Angela Kosta, now well-known by many people in her country and in other country around the world for her work as a journalist, writer, poet, promoter, and translator, stands out with her talent and the art of writing since in her early works, such is the novel “Imprisoned Soul” that leave impressions and bring to its pages, while simultaneously presenting to the reader events, descriptions, and dialogues that resonate fully with the reality of the time it describes. This makes the reader interact with this reality, and the characters she brings to life are as real as they are believable, so that at times the reader feels like one of them, going through experiences that not only become captivating and expressive but also leave a mark in their memory, falling in love with the characters and seeking to resemble them.
With this, the novelist achieves the high obligation that every artist and writer has, which is to reflect reality in a natural, credible, and artistically beautiful way, meaning creatively, expressing it with the ability and strength of her imagination, thus fulfilling the most important task of making her work an educational standard for the reader. In the novel, one finds not only a beautiful and accomplished description of this reality but also an analytical and psychologically convincing stance of the writer that not only stimulates the reader, in the good sense of the word, but also instills a moral obligation and pleasure to learn from the characters.
I would say that this characteristic is evident throughout the entire novel; the writer, like a good sculptor who carves his work with art and care, will observe with attention and the eye of an artist every scene, every event, every dialogue, and I would add every word in her work. It is difficult to find excessive elements in the novel or what we often call “filler.”
Following the events with such care, both in the temporal and spatial dimensions, she often intervenes with her thoughts and analyses, revealing and better unraveling the world of the characters, reflecting the events and the theater of occurrences with more beauty and strength. What is quite positive is that she never burdens the narrative with her interventions; as an author, she acts as a companion, illuminating the paths and alleys where she wishes to traverse the characters of novel.
We see this as she carefully follows and guides the main character of the novel, Vilma, into the future. After losing her entire family in the tragedy of the Otranto Channel, along with her hope and desire to live, the author brings her into contact with good people and environment not only for herself but also for those who are no longer here, who would surely feel very proud and happy to see her like this.
Before her passes the entirety of her past life in Albania, the tragedy of Otranto, the days in the hospital, the help of nurse Sabrina and her sister Barbara, the closeness and spiritual support above all from her friends Sara, Cinzia, etc. The refugee camp, with the responsible Loredana, is portrayed as both welcoming and concerned about helping her. The scene of indescribable pain in identifying the corpses makes her reflect, ringing the bells of her conscience that she must justify the sacrifices of everyone with her studies and work in her future.
All of this opens the doors of hope, rekindles her desire and will, and she makes a vow not to disappoint anyone, first and foremost her family members who sacrificed their lives, then herself, and all the society that did so much for her.
And she, with “Imprisoned Soul,” liberates herself from the pain (from which the title of the novel is derived) to take her life into her own hands. I won’t dwell on the details of the scenes so as not to take away the curiosity and pleasure of reading, but I wanted to clarify that by following the main character step by step and on the path she lights up, she simultaneously realizes two important and current ideas: that there are good people everywhere in the world who are predisposed to help others in times of misfortune, and indirectly, the call for everyone to view society through this lens to help and do what they can to assist others.
These ideas are realized through the secondary lines of the novel, such as that of Sabrina, the nurse, and her sister Barbara, who works in the refugee camp, as well as Loredana, the camp manager, and the state authorities who help her get her documents in order.
In the novel, you will find scenes of events written with finesse that touch you with their culture and behavior, with the closeness and help they offer Vilma, alongside their own family problems that are present in every part of the world.
The author skillfully presents these secondary lines, such as those of the sisters Sabrina and Barbara with their loves and misfortunes, as well as that of Sara with Antonio, which occupies a significant place in the novel and realizes important ideas of a modern society: that for the sake of vital family interests, some mistakes in relationships can and should be forgiven, especially when love is strong on both sides. With this line, the author reminds us that family should be seen as sacred, just as it should be as a cell of society.
Similarly, the problems in the relationship of the other couple, Cinzia and Alexander, highlight that love must be nurtured and kept alive, alongside work and other family obligations; otherwise, it cools, fades, and ultimately ends.
In conclusion, I would like to add something about the language of the novel and its syntax. In this work, you will not encounter random phrases, unnecessary repetitions, banalities, or barbarisms. Even though the author has lived abroad for decades, she maintains the purity of the Albanian language, carefully choosing her words from a lexical standpoint. You will not find heavy regionalisms that are difficult to understand or challenging dialectal words; she uses the pure official language, which she combines with the syntax of sentences and periods, making it as expressive as possible.
From a syntactical perspective, it is also noteworthy that the sentences and periods do not tire the reader and are always placed in the service of the scenes and the amphitheater where the events unfold.
Looking at the novel as a whole, it is a very accomplished work, interesting for anyone due to the messages it conveys and the importance of the values it holds, both social and literary-artistic.
I wish the author success and hope for even more beautiful works in the future.
- KUJTIM HAJDARI
