Biography and poems of Jeton Kelmendi

 Biography:

The poet Jeton KELMENDI was born in Pejë (Kosovo) in 1978.

 He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown. He obtained a degree in journalism from the University of Pristina and is presently completing post-graduate studies in international politics and security issues at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. In parallel with his studies Jeton Kelmendi continues to write and publish numerous poetry compilations. He also collaborates in several media, both foreign and Albanian, dealing mainly with cultural and political topics.

Kelmendi has acquired a large public following, due to his first poetical work "Century of promises", which was published in 1999 and became a great success. His poetry is translated into 22 languages and is published in many anthologies.

He is a member of numerous international poetry clubs.

He is a UCK war veteran who fought for the independence of Kosovo (1998-1999)

Presently Kelmendi lives and works in Brussels.

Works of the author :

Poetry :

Century of promises, Rilidja, Prisjhtinë,1999
Beyond the silence, Faik Konica, Prishtinë, 2002
Perhaps halfway through the day, Faik Konica, Prishtinë, 2004
Give me a small piece of the country, Faik Konica, Prishtinë, 2005
Where do the events lead us to, Ombra GVG,Tiranë, 2007
You come for the sound of thewind, Globus R., Tiranë 2008
Time when it will have time, Ideart, Tiranë, 2009

Drame :

Miss Word, 2007

Books published in foreign languages :

Ce mult s-au rãrit scrisorile / The letters have become so rare (choice of poems translated & published in Rumanian)

A Breath / (choice of poems translated and published in India)

International recognition :

Member of the Association of professional journalists of Europe, Brussels.

Member of the European Academy of Sciences, Art and Litterature, Paris.

Grand Prix International Solenzara for Poetry, France.

SOME HISTORY

There came a time
As bewildered as cheerful
No one could tell its white from its black

We couldn’t find ourselves
We could neither see nor meet it

Or did we miss it

We were rationed to everything
Little fear
A bit of boldness
Some sorrow, and joy and so forth
Just a little of everything

It tried to convince us of what freedom means
And so on and so forth
And it devised a devil

Optimism

To keep the things suspended
And store up the time
It dyed us in red and off it went

Alas, whatever did never arrive
That’s what it owes us

June 2000, Peje Kosovo

PLAY

If we can’t sleep together tonight
How am I to refresh myself under your shadow

The times are making haste lately
To either overtake me
Or catch up with you

The sky can’t be reached
The perigee is meaningless without your name on it

Run as much as you want
You can’t play
This game with yellow effects

BREATH

Yesterday, I indulged in
Dreaming about you
The most beautiful of all nights
Of the nights of the known worlds

Whenever the dark set off to dream
I wanted to be
Your white clothes
You make the autumn swoon
O, pretty, the fairest of all

The most wordy of words
Are not worth a penny
O, playful
Why don’t you become a breeze
And blow
Towards my sky

Copyright © Jeton Kelmendi