Well-known Moldovan poet awarded Albanian prize

Chisinau, 3 July /MOLDPRES/ - Poet Nicolae Dabija has been recently awarded the medal and prize Pjetër Bogdani – the most important literary prize provided by the Writers’ Union of Kosovo for “Psalmi de dragoste” („Psalme dachurie” in Albanian, - Love Psalms), translated in the Albanian language by Baki Ymeri.     

The collection of poetry was published in the series „Bibliothéque Internationale Bruxelles” (Brussels International Library), under the patronage of the Council of Europe, with the subtitle „Poezie românească din Basarabia. Poezie românească din Moldova” (Romanian Poetry from Bessarabia. Romanian Poetry from Moldova). On the fourth cover of the book, Albanian academician Jeton Kelmendi says that Nicolae Dabija is a true artist of the word, who has the power to make the dream come true.    

”He is a lyrical classic dominated by modernity, which combines tradition with modern things, in order to build the poem touching souls. The destiny of his country, Moldova, is the alpha and omega in the poet’s works, which appears so inspired in these Love Psalms, so that one has impression that, when you read them, all the poetry of the world is born before us. Being an author with a vast poetic experience, Dabija appears before the reader as a poet with maximum care for word and metaphor, which stay at the basis of his poetic art.       

For me, this book of love proves that Nicolae Dabija is a formidable poet. Knowing well the Romanian poetry and discovering his works, one compulsorily finds out that Nicolae Dabija is a very good poet of a very good literature. And when a creator like him is impeccably translated into another language, his value is enhanced. It is also the case with the volume translated in the Albanian language by Baki Ymeri – a translation which honours our writer and who presents the work of Nicolae Dabija in such a way, as if the latter wrote it directly in the Albanian language,” academician Jeton Kelmendi said.      

The Albanian collection is prefaced by Romanian poet Ion Deaconescu , who said, inter alia: “Somebody was saying that one has as much country as many poets he/she has, as the poets are architects of the air and soul, as the great Creator completed His work through their word. The word is the beginning and the founder of the world. This is true, but only those marked by God have this talent to organize the chaos and love the others, as love always yields fruits. Nicolae Dabija is such a poet, who disturbs the hearts and souls of his readers from everywhere, whose wind turns into prayer or grenade, breath of wind or storm, love whisper or how; in my opinion of reader and poetry knower for more than 50 years, he is certainly the greatest Romanian poet alive.”   

Writer Nicolae Dabija, according to the Romanian media, is presently the Romanian writer with most international prizes. He is also the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Literatura si Arta (The Literature and Art) of the Writers’ Union from Moldova, head of the Association of Science, Culture and Art People, member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters (L’Académie Européenne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres - ALESAL), with headquarters in Paris, laureate of the National Prize. On 15 July, writer Nicolae Dabija will turn 70.       

(Reporter N. Roibu, editor A. Raileanu)