Novel
Hasta la vista
Not translated into English
Petro Marko · 1958
Synopsis
Two intertwined stories during the Spanish Civil War. The first follows the Albanian volunteers of the International Brigades, their battles, their characters and their weaknesses, deserters included, alongside real figures such as Asim Vokshi, Mehmet Shehu or the author himself. The second tells of the love between Gori, a young wounded Albanian fighter, and Anita, a Spanish nurse met in a field hospital, in a war where death prowls every day.
Context
The author's first novel, the book appeared in Tirana in 1958 and draws on his memories as a Republican volunteer: in 1936 he had led a group of one hundred and thirteen men to Albacete, headquarters of the International Brigades, published an Albanian newspaper in Madrid with Skënder Luarasi, and taken part in Valencia in the congress of anti-fascist writers. It has been translated into neither French nor English.
Who it is for
To discover the struggle against Franco told from the side of the volunteers who came from the Balkans, between battles and romance.
Prizes and reception
Albanian critics see it as a turning point in the history of the country's novel and praise an author who does not hide his heroes' faults.