In this author, we encounter a strong conceptualism of the aesthetic problem, of the internal dynamics, of events and phenomena
- Her poems are juxtaposed with simplicity, the tangible, euphoria and sadness, with a dynamic conception of the relationships between the various artistic hardships
By Arben Iliazi | Albania
I have never met the internationally renowned poet, writer, translator, editor and promoter Angela Kosta in person, but I have seen her work, which shines strongly in various different worlds. I was impressed not only by her creativity, but also by the care and kindness she demonstrates, always ready to help and promote Albanian authors and beyond, in the international arena. Thanks to her and her collaboration with the well-known poet and equally virtuous translator Kujtim Hajdari, to us Albanian writers, all the skies have begun to seem clear from the excess of lightheartedness that these internationally renowned writers offer us, with almost divine compassion, who we can magnificently define as “ambassadors” of Albanian culture and art in the world.
What an immense joy when they contact you, personally and generously offering the collaboration at no cost, completely free, based on the values of the authors. This kindness should be welcomed, as it is a unique case in Albanian and international culture. In the absence of official promotions, of which the authors can bang their heads against metal walls from indifference and the total denial of artistic literary values, it is a joyful fortune for us to have such a privilege, which drives us away from the “demons” of pessimism, shakes us from sleep and stimulates our confidence.
It is very difficult to summarize in a few lines a detailed synthesis of all the complex factors that highlight the distinction of the writer and poet Angela Kosta from other authors. I am briefly giving, in my opinion, some reflections on some of the poems I have considered, to analyze in another case also the prose.
In Angela Kosta’s poems, it is always the sensitivity of the time that decides the boundaries of the text, dealing with universal themes such as, of which: love, life and relationships between people, pain, but also the beauty of existence, the figure of women, nature, etc. With the tenderness, generosity, elegance that have made her an internationally renowned writer, poet and author, Angela Kosta provides the framework for a fulfilling life: hard work, passion, reflection, the will and the desire to make a difference. In the poetic corpus of this author, aesthetic experiences merge, where pure emotions are softened and passionate discourses are created, in a situation of fusion with transcendence, with the world, with the sensitivity of every era. It is the sensibility of every era that defines what poetry is. The codes of the poet Angela Kosta are mixed with those of the reader, creating a “creole language”, with a general promulgation of important structural elements. (Poem: Elegy) Angela Kosta has written poems that stand out for their meditative tendency, where many poetic statements are made within generally short texts. This style of discourse is achieved through rich figures, in particular symbols and metaphors, but also through a much intertwined language. (Poem: Yellowish Thoughts) The key point of Angela Kosta’s poetry concerns the originality and hidden character of the aesthetic “meaning” of the text. The literary text of his poems is transformed into a catalyst for the appearance of will, faith, passion. In the formal organization plan, the author conceives the aesthetic text as a significant whole, completely synthetic. It is precisely the relationship between the textual divisions, the division into verses, into paragraphs, that reveals the deep and unknown meaning of the text. The poet feels better in free verses, such from all boundaries. The poems have full coherence of meaning, precisely when common understanding is excommunicated to pure non-meaning. Translating it into a polysemantic organization of life, imitating the random element of existence, the poetic art of this author thus acquires an epistemological value. Angela Kosta, while applying different languages as an author and translator, uses the Albanian literary language very well, her mother tongue, where the text is automated and the “anomalous” structure of the artistic text draws attention to the text itself, in all its form. In her art, the poet has built a kingdom of spontaneity without rules, she has produced conventional texts, where the expressive level is linked to the level of content through a motivational relationship.
Angela Kosta’s poetic discourse is unique in nature, with marked elliptical tendencies, which deals primarily with the exposition of successive meanings through the rich system of figures. Her poems are juxtaposed with simplicity, the tangible, euphoria and sadness, with a dynamic conception of the relationships between the various artistic hardships. Creations do not suffer from the obscurity of meaning in the midst of a complicated figure. Poetry can only be painted by looking at the optics of signs, in relation to the pre-established units of reference, to the sensual relationship, to the anxious echoes, to the “lived value” that the text produces on the subject. In many of Angela Kosta’s poems, artistic thought expresses itself through a structural coexistence and does not exist beyond it. This link includes all levels of the text: phoneme, morpheme, word, verse, verse, and poem. (Poem: The light of survival)
As for metaphors, Angela Kosta’s poetry is built on a metaphorical plane intertwined with figures of sound construction. It too is subtitled by the symbol, but it is not representative, while in many stands out the antithesis of pure and contextual antonym, which constitutes a favorite means of the author, to give emotionality through comparison, or more clearly, with the adjacency of phenomena, which contradict each other, or conceptually, exclude each other. All of this is as spontaneous as it is deliberate in giving you a thrill that hits you. The internal metaphor of the artistic text, sometimes even breaking grammatical rules, unites images that are not acceptable in natural languages. The poetic art of this author incites the random element of existence, translating the anxieties of life into a polysemantic organization. In her art, Angela Kosta, has built a kingdom of spontaneity without rules, she has produced conventional texts, where the expressive level is linked to the level of content through a motivational relationship. The semantics of each word, the phonological repetitions of each rhythmic matter, that is, in all these complex factors, create the distinction of this author from others. In many poems, if one compares the phonological elements that appear in the set of words and in the equivalences. We note that phonological counterpoints can be linked to certain semantic categories, where a paradigmatic projection occurs in the phrase. Poetic texts are semantically very close, as a consequence of the similarity of their lexical construction. However, differences are observed in the rhythmic structure, the different similarities that arise at the phonetic level where poetry creates a ruthless weaving of meanings. (Poem: Sculpted Symphony)
“Angela Kosta uses words in her poems as if they were the brushstrokes of a great artist,” said the well-known Italian writer Adriano Bottaccioli. It enters among poets who do not directly express ideas and social beliefs, but insist on transmitting harmony, music, the profound echo of the word. Therefore his poems become interactive, multiplying the prayers. (Poem: Lacrima lucente)
In this author, we encounter a strong conceptualism of the aesthetic problem, of the internal dynamics, of events and phenomena.
Her poems have no elements of boring, artificial and lifeless art. His lyrical “flights” deal with meditation, with strong colors of self-reflection towards a real reality, which includes and outlines socio-psychological reality with sad colors. (Poem: A piece of bread)
Angela Kosta touches the reality of the social-moral mirror. His starting point is the common man, who ensures among the sacrifices an honest life, the reality of existence and, in some cases, the identifiable man. In his poems, Kosta conveys an image of the column that is being built, where there is a lot of magic, suffering, the acceptance of fate, kindness and thoughtfulness. His poems are part of the poetic subject of mystery, where the cult for the world and for people unfolds. Let’s take for example the poem dedicated to her mother, where the poet’s feeling appears poetically, as well as the torment for her. In the figure of the mother, the sensation is full of breath. (Poem: To my mother Sofia). In Angela Kosta’s poems, the cult of a sort of human freedom is born, of the feeling of superiority of the species with conscience, which knows how to emerge over losses, pains and remorse. What is evident in them is spontaneity, acceptance of modest life, and that of humanity… The daily sacrifice of human beings, the daily hard, the collapse…
Her lyrical verses take on traits of meditation, with strong colors of folding towards an atrocious reality, which includes and outlines social reality with sad shades. (Poem: Aged Children) Angela Kosta’s poems can be seen as a poetic code that conveys a fact, a situation, a well-meaning emotional state. Just take a look at the poem “To my brother Roland”. It is clear that in Kosta’s poetic text, the codes are not automated at all. The poetic work on the lexicon is well known. (Poem: To my brother Roland) The author attaches importance to the figurative side, as it is the one that plays the main role in enriching the meaning. In this author, the level of the figures is transformed into evidence and evocation of the sensory experience for the world. His pen indicates the ability to produce meanings similar to those of concrete perceptions. Angela Kosta’s poetry has a complex alchemy, sometimes of a compromising character, where the adaptation of the verse to the meaning of experience is not always at the center of her concern and of the final choices, of the poet and of the final meaning of the words as they derive from their arrangement in a certain structural position. In this way, a double semantic regime is established of the text itself, giving us a poetry satisfactory in rhythm and musicality. The conventional lexical meaning is only a raw material that is reformulated by the poetic structure, especially on the basis of the effects of musicality. In this author, musicality is not an end in itself, but creates complex areas of meaning that are renewed after each reading and exaltation. (Poem: Ash smile, dedicated to the genocide against the Jews).
Angela Kosta also occupies an important place in prose, encompassing several novels and novellas. Even the prose is in the style of his poetry. This is particularly evident in terms of their structure, where the priority is given to symbolism and numerous meanings in the texts, as in the case of his poems. Art is the domain of freedom, but their relationships are enormously more complex. Without the predictability of art, it is both the cause and the consequence of the unpredictability of life. We are faced with a very particular author, with a vital talent, with the extreme technicality of literary art, witnessed in a series of works in poetry and prose. It can be safely said that Angela Kosta represents today a literary phenomenon, an artistic polyglotism, where a conglomerate of talents and unusual gifts has long been conceived and exploded, in poetry, prose, translations and promotions… and everything else that his hand writes and creates.
Angela Kosta is one of the unique cases of our contemporary literature.
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Arben Iliazi is a poet, playwright and journalist. Born on March 1, 1963, in Saranda (Albania), he graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Tirana in 1988. Until 1991, he worked as a screenwriter and then dedicated himself to journalism, serving as a journalist and editor-in-chief for several daily newspapers in the capital. He is known as a poet, essayist, and playwright. He has several literary works to his credit including two poetic volumes, a book of essays, dramas and other publications.
