The road to nowhere: Loer Kume’s “Snowman"

Abstract

Background: Ambitious narratives are being produced in Albanian literature usually by young writers who are making a name for themselves and are being honoured for their works by juries and the media alike. However, their ambition, being the drive behind their thematic works, is equally a challenge to rise to. Purpose: This article aims at analysing the reasons for failing to fulfil the literary ambition, as well as to clearly delineate the contribution of such works in their mission as literary narratives. Method: I have chosen to apply rhetorical analysis as developed principally by James Phelan on a tale by the young Albanian writer Loer Kume, for which he was honoured with a prestigious prize in literature, the “Kadare Prize” in 2019. Conclusion: Foregrounding of thematic interest in literature, such as that relating to our attitude to morality, fails to convince the readers when offered with too much guidance and becomes an aesthetic liability.