Biography of Jeton Kelmendi
Poet, player, publicist, translator, publisher and a professor of university and academic.
Born in the city of Peja, Kosovo (1978), Jeton Kelmendi completed elementary school in his birth place. Later he continued his studies at the University of Pristina and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Mass communication. He completed his graduate studies at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, specializing in International and Security Studies. He finished his second master degree in diplomacy. Kelmendi did a PhD in the “Influence of media in EU Political Security Issues”. He is professor at AAB University College. He is active member of the European Academy of Science and Arts in Salzburg Austria. For many years he has written poetry, prose, essays and short stories. He is a regular contributor to many newspapers, in Albania and abroad, writing on many cultural and political topics, especially concerning international affairs. Jeton Kelmendi became well known in Kosova, after the publication of his first book entitled: “The Century of Promises” (“Shekulli i Premtimeve”), published in 1999. Later he published a number of other books. His poems are translated in more that twenty-seven languages and published in several international Literature Anthologies. He is the most translated Albanian Poet and well known in Europe. According to a number of literary critics, Kelmendi is the genuine representative of modern Albanian poetry. International critics and poets wrote for him a lot of article, considering him as great European poet. He is a member of many international poetry clubs and is a contributor to many literary and cultural magazines, especially in English, French and Romanian Languages. The wisdom of his work in the field of Literature is based in the attention that he pays to the poetic expression, modern exploration of the text and the depth of the message. His Genre is focused more on love lyrics and elliptical verse intertwined with metaphors and artistic symbolism. Currently resides and works in Brussels, Belgium and in Pristina, Kosovo.
Published works:
- “The Century Promises” (“Shekulli i Premtimeve”), 1999 (poetry)
- “Beyond Silence” (“Përtej Heshtjes”), 2002 (poetry)
- “If it is afternoon” (“Në qoftë mesditë”), 2004 (poetry)
- “Fatherland pardon me” (“Më fal pak Atdhe”), 2005,(poetry)
- “Where are the arrivals going” (“Ku shkojnë ardhjet”),2007 (poetry)
- “You arrived for the traces of wind” (“Erdhe për gjurmë të erës”), 2008 (poetry)
- “Time when it has time” (“Koha kurë të ketë kohë”), 2009 (poetry)
- “Wandering thoughts” (“Rrugëtimi i mendimeve“) 2010 poetry
- “The baptize of spirit” (Pagezimi I shpirtit) 2012 poetry
- “I call forgotten things” (Thërras gjërat e harruara) 2013 poetry
Published plays:
- “Mrs Word” (“Zonja Fjalë”), 2007 (Drama)
- “Play and anti-play” (Lojë dhe kundër lojë) 2011 Drama
Political science:
- EU mission in Kosova after its independence 2010 USA.
- Bad times for the knowledge 2011, Pristina Kosovo.
- NATO-EU missions, cooperative or competitive 2012, Tirana Albania.
- Media Influence in Security Politics in EU, 2016, Brussels, Belgium.
Published Works In Foreign Language:
- “Ce mult s-au rãrit scrisorile” (“Sa fortë janë rralluar letrat”); published in Romanian Language.
- “A respiration” (“Frymëmarrje’); published in India
- “Dame parol,” drama; published in French
- “COMME LE COMMENCEMENT EST SILENCIEUX”
(“When start the silence”), poetry; Paris, France
- “ΠΟΥ ΠΑΝΕ ΟΙ ΕΡΧΟΜΟΙ (“Where go the comings”),
Poetry in Greek; Greece
- “Wie wollen (“Si me dashtë”), poetry; Germany
- Frau Wort (Miss word) drama Germany
- Nasil sevmeli (Si me dashtë) poetry Turkey
- НА ВЕРХІВ’Ї ЧАСУ (In the bigening of time) poetry Ukraine
- How to reach yourself Poetry in USA
- в зените времени истлевшего (A vers on top of the time gone) Poetry Russia
- 34首封面 (34 poemus) poetry China
- “فواصل للحذف ” (Elliptical dots) Poetry in Egypt
- Pensamientos del Alma (Thoughts of the spirit), poetry Spain 2014
– Xewnên di dîwêr de (How to love) poetry Kudristan-Turkey 2015
– Cómo Llegar A Ti Mismo (How to love) poetry Argentina 2015
– Com Retrobar-Se (How to love) poetry Catalonia 2015
– Prescurtarea departarilor (Shortening distances), poetry Romania, 2016
– Rănile cuvântului (Plagët e fjalës) poetry Moldavia 2018
– 思想狩獵愛 (Thoughts Hunt the Loves) poetry Taiwan 2018.
– wybrane wiersze (Selected poems) Poetry in Polish, Poland 2018.
– Düsünceye götüren misralar (How to know) Turkish Turkey 2018.
– ДИВЉА ЋУТАЊА (Wild silence) Serbian, Serbia Belgrade 2018.
Books translated by Jeton Kelmendi
- ° Plagët e bukurisë by Athanase Vantchev de Thracy (France), translated from French together with Gjovalin Kola
- ° Hijet e dritës by Skënder Sherifi (Belgium), translated from French
- ° Gjuha e botës (International Poetry Antholgy) (10 poets from 10 countries) translated from English and French
- ° Sheshi i shikimeve (International Poetry Anthology) (13 poets from 13 countries) translated from English
- ° E di kush je by Erling Kittelsen (Norwey), translated from English
- ° Emrimi i gjërave by Zhang Zhi Diablo (Chine), translated from English.
- ° Vetmia e erës by Bill Wolak (USA), Traslated from English
- ° Trokas në mendjen tënde by Alicja Kuberska, Poland, translated from English.
- ° Tingujt e Mendimeve by Lee Kuei-shien, Taiwan. Translated from English.
- ° Kam mësuar ca gjëra by Ataol Behramoglu, Istambul. Translated from English.
International Awards:
Member of the Academy of Science and Arts of Europe, Salsburg, Austria,
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists of Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
Member of the Academy of Science, Arts and Literature of Europe, Paris, France.
Member of the Academy of Science and High Education of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine.
Member of International PEN club Belgian Francophone, Brussels Belgium.
Honorary member of Academy Internacional “Mihai Eminescu”, Romania.
Member of Euro-Azia Writers Union.
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the Institute of Ukrainian and Caucasian studies at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences 201.
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Universidad Nacional Del Este, Praguay 2017.
- SOLENZARA Prestigious International Award, Paris, France 2010.
- Internationa Prize “Nikolaj Gogol” Ucraine 2013.
- International Prize “Alexander the Great” Greece 2013
- National Poetry book prize MITINGU, in Gjakova, Kosovo 2011.
- International Prize “World Poetry” third prize in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2013.
- “Translater of theyear 2013”, in China 2013.
- International Prize “Mather Teresa” for humaniy in poetry, Gjakova Kosovo. 2013
- International Prize “Ludwig Nobel” of Udmurtian PEN Club, Udmurtu, Russia 2014
- International Prize “Mihai Eminescu” Romania, 2016
- International Prize “Poet of the year 2016”, Sofly International literatture foundation 2017.
- International Prize “World Icon for Peace”, from the World Institute for Peace, Nigeria, 2017.
- International Prize “World Literature”, in Kazakhstan, 2017.
- Ambasador of Peace by the World Institute for Peace. 2017.
- International Prize “Prize of the Academy”, European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Literture, Paris 2018.
Personal website www.jetonkelmendi.page.tl
PEJA AT FIVE IN THE MORNING
For my father
The city is asleep;
People and the night were sleeping
Silence was taking a break
From the exhaustion of the previous day;
Just in this way, the morning unraveled in Peja
The city was descending at five in the morning.
On April 12,
Not every dream is easy to share.
Someone dreams of spring,
And someone else was closing everything
All stories and desires for himself,
To sleep from now on without dreams
I have also been asleep
Even dreaming,
I saw my dad going away
Into the forest,
Even though it seemed early to go to the mountains;
My dad,
Has always been an early bird
But this time, it was very early
He was awake,
To pass over the bridge that connects
This world with the other one.
In Rugova
Men die with pride
Because nature has trained them,
My dad always used to repeat this,
When he spoke about his family members,
They did all the work
Of life,
Then marched over the hearts
And became eternal.
I remember dad,
Every time he did his work
That he had allotted for himself,
Was delighted
And happy all day
Was walking;
It was Friday,
And my dad
Silent as never before,
Ready in all his dreams,
Entered in the sleep without dreams,
A free fatherland
He left it behind,
Although his country had many lingering challenges,
His sons were close to him:
This is how he closed his eyes,
Without looking at the green spaces of spring
Father.
Oh, Spring
This gorgeous season,
Always takes the meaning away from rhetoric,
But this time it took
My father,
Kështu thoshte baba,
With more longing,
With more memories, more stories
Everything will be multiplied,
Only suggestions will be less
Because our father is not here anymore.
June 12th, 2013, Prishtina
LOVE IN A WAR TIME
Sometime I want them to happen
Differently
These things
For example, I wish a heavy fog surrounded me,
Until the border is easily
Passed,
To pass there first of all
Where a few months ago
I saw a girl[1]
With curly hair,
Only seeing her
And later dreaming about her,
I fell in love.
But in the end,
This is war, and we don’t
know the future
Every day fighting with death
These stories that
Someone or another
Fell for freedom,
Or other news,
Such as the enemy
Was destroyed
These are daily routines.
Perhaps
That he desires love
In a war time,
That friend will think you are stupid
But even in the fiercest firefights
A soldier will never stop thinking about love
I have experienced it in myself.
In a time of war
God knows
When the end might come,
Perhaps
Neither time has space for love,
Time has its toll
But, what if everyone would plant
Death,
Who would be harvesting
Love?
A poet thinks
that the greatest loves
Are born in times of war,
Perhaps,
Perhaps, by exceeding the imagination
Of a biblical story,
Or
Even the most illustrious stories
Of Lorca and Hemingway,
Simply
Love is another war,
It’s an infinite war
Even the longest war
Se çdo luftë tjetër,
But its weapons are
Something else:
Heart, Soul and Sex.
I came myself
And went
Right to the center of stage.
There is war
You looking at it, day after day
Life is becoming even more boring:
this is how it started
My mind was confused,
While
With happiness I was ready
For a little more love.
Is this a dream or an anti-dream?
Today
I am sure if someone
Would ask,
But, surprisingly
It happened
99 times and I have been able to die
The 99th time.
Without war,
How the time of love begins
Cannot be imagined,
Only that there is love and war.
Late at night
The moon has forgotten
To come outside,
Të dalë,
A soldier has returned, departs
In other front lines;
In a time of war, when there is love
War continues…
Ah soldier, o soldier.
November 1999, sometime in the War of Kosov
ABBREVIATION DISTANCE
Overnight tonight
The happy day of tomorrow,
Beyond tomorrow
Again another night,
I’m closer to you.
I and you dream each other
And so time is going,
We count it
Days and nights.
We look forward to each other
As we run away from ourselves,
So the time is looking at us
As it measures our distance
Day and night.
There lives, you and my thoughts
Here, me and your thoughts
Who is counting the days,
Tonight, we are one night closer
Closer to thoughts
How everybody should be
How does it look,
You and me, my dear
We have a world
Completely different.
Brussels, 20 June 2012
[1] In Albanian, we call a “girl” a young lady.
