The 60 years of life with Ismail Kadare, after his death, for Helena, as she described the journey with the genius of Albanian letters in her book “not enough time”, today seems even more insufficient than before.
Except for the precious memories he shares with Kadare’s friends, important public figures, art lovers and relatives in this moment of tribute, commemoration.
40 days have passed and for me and my loved ones it is still present. I still don’t understand that it is no more”, said Helena Kadare.
With deep pain, Helena Kadare has experienced the loss of the great writer, who has stood by her side as a fellow traveler in his life with obstacles as she chooses to call it, but also in her rich creativity.
“My presence near Ismail has been a long, wonderful and tiring road as well. There are always millions of his fans around the world, and of course starting with the Albanians. But there was also another way of attacks that were made against him. I have tried to be a wife and a friend to support him in difficult moments, but at the same time there are many beautiful moments that we spent together”, said Helena.
The patient Helena accepted the sacrifice of sharing Ismail’s love only with books, which today and always are a treasure for literature, and which make Kadare immortal.
“I have tried to make his life so that he never feels the need for something, I say something simple every day. That is, he was only concerned with his work and suffered a lot if he didn’t do those two and a half hours of writing a day, which has made our days of holidays and endless trips. “Only the issue of Kosovo made him give up the job he was so fond of,” she says.
In her first confession without Ismail, Helena remembers every moment of their life together, remembers his words…
“To end it as he himself said very nicely that ‘I have done a normal thing in an abnormal place.’ And as you all know, he did it very successfully, I am very proud to have been by his side”, recalls Helena.
