Ben Blushi
Leader of LIBRA
In office
1 November 2016 – 20 January 2018
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byEndri Tafani
Minister of Local Government and Decentralization
In office
29 December 2003 – 1 September 2005
Preceded byEt’hem Ruka
Succeeded bypost abolished
Member of the Albanian Parliament
In office
6 September 2001 – 13 September 2017
PresidentBamir Topi
Bujar Nishani
Ilir Meta
Prime MinisterIlir Meta
Pandeli Majko
Fatos Nano
Sali Berisha
Edi Rama
Parliamentary groupSocialist Party (until 2016)
LIBRA (2016–2017)
Minister of Education and Science
In office
6 September 2001 – 29 January 2002
Preceded byEt’hem Ruka
Succeeded byLuan Memushi
Personal details
Born (1969-01-01) 1 January 1969 (age 55)
Tirana, Albania
Political partySocialist Party (1998–2016)
LIBRA (2016–2018)
Alma materUniversity of Tirana
Signature

Ben Blushi (born 1 January 1969) is an Albanian politician, writer and journalist.

Biography

Ben Blushi, born in Tirana, studied at the University of Tirana, graduating in Albanian language and literature. He was editor-in-chief of the newspaper Koha Jonë. His works deal with Albanian history and contemporary Albania. In April 2008, Ben Blushi published his first novel Të jetosh në ishull (Living on an Island). Within a couple of months, the book had sold over 30,000 copies, a record for the Albanian market. The novel covers Albanian history under the Ottoman Empire (15th–18th centuries), with a broad and not uncontroversial treatment of the country's Islamization.[1] His second novel, Othello, The Moor of Vlora won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2014. His following novels The Candidate and The Prime Minister were the best selling books at the Tirana Book Fair in 2015 and 2016 respectively.[2][3] Blushi is an atheist.[4]

Political career

In 1999 Blushi embarked upon a political career in the cabinet of Prime Minister Fatos Nano. For several months he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in late 2000 he became Prefect of Korça. He served as Minister of Education and Minister of Local Governance and Decentralization.[5][6]

Blushi was a Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party before creating a new party, LIBRA, in October 2016.[7] Subsequently, he was an MP for LIBRA but he failed to win his seat in the 2017 election. [8] In January 2018 he quit the party and politics and became the general director of the Top Channel with a wage that surpasses many of his European colleagues.[9]

Novels

Essays

Awards and honours

References

  1. ^ "Ben BLUSHI". Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  2. ^ Opinion.al. "Kandidati i Blushit, libri më shitur i Panairit Tirana 2015". Opinion - Faqja Zyrtare (in Albanian). Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  3. ^ Shqip, Gazeta (2016-11-15). "Ben Blushi, autori më i shitur në Panairin e Librit | Gazeta SHQIP Online" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  4. ^ "OPINION – A NA KERCENON TERRORIZMI ISLAMIK ? – TV KLAN". Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Qeveria e dytë e Ilir Metës". shtetiweb.org (in Albanian).
  6. ^ "Qeveria e peste e Fatos Nanos". shtetiweb.org (in Albanian).
  7. ^ "Ben Blushi presents his new party, LIBRA" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  8. ^ "Nuk fitoi asnjë mandat, reagon Ben Blushi: Përgjegjësia është e imja - Tirana Post". Tirana Post (in Albanian). 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  9. ^ "Pas largimit të Ben Blushit, ja kush do të drejtojë partinë LIBRA". Panorama online. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Ben Blushi - Libraria ShtepiaeLibrit.com". www.shtepiaelibrit.com. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  11. ^ "Ben Blushi - Bukinist". bukinist.al. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  12. ^ European Commission. "Winners of 2014 European Union Prize for Literature announced at Frankfurt Book Fair - Press Release". Retrieved 11 October 2014.


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