Giovanna Nanci

Giovanna Nanci (Lamezia Terme, 1982) is a translator from Albanian into Italian and a teacher of Albanian and Italian as foreign languages. She lives in Prague, Czech Republic. She holds a PhD in Linguistic, Philological and Translation Studies from the University of Calabria, with a dissertation on the Italian translations of Kështjella by Ismail Kadare. She collaborates with the Chair of Albanology at the University of Calabria, led by Prof. Francesco Altimari, on research projects focused on the language of Italo-Albanian communities in Southern Italy.
In 2024, she won the FjalaFest Translation Prize.
She has translated works by Luan Starova, Ylljet Aliçka, Eqrem Çabej, Mira Meksi, Grigor Banushi, and Diana Çuli.

Valentina Notaro

Valentina Notaro is born in Galatina (LE) in 1986.
She holds a bachelor degree  in Lingue e Letterature Moderne Euroamericane from Salento University.
In 2014 she began the collaboration with the publishing house BESA (Nardò), translating novels, essays, children’s literature.
She has participated as an external expert in the PON “Discovering one’s own Arbëreshe culture” promoted by the Caraffa Primary School, in the province of Catanzaro.

She has translated works by Petro Marko, Jakov Xoxa, Loer Kume, Tom Kuka, Viktor Canosinaj, Ardian Vehbiu, Bedri Myftari, Saimir Muzhaka, Eni Vasili, Mira Meksi, Vera Bekteshi.

Zuzana Finger

Zuzana Finger is born in Sala, lives in North Sea in Germany. She holds a PhD in Slavistics and Hungarology from the Free University of Berlin. She translates poetry, prose and theater plays from Albanian into German.

Among the authors she has translated work of Tom Kuka, Arian Leka, Stefan Çapaliku, Ag Apolloni, Arben Idrizi, Shpëtim Selmani, Doruntina Basha, Jeton Neziraj, Blerina Rogova Gaxha, Xhevdet Bajraj, Ardiana Shala Prishtina, Parid Teferiçi etc.

Dorota Horodyska

Dorota Horodyska is a Polish translator, publicist, and cultural advocate specializing in contemporary Albanian literature. She is among the few translators in the country working directly from Albanian to Polish, playing a key role in introducing Albanian authors to Polish readers.

She holds a Ph.D. in Russian literature from the University of Warsaw, where she studied under Professor Florian Nieuważny. Since the 1990s, she has been active as a contributor to literary journals and as a translator. Her debut translations appeared in 1998, marking the beginning of a career dedicated to cross-cultural literary dialogue.

Dorota has translated works by acclaimed Albanian writers including Ismail Kadare, Ylljet Aliçka, Fatos Kongoli, Fatos Lubonja, and Luljeta Lleshanaku. Her translations have earned critical acclaim for their precision and sensitivity, and have helped expand the reach of Albanian literature within Central Europe.

She is the recipient of several major honors, including the Silver Pen Award from Albania’s Ministry of Culture (2002), the Literatura na Świecie Award for poetry translation (2012), and the European Poet of Freedom Award (2022).

In addition to her translation work, she writes essays and commentaries on Balkan literature, dissident movements, and cultural heritage. Dorota lives in Warsaw, where she serves as President of the Polish-Albanian Association.

Eleana Zhako
Translator from
Albanian to Greece

Eleana Zhako

Eleana Zhako was born in Gjirokastër and she is originated from the Greek minority of Albania. Since 2009, she is based in Brussels. She is partly working as a cultural journalist and as a bilingual literary translator from Greek to Albanian and the opposite. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from the University of Tirana, BA’s in European and International Studies from Panteion University of Athens, a Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Law from Catholic University of Leuven and a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies from the Open University of Cyprus.

Among the Albanian authors she has translated work of Ardian Vehbiu, Jeton Neziraj, Mitrush Kuteli, Dritëro Agolli, Ylli Demneri, Fatos Lubonja, Gëzim Qendro, Elona Gjergo, Mimoza Hysa, Maklena Nika etc, whereas among the Greek writers: Yannis Ritsos, Dimitris Dimitriadis, Nikos Kazantzakis, Christos Armando Gkezos, Christina Frangeskaki, Jazra Khaleed etc.

Merima Krijezi

Merima Krijezi was born in Belgrade in 1972. She graduated from the Department of Albanian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, where she currently works as an associate professor in that same department.

As a translator, Merima Krijezi has published a wide range of literary texts, mainly prose and poetry, from both Albanian and Serbian. She has also contributed to the translation of documentary texts, including short films and reports. Her translations have been published in well-known regional journals, including Sarajevske Sveske, Sveske, Mostovi, Treći trg, Beogradski književni časopis, Poeteka, Naše stvaranje, among others.

Among the Albanian authors she has translated work of Fatos Lubonja, Lindita Arapi, Arian Leka, Ismail Kadare, Fatos Kongoli, Ridvan Dibra, Luan Starova, Edmond Tupja, Kim Mehmeti, Sterjo Spasse, Elena Kadare, Ag Apolloni, Xhevdet Bajraj, Shpëtim Selmani, Blerina Rogova Gaxha, Adil Olluri, Arbër Selmani etc.