The Economist has honoured two Albanian writers in a recent feature.

Ismail Kadare, who died in 2024, remains the country’s grand man of letters. His more than 80 novels, plays, essays, and collections still fill bookshops.

Alongside him stands Lea Ypi, academic and author of Free, published in 2021. Her memoir has won international acclaim and, for now, placed her at the forefront of Albanian literature.

To tell her grandmother’s story, Ypi searched the communist secret police archives. Her work reveals Albania’s history of occupation, surveillance, and exile.

Through this tribute, The Economist highlights how both writers shaped Albania’s voice on the global stage.

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