Fatos Kangoli's first major novel,
The Loser (
I humburi, Tirana 1992; English edition, 2007), is set in March 1991, featuring a former university student, Thesar Lumi, who reflects on his life in
Hoxhaist Albania and contemplates the futility of struggle and ambition under totalitarian communism. It was first published in 1992, in 10,000 copies, a relatively high number, and found success among the Albanian reading public. Among Kongoli's subsequent novels are:
Kufoma, 1994 (The Corpse), which elaborated on his first novel's themes;
Dragoi i fildishtë, 1999 (The Ivory Dragon), which focuses primarily on the life of an Albanian student in China in the 1960s; and
Lëkura e qenit, 2003, a love story highlighting forgotten affection. Kongoli's novels have been translated into
French,
German,
Italian,
Greek,
Esperanto,
Spanish and
Slovak. == Sources ==