Draft:Mira Meksi

Mira Meksi
Born	(1960-09-27) 27 September 1960 Tirana, Albania
Education	University of Tirana
Known for	Founding Mehr Licht! literary magazine, translating famous Spanish literature
Spouse	Ilir Meksi
Children	1
Writing career
Language	Albanian
Genres	Fiction Novella Short story Anthology Children's literature Non-fiction
Notable works	E Kuqja e Demave (2009) Mallkimi i priftëreshave të Ilirisë: roman (2014)
Signature

Mira Meski (27 September 1960 – ) is an Albanian author, translator, and researcher. She is a co-founder of Mehr Licht, an Albanian literary magazine. She also represented Albania twice in the Balkanika Literary Award

Meski has won many awards for her writing and translation work, including the Ministry of Culture of Albania's Silver Pen Prize for Literary Translation and Cult Award Best Translation of the Year. Meski has also been awarded Order Comendadora of Civil Merit from King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Career

Meski has a degree in the study of Albanian and French philology from the University of Tirana.

Meski began working as a translator and editor at 8 Nëntori Publishing House in and Naim Frashëri Publishing House. She primarily translated classic works from Spanish and French.

For her translation work, Bukinist called Meski "one of the most important, powerful and representative voices of Albanian letters of the period after the fall of the totalitarian regime in Albania." She has translated many of the works of Alexandre Dumas and Gabriel García Márquez.

Meski edited the Albanian edition of Autostrada e jugut by Julio Cortázar in 1988 and Johani që ska frikë është gënjeshtër me brirë: tregim i ilustruar by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert in 1991.

Meski began writing books in 1994 with Mali i shpirtrave: tregime and Fantazma me sy njeriu. The former was a collection of short stories and the latter a young adult novel.

Meski and Vebi Velija founded Mehr Licht in 1996. Mehr Licht is a popular Albanian literary and cultural magazine that "publishes both new and old writers, both Albanian and foreign ones." It is also a member of the Eurozine network. Meski served as the Editor-in-chief of the magazine from its inception.

In 2010, Meski and Mehr Licht began awarding prizes for the "Best Albanian Cultural Essay."

In 2011, Meski's book E kuqja e demave represented Albania in the Balkanika Literary Awards. That awarding year, Nedim Gürsel from Turkey won for his book Şeytan, Melek ve Komünist.

In 2013, Meski translated her own book E kuqja e demave into French with Persée publishing house (under the title Le rouge des toros: roman).

In 2014, Meski once again represented Albania in the Balkanika Literary Awards – this time with Mallkimi i priftëreshave të Ilirisë. That year, Christos Chrysopoulos of Greece won for his book Lamp between teeth.

2023's Paris vret is a historical murder mystery about poet Martin Gjergji and the Sigurimi. In an interview with ExLibris, Meski describes the book as "a literary portrait of an internationally known Albanian writer precisely at this turning point in Albanian history. It is the writer who flirts with the dictatorship to protect his work, a work that is appreciated not only in his own country, but also much beyond... It is the writer who can never be seen in a two-color, but colorful lens."

In 2025, Meski wrote Ikona e Plagosur. The novel is a mystery around Saint Mary of the Shelter of Sinners and Donika Kastrioti. Telegrafi reviewed the book by writing that "Mira Meksi stands out for the values she knows how to see in our history, centuries-old and close, in the approach as real as it is fine to each period, in the continuity it aims to build between them, in the values and weight it knows for the Albanian language since ancient times."

Meski also served on the Governing Council of the Albanian Public Radio-Television.

Personal Life

Meski is married to Illir Meski. They have one son together.

Meski got sick in early 2021 and was forced to travel outside of Albania for specialized treatment.

Bibliography

Fiction

• Mali i shpirtrave: tregime. 1994. ASIN B0DM2CBDCX.
• Fantazma me sy njeriu. Illustrated by Lindita Daja. 1994. ISBN 978-9-9943-6379-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Planetthi i ngrirë. 1996. ASIN B0DM2FGDYZ.
• Buzë të panjohura gruaje. 1997. ISBN 978-9-9927-3001-0.
• Frosina e Janinës: roman. 2001. ISBN 978-9-9927-4501-4.
• "The dancer in the window". The third shore: women's fiction from East Central Europe. Writings from an unbound Europe. Schwartz, Agata and von Flotow, Luise (ed.). 2006. ISBN 978-0-8101-2311-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• E kuqja e demave: roman. 2009. ISBN 978-9-9956-8788-5.
• Porfida - ballo në Versailles. 2012. ISBN 978-99956-87-90-8.
• Porfida: bal à Versailles: roman (in French). Translated by Alketa Spahiu. 2012. ISBN 978-2-3550-8196-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Le rouge des toros: roman (in French). 2013. ISBN 978-2-8231-0553-7.
• Mallkimi i priftëreshave të Ilirisë: roman. 2014. ISBN 978-9-9943-1996-1.
• Vrasje në Venecia: me emrin e koduar "Koka e Meduzës" : novelë. 2016. ISBN 978-9-9282-2607-5.
• Pa zemër në kraharor: novelë: nga cikli i "Kujtimet e Meksikës". 2016. ISBN 978-9-9282-2602-0.
• Flutura mes gjinjve: tregime & novela. 2017. ISBN 978-9-9282-2672-3.
• Hakmarrja e Kazanovës: novelë & tregime. 2018. ISBN 978-9-9282-6132-8.
• Teuta d'Illyrie: reine et pirate, prêtresse et amante: roman historique. 2018. ISBN 978-2-8231-2427-9.
• Diktatori në kryq: roman. 2019. ISBN 978-9-9282-6196-0.
• Kutia e Agatha Christie-t: (për dashurinë e Mid'hat bej Frashërit). 2021.
• Puthja e Amazonës: kur dashuria nuk vdes, vret : roman. 2022. ISBN 978-9-9283-5482-2.
• Parisi vret: roman. 2023. ISBN 978-9-9283-9166-7.
• Ikona e Plagosur. 2025.

Non-Fiction

• Buzë të panjohura gruaje. 1997.
• Leximi i ndaluar dhe shkrimet e fshehura. 2011. ISBN 978-9-9956-8755-7.

Picture Book

• Magjistrica e dymbëdhjetë pasqyrave [The White Witch and the Twelve Mirrors]. Llampa magjike 6. Illustrated by Alma Xhafa. 1996.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

Translations

Book	Translated Title	Original Author	Original Language	Year
El Aquelarrito	Mposhtja e shtrigave	Miguel Buñuel	Spanish	1987
Urmel aus dem Eis	Urmeli që mbiu nga akujt	Max Kruse	German	1989
Peter Pan and Wendy	Pitër Pan #2	J. M. Barrie	English	1991
Les Trois Mousquetaires #1	Tre muskëterët #1	Alexandre Dumas	French	1992
Les Trois Mousquetaires #2	Tre muskëterët #2	Alexandre Dumas	French	1992
Nouvelles orientales	Novela orientale	Marguerite Yourcenar	French	1993
Doce cuentos peregrinos	Dymbëdhjetë tregime pelegrine	Gabriel García Márquez	Spanish	1994
Les Trois Mousquetaires #3	Tre muskëterët #3	Alexandre Dumas	French	1995
La cosas del abuelo	Marifetet e gjyshit	José Antonio del Cañizo	Spanish	1998
El túnel	Tuneli	Ernesto Sabato	Spanish	2000
Memoria de mis putas tristes	Kujtim kurvash të trishta	Gabriel García Márquez	Spanish	2005
L'identité	Identiteti	Milan Kundera	French	2014
El amor en los tiempos del colera	Dashuria në kohën e kolerës	Gabriel García Márquez	Spanish	2016
Cien años de soledad	Njëqind vjet vetmi	Gabriel García Márquez	Spanish	2019
El Otoño del Patriarca	Vjeshta e patriarkut: roman	Gabriel García Márquez	Spanish	2022

Awards

Year	Work	Award	Awarding Body	Reference
1995		Unpublished Story Award	RFI
2008	Kujtim kurvash të trishta	Silver Pen Prize for Literary Translation	Ministry of Culture of Albania
2009		Francophone Personality of Multilingualism 2009	International Organization of Francophonie
2011		Order Comendadora of Civil Merit	King Juan Carlos I of Spain
2011	Leximet e ndaluara dhe shkrimet e fshehura	Essay Award "Gjergj Fishta 2011"	Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports
2015	Identiteti	Translation Award	2015 Book Fair
2015	Mallkimi i priftëreshave të Ilirisë	Novel Award "Rexhai Surroi"
2019	Diktatori në kryq	Best Novel of the Year Award	Bukinist
2020	Diktatori në kryq	Best Novel Award	Fier National Book Fair
2020	Diktatori në kryq	National Prize for Literature Best Novel
2021	Njëqind vjet vetmi	Best Translation of the Year	Cult Awards