The successful German author Clemens Meyer was present yesterday for a meeting with Albanian readers at the National Center for Books and Reading. In the presence of German Ambassador Karl Bergner, he spoke on themes that characterize literature, German culture, Europe, and the creative processes.

Meyer introduced his newly published book, Projectors, an epic about the crises in Europe and the art of storytelling, which is part of the shortlist for the Best German Book of 2024. He also discussed with his translator, Anna Kove, his book Night, Lights, which won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in 2008.

Strange characters populate Clemens Meyer’s stories: a divorced man who spends all his money on betting, hoping to win for his dog’s treatment; boxers, prisoners, the homeless, and dreamers wandering through the cities of the night. Through events unfolding in small apartments, abandoned places, prisons, and by the river, Meyer strikes at the harsh reality in search of the lights that may shine in the darkness.

His heroes are individuals struggling with life, fortune seekers who often fail, and troubled figures of the night. Each short story in this collection could become a major film.

A candidate for the Man Booker International Prize 2017 and the International Booker Prize 2023 shortlist, and a recipient of Germany’s most prestigious literary awards, Clemens Meyer is undoubtedly one of the most representative voices in contemporary German literature.

This event was organized by the Book and Promotion Institute as part of the “Tirana Gate 2024” Festival, the National Center for Books and Reading, Albas Publications, and was funded by TRADUKI and the German Embassy in Tirana.

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