Where is my brother ?
A true story
By Adelina Gina
Adelina Gina was born on May 16,
1948 in
The screening of her play “Someone Came” in 1972 was banned by the Albanian government because it was considered to be “modern and subversive.”
Her book “Where is my brother?” was published for the first time in Albanian
in the
Mrs. Adelina Gina has published periodically on the arts and culture in
various newspapers. She currently lives in the
SKËNDER SHKUPI
Journalist, Critic
The day and the
night of one life
Review of
Adelina Gina’s “Where is my brother?”
Gazeta
---Theirs was a family like all other families, where happiness and disaster, satisfaction and concern, joy and bitterness followed one another so closely they did not have time to wait their turn. All of them scattered carelessly, spilling on the fates of people, raising them here and there on top of the exultant waves or, more often, crashing them down to the abyss of despair. Among those ordinary people there was a young man who was not like the rest. Shpetim was his name and at the age of 21 he wrote a play that was not like the rest: it was a hymn for humanity. This hymn was written in a beautiful human voice in a country, ravaged by the hateful classe struggle. Yet the angry ideological cacophony silenced that harmonious voice and did not let it grow. Shpetim’s youthful days were shortened; his glowing light was put out as quickly as it was lit. A life was taken from the closest members of his family, his sisters, brother and his poor father. The long night of his passing was turned into an anxious question which was never answered: “ Where is my brother?”
This is the title of the last book of Adelina, Shpetim’s oldest sister. Although very modest by nature, she demonstrates an extraordinary artistic talent. Those who knew her well, since she continuously have talked about her younger brother’s talent, are predisposed to make an unconscious mistake when judging Adelina’s value as an artist. Adelina herself is an indisputable talent. More
“Where is my brother?” at Amazon.com.
Customer
reviews at Amazon.com
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1 of 1 people found the
following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
story, December 30, 2009
I
highly recommend this book to whoever is interested in reading a compelling
story about totalitarian regimes, secret services and the dangers of an
artistic life during that time. This book is also a window to Albanian
culture, traditions and student life in the 1970-80's. |
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1970's
"Where Is My Brother?" is a very personal and
fascinating autobiographical account of life in Communist Albania in the
1970s. The story centers around the relationship between the author and her
brother, Shpetim, who inexplicably disappeared in August, 1974, reported dead
from a drowning accident. This report, however, appears frought with holes
and slippery, ever-changing accounts of what really happened, leaving the
author with little consolation and supreme doubt of the actual event. Her
search for the truth then begins in a time and place where truth has become a
lost commodity.
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A Frightening True Story, September 4, 2008
Where is My Brother? is part memoir, part unsolved mystery.
Ms. Gina tells the story of one family's experiences in totalitarian |
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crisp and engaging, July 28, 2008
Adelina Gina manages to transport her readers to a time and a place most know little about. She is unabashedly honest, endearing her protagonist to readers immediately. Her sophisticated writing manages to convey political tension alongside youth and whimsy. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Does leave one in anticipation for a sequel. |
Where is my brother
Fragments
I cried
for you as if you were dead,
I waited for you as if you were alive.
…That same year I finished writing a play entitled: Her, Him, and Her, which I later renamed Someone Came. The play was scheduled to be performed by the actors and actresses of the Institute of the Arts. The actors and actresses were all graduating seniors who were defending their diploma with their participation in the play. However, the production was halted because the play was considered to ‘modern’ by the regime. For the days following it, the theater was full of people still waiting to see the play. On stage: a deferred life, a youth that dared to dream of a different life, a youth that hoped. The play broke the paradigms of socialist realism. Its life was ephemeral. In the meanwhile, I began work as a journalist. My friends advised me not to take any other actions against the censuring of the play because it would only make my career as a journalist difficult.
One night, when we were coming back from a concert, Shpëtim said: “It’s better to have a forbidden play than a play that is performed night after night until it becomes boring. This way you are more interesting. Did you see how people were turning their heads your way? They were talking about you – a young girl with a play that surprised the public. They are still in shock; whatever you might be attempted to articulate in the play they would never understood it. Do you remember that night? They looked frozen; they didn’t know what to do until they finally understood it and clapped their hands together, not able to move or to leave. The whole theater was with you. I too would like to write plays. If you can do it, what is stopping me? I am more knowledgeable then you. How many pages was your play?”
“Fifty-five,” I replied.
“Okay, tonight I will be up late working.”
We were both living with my grandmother, our aunt, and her two boys. Shpëtim worked all night, and when I woke up in the morning, I found him asleep on the table. There were typed pages scattered everywhere. He woke up and murmured “Get them together; there are fifty-eight of them.” This was the play that he wrote. It was called Between Four Loves and he wrote it overnight. He was only twenty years old.(Continue)
Photos from the Presentation of
the book “Where is my brother” at the
