrived at my door, at my home in Vlorë. I didn’t think it would draw me in so much, especially when one has to read nearly 400 written pages. In fact, Pëllumb Kulla, who is also the author of the foreword, warns of this, but it is one thing to be told and another to experience it.
I was left surprised by this reading and, at the same time, overwhelmed by a unique emotion. Sometimes it happens that the story of an ordinary person contains so much “juice of life” that it seems like a universe of its own. Such is the story of Alizot Emiri, the famous bookseller of Gjirokastër, a man whose life goes beyond the life of a single individual.
It reminds you of so many people who, in the simplicity of their lives, have not only made their own history but have simultaneously become points of reference. Just as the life story of this simple man has radiated beyond himself, his family, or his kin.
Among other things, as clearly shown in the entirety of his deeds – most of which occurred through a fine humor, one of those very subtle kinds that occasionally remind you of Xhebro Gjika and his peers – it proves how an individual has their role in social developments, even those of an entire city.
People with special gifts who become commanding through their wisdom and intellect.
…The family Calvary of Alizot Emiri is a story in itself, with many climactic and, in not a few cases, dramatic points. The boiling of water on the stove by Aneja (the grandmother/mother), pretending she was cooking something for the children to sit down for dinner, but which boiled and boiled until they fell asleep (in the absence of food), undoubtedly remains something dramatic, shocking, and unique.
Yet, so many other events are recounted within the pages of the book, all of which our hero overcame thanks to his wisdom and his optimism for life, which had to be lived at any cost.
But I must say that even the way of writing, the language and storytelling style, and the detailed description of events and situations remain an added value for the book. It is a book that moves you, gladdens you, intrigues you, but also saddens you.
We no longer have this “species” in circulation; we no longer have these human models who do their simple work with so much passion and love, and most importantly, who through their work become catalysts and conduits for more knowledge and culture.
People who nearly turn into a cultural institution of their own. It is a pity that these people thirsty for knowledge and culture are no longer appearing; we can no longer find these social groups and circles that transmitted culture and became promoters of good in society.
Such as, for instance, Alizot’s bookstore there in “Qafa e Pazarit,” where from time to time professors, doctors, artists, creators, and so many intellectuals of the stone city would gather.
Alizot Emiri, the man who, through his vast world, his humor, his brilliant satire, and his active social life, remains forever remembered and honored by all./Memorie.al
