Last evening, among fellow book lovers at the “Babel” bookstore, Albanian author Stefan Çapaliku presented his latest work, Camera Obscura, a collection of 60 poems. Borrowing its title from the world of photography, “camera obscura” or “dark room” refers to the natural phenomenon where light rays passing through a small aperture into a dark space form an inverted image on the opposite surface.

Reflecting on the book, Çapaliku shared, “I wrote this book because I couldn’t help but write it. I filled its pages while wrestling with doubts that have surrounded me from all sides lately. I crafted this work during a time when I felt like a photographer, head immersed in a dark bag—the prelude to the dark box. Inside this box, my world turned upside down, and images became a kaleidoscope of overlapping impressions.”

The author describes the work as embodying a solitary wanderer, navigating the depths of an urban landscape, unveiling the city as a tableau of desire and vice. “To photograph people is, in a way, to violate them. Therefore, I never set my characters in posed frames. Instead, I captured their raw energy, the dynamics of movement, and often their caricatured moments,” added Çapaliku. He noted his desire to explore new themes and expressed hope that fresh content will lead to new creative forms.

Following its debut in Tirana, Camera Obscura will travel to Elbasan in the coming days, where it will be showcased at the city library.

/a.c/