By Sonja Methoxha
A little girl spends her growing days listening to her grandfather’s tales in Gjirokaster about history and life. She is surrounded by images of strong women who influenced her to become a strong woman herself. She defines her views as feminist, as she has admitted that to many of her friends, but Irda Haruni is simply the representation of a strong female who took her life under her own control, sustaining herself for about 11 years since she was a university Law student, and due time by believing in herself, she has started building her journey into fulfilling a lifelong dream: becoming a writer.
Irda recently published her first book, a collection of poems titled Pasqyra (Mirror in English). The poems are written over a span of 10 years and are dedicated to girls and women who are constantly trying to find and be themselves in a patriarchal society. She is inspired by the stories of the women of her family, but also of the women she met during her pathway. During the promotion of her book in Tirana she said that the book “is absolutely dedicated to girls, and here are many strong girls here, and I’d like to thank you for growing me.” However, the poems aren’t simply directed to women, but to society as a whole, as we all are in constant interaction with one-another. And as women are already put into motion in demanding their equal rights and deserved appraise for their efforts, perhaps the change would happen when men would start respecting and treating women worthily.
A lady with short, red hair and bright, black aways meanders among the crowd, greeting and thanking everyone who managed to join to her book’s promotion amidst the rainy day of April 11, at Mondial Hotel in Tirana. There were no chairs in the event. People were standing, drinking wine, talking to each other. Irda had decided to associate the book with 10 photos she took while in Italy where she studies. Each picture is based on a poem from the book, and show the hardships that women face against prejudices of society. And she wouldn’t even have made a promotion if it wasn’t for the idea of the photo exhibition, but it also served the purpose of evading long speeches and to let the visitors to immerse themselves into her art.
“Of course I am a feminist, I have made that obvious in all tables, even with boys. I really believe in this cause, and I wanted the messages to be strong and clear for everyone, especially to you who have children today. So I wanted you to have this clear as an instruction from me,” said Irda during her book promotion in Tirana.
The promotion took place in her hometown of Gjirokaster at Argjiro Hotel on April 8, because family members are there. Old relatives, schoolmates and childhood friends, old school teachers and family friends attended the event in support to Irda. Tirana though, has her friends.
Pasqyra has 111 poems about women and life. The book was published in Gjirokaster on April 8, and in Tirana on April 9. She printed 300 books, out of which only 50 were left to be dispersed in libraries, as the rest were already sold during her promotion.
“I started writing when I was a little girl, but I decided to publish the book now because the time came, as it was becoming more serious when I noticed that I couldn’t break loose from writing,” told Irda Top Channel during her promotion in Gjirokaster.
The poems run smooth. There is a honesty about the reality the way this woman sees it. She doesn’t feel like lying, because she does not have time to play games. But the truth she provides tastes bittersweet, that is why it can be swallowed easily as the allegories and metaphors she uses spread around in a dissociated dance, in a search of its identity, following an inaudible rhythm until it return to its starting point again. Poems on self, love, nature, friendship, ideals, all derive from a soul on its path to discovery, which after seeing its roots to its being, it is now boldly making them visible to the world, and sharing its wisdom.
The book is only offered in the Albanian language, which is Irda’s mother tongue. After she finishing her second degree in Italy for which she is currently studying, she will will start slowly translating the book in English and make it available for Kindle through Amazon, and also start planning on a second project. She promised her next book to be a novel, as her second poem collection is already halfway. The following poem is titled It Should be a Reality was suggested by Irda as a representation of the book’s message, and comes translated as a courtesy of the author.
It Should be a Reality
A girl is born
And no balloons
A young blood fairy eternally
But what can this world confess
Without your soul’s mystery?
And young blood wouldn’t raise
For it’s not just a tale
Nor their veins blue as ice
Can’t make your name fade
FEMALE
