The National Center for Books and Reading, in collaboration with the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents, organized an event today to mark the 100th anniversary of Martin Camaj in collective memory. The event took place at HangArt – Kinostudio and featured panelists Enkeleida Kapia, Alda Bardhyli, Altin Hoxha, and Selami Zalli. They discussed Camaj’s file and his persecution under the totalitarian regime.

Enkeleida Kapia noted that Camaj’s letters reveal a deep friendship concerned with many issues. She explained that much of their pain came from how Tirana treated them. In the letters, Tirana is not just a city; it represents a state of mind. It reflects oppression and a “Shqipni” where words could be free.

Martin Camaj was a censored writer under the totalitarian regime. His political beliefs conflicted with the state ideology, forcing him into exile. Initially, he resisted the communist partisans and lived in hiding before fleeing to Yugoslavia.

From 1961, Camaj worked as a professor of Albanology at the University of Munich. Between 1971 and 1990, he led the Albanology department at the same institution. Camaj wrote poetry, prose, and scholarly works on the Albanian language and its dialects. He passed away on March 12, 1992, in Munich.

/a.c/