DHURATA HOTI, 143RD KROKODIL’S WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

12 May DHURATA HOTI, 143RD KROKODIL’S WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

Dhurata Hoti, writer and artist from Kosovo*, is spending the month of May in Belgrade as 143rd KROKODIL’s writer-in-residence. Her residential stay is realized within the Literature Actually project supported by the British Council.

Literature Actually makes part of the Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans (CC4WBs) project, funded by the European Union, and focused on fostering dialogue in the Western Balkans by enhancing the cultural and creative sectors for increased socio-economic impact. Over the 48-month period, the CC4WBs project aims to improve the performance of the cultural and creative sectors to enhance skills, knowledge, and access to financial aid, ultimately increasing competitiveness and sustaining the co-production and circulation of goods and services in the Western Balkans.

On May 20th, at 5 p.m. a networking event will be organized at KROKODIL Center (Male stepenice 1a) where local young authors will have a chance to meet with Dhurata, exchange experiences, discuss potential future collaborations etc. Afterwards, at 6 p.m. a public event will be held during which Dhurata will present herself and her work to the general audience. 

We invite you to join us at KROKODIL Center on May 20th  and take the opportunity to meet this author and learn about her work! If you wish to attend please register via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTC3D1llxkwqYSpMmmaXXOjaHv6Q2_RpgrMApwyuCLG2PYCQ/viewform?usp=header

Dhurata Hoti is a writer and artist from Kosovo, based in Prishtina. She studied dramaturgy at the Faculty of Arts in Prishtina and has written theatre plays, film scripts, short stories, and cultural journalism. Her work often draws from the psychological, the social, and the symbolic; exploring identity, sexuality, collective trauma, emotional disorder, and the blurred line between reality and delusion. Her artistic language shifts between magical realism, surrealism, and psychological drama, with recurring themes such as desire, memory, addiction and the post-war experience in an isolated society. Influenced by psychoanalysis and literature, her narratives often center around women navigating internal and external upheavals, grappling with transformation, the residue of the past, and the violence of intimacy. Her play Sodom Sadomazo was awarded Best Play at the national Katarina Josipi competition and was staged at the National Theatre of Kosovo. Her feature film script War, Games, and Videotapes was selected for production by the Kosovo Cinematography Center. In addition to her dramatic works, she is also the author of two short story collections: Mjegulla (2021) and Eliza dhe tregime të tjera (2023), which continue her exploration of myth, the unconscious, and the surreal everyday. Her stories often transform inner chaos into dreamlike, fragmented realities where trauma takes on mythic, creature-like forms. She has also collaborated with theatres, NGOs, and collectives across the region on projects dealing with gender, memory, and social justice. She has participated in several international residency programs, including the Styria Artist in Residency in Graz and the Heartefact Residency in Belgrade, where she developed new literary work and creative research exploring themes of identity, trauma, and personal transformation. Dhurata is currently working on her third book of short stories.

Association KROKODIL and Instituti i Librit dhe i Promocionit (ILP) designed the project LITERATURE ACTUALLY: Elevating Festivals through Professional Exchange to foster collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange among cultural professionals and organizations in the region. Over the period of 12 months, the project will feature a range of activities, including emerging literary creators from the Western Balkans region in residency programs in Belgrade and Tirana, networking events, knowledge exchange, and mutual festival programs. These activities will support civil society organizations and CCI entities engaged in contemporary literature festivals, emphasizing the importance of connecting, entrepreneurship, skills development, and creative cooperation.

The project LITERATURE ACTUALLY: Elevating Festivals through Professional Exchange is supported by the British Council.

*as per UNSCR 1244/99