In her award-winning memoir Free, Lea Ypi reflects on the paradoxes of freedom through her recollections of coming of age at the collapse of communist Albania in December 1990 and its transition from Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship to a presumably freer, capitalist and more democratic nation. This stylistically elegant and thought-provoking book is a significant contribution to understanding a period of Albania’s transition still left underexplored and will be read for many years to come, writes Andi Haxhiu

Haxhiu, Andi

English

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	Free:	Coming	of	Age	at	the	End	ofHistory	by	Lea	YpiIn	her	award-winning	memoir	Free,	Lea	Ypi	reflects	on	the	paradoxes	of	freedom	through	her	recollections	ofcoming	of	age	at	the	collapse	of	communist	Albania	in	December	1990	and	its	transition	from	Enver	Hoxha’sdictatorship	to	a	presumably	freer,	capitalist	and	more	democratic	nation.	This	stylistically	elegant	and	thought-provoking	book	is	a	significant	contribution	to	understanding	a	period	of	Albania’s	transition	still	left	underexploredand	will	be	read	for	many	years	to	come,	writes	Andi	Haxhiu.	If	you	are	interested	in	this	book	review,	you	can	watch	a	video	and	listen	to	a	podcast	of	Lea	Ypidiscussing	Free	at	LSE,	recorded	on	1	November	2021.	Professor	Lea	Ypi	will	also	be	reflecting	on	‘The	Futureof	Democracy’	with	Dr	Mukulika	Banerjee	and	Dr	Yascha	Mounk	as	part	of	the	upcoming	LSE	Festival	2022,running	from	Monday	13	June	to	Saturday	18	June	2022.	Free:	Coming	of	Age	at	the	End	of	History.	Lea	Ypi.	Penguin.	2021Lea	Ypi’s	book,	Free:	Coming	of	Age	at	the	End	of	History,	arrived	in	Prishtina,Kosova’s	capital	city,	on	5	January	2022.	Free	has	been	translated	into	nineteenlanguages	and	has	received	immense	international	support,	having	won	the	RSLOndaatje	Prize	and	been	shortlisted	for	the	Baillie	Gifford	Prize,	the	Costa	BiographyAward	and	the	Slightly	Foxed	Best	First	Biography	Prize.	Considering	the	author’ssuccess	with	the	book	and	the	outstanding	reviews	following	its	publication,	Prishtinamight	have	been	just	another	routine	destination	in	the	book’s	promotion	schedule.However,	despite	my	initial	hesitancy,	I	travelled	from	Edinburgh	to	my	hometown	tomeet	Ypi,	a	Professor	of	Political	Theory	in	LSE	Department	of	Government,	whom	Ihave	long	admired	for	her	scholarly	contributions	through	The	Meaning	ofPartisanship	(co-authored	with	Jonathan	White),	Global	Justice	and	Avant-GardePolitical	Agency	and	The	Architectonic	of	Reason.	The	theoretical	complexity	of	Ypi’swork	has	always	been	riveting	and	enticing	in	academic	circles.	Nevertheless,	it	wasthrough	Free	that	Ypi	received	extensive	commercial	coverage	and	recognition	for	themasterful	crafting	of	a	book	that	exposes	the	paradoxes	of	freedom	through	the	blissfulignorance	of	a	child	coming	of	age	at	the	end	of	history.Ypi’s	story	starts	at	the	dawn	of	the	collapse	of	Europe’s	last	Stalinist	state,	Albania,	in	December	1990.	Throughan	exquisite	literary	writing	gift,	she	illustrates	Albania’s	transition	from	leader	Enver	Hoxha’s	violent	and	murderousdictatorship	to	a	presumably	freer,	capitalist,	liberal	and	more	democratic	country.	This	rupture	posed	anopportunity	for	Ypi	to	retroactively	theorise	and	reflect	on	the	meaning	of	freedom.	Yet,	the	author’s	longstandingphilosophical	and	scholarly	preoccupations	with	migration,	justice	and	freedom	are	often	intrinsically	related	to	thisepisode	in	her	life.Trapped	between	two	conflicting	narratives	following	the	collapse	of	communist	Albania,	Ypi’s	experience	offreedom	inexplicably	transformed	when	she	understood	that	her	parents	clearly	did	not	care	about	‘visiting	UncleEnver’s	grave	nor	about	keeping	his	photo	in	[their]	living	room’	anymore	(47).	As	she	adroitly	puts	it	in	the	latterstages	of	the	book:	‘Things	were	one	way,	and	then	they	were	the	other.	I	was	someone,	then	I	became	someoneelse’	(117).	This	profound	assertion	that	illustrates	unexpected	change	is	what	simultaneously	encapsulates	theuncertainties	of	coming	of	age	at	a	cleavage	in	history.	To	rephrase	Rosa	Luxemburg	in	this	context:	‘Ypi	has	notmade	history	out	of	her	free	will.	But	she	has	made	history,	nevertheless.’	Free	is	a	significant	literary	contribution	toa	period	of	Albania’s	transition	still	left	underexplored	due	to	an	unwritten	pact	of	silence.Free	is	definitely	an	easy	read,	but	it	is	also	throughout	a	thought-provoking	nonfiction	book	that	explores	therelationship	between	freedom	and	hope	through	figurative,	poetic	language.	It	is	also	an	elaboration	of	how	Ypi’sexperience	of	liberalism	can	be	equated	with	‘broken	promises,	the	destruction	of	solidarity,	the	right	to	inheritprivilege,	and	turning	a	blind	eye	to	injustices’	(253).	A	stylistically	elegant	and	often	emotionally	overwhelmingnarrative	unfolds	multifaceted	dilemmas	and	questions	on	freedom	through	exploring	family	dynamics,	dialoguesand	tensions.LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Book Review: Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2022-06-05Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2022/06/05/book-review-free-coming-of-age-at-the-end-of-history-by-lea-ypi/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/The	book’s	dialogical	nature	is	evident	in	the	first	chapter,	‘Stalin’,	where	teacher	Nora’s	lectures	and	the	youngYpi’s	curious	character	set	the	tone	for	the	rest	of	the	book.	It	is	precisely	the	uncontestedness	of	Hoxha’s	regimethat	makes	Ypi’s	innocent	questions	the	epitome	of	doubt.	Thus,	the	book’s	first	sentence	–	‘I	never	asked	aboutthe	meaning	of	freedom	until	the	day	I	hugged	Stalin’	–	introduces	the	first	overlap	between	state-sponsoreddogmatism	and	individual	scepticism.	As	she	vividly	narrates	the	events	of	that	day,	eleven-year-old	Ypi	findsherself	metres	away	from	some	protesters	of	the	regime	chanting	‘Freedom,	Democracy’.	Despite	her	initial	denial,the	existing	system	was	shifting	while	Ypi	was	clinging	to	the	legs	of	Stalin’s	decapitated	gigantic	bronze	statue.This	is	the	moment	when	young	Ypi	starts	questioning	and,	simultaneously,	understanding	the	plural	nature	ofhistories.Despite	its	powerful	tone	and	fascinating	explanations	of	complex	historical	episodes,	the	reconstruction	of	the1990s	December	protests	appears	slightly	contrived.	To	exemplify,	it	has	been	claimed	that	Durrës,	Ypi’shometown,	never	had	a	Stalin	statue;	rather,	Stalin	was	commemorated	through	a	bust	–	which	technically	meansthat	Stalin	never	had	legs	to	cling	on.	Ypi’s	opening	to	the	book	thus	appears	to	rather	work	as	a	metaphoricaldepiction	of	one’s	inability	to	let	go	of	a	reality	that	is	unexpectedly	changing.Although	perhaps	overlooked	by	the	international	reader,	these	minor	inaccurate	depictions	of	Albania’s	collectivememory	have	triggered	‘vicious’	domestic	reactions	that	criticised	the	book	for	intentional	manipulation.	Ypi’ssubjective	literary	recollection	of	Albania’s	prolonged	unaddressed	collective	trauma	with	its	Stalinist	dictator,Hoxha,	enraged	numerous	reactionary	voices	in	Ypi’s	hometown	who	perceived	Free	as	an	apology	forcommunism	and	criticised	it	for	factual	inconsistencies.	What	some	readers	have	failed	to	fathom	is	that	the	book	isnot	a	historiographical	account	of	communist	and	post-communist	Albania.	It	is	exactly	here	where	Ypi’s	reputationas	a	respected	scholar	was	(mis)used	by	certain	circles	to	frame	the	book	within	the	boundaries	of	academic	rigour.However,	Free	is	neither	academic	nor	historiographical;	it	is	a	personal	history	that	explains	the	continuous	questfor	freedom	through	witty	humour,	accessible	language	and	metaphorical	twists.Some	of	the	book’s	reviews	nonetheless	missed	facts	that	were	repeatedly	mentioned.	For	example,	StuartJeffries’s	otherwise	informative	Guardian	review	shifts	Ypi’s	Stalin	story	from	the	author’s	hometown,	Durrës,	toAlbania’s	capital	city,	Tirana.	Such	readings	of	the	book	often	unintentionally	exoticise	both	the	author’s	experienceand	the	location	where	the	story	takes	place.	This	unrelatability	stands	in	contrast	with	the	reading	experiences	ofthose	who	directly	lived	through	Hoxha’s	traumatic	dictatorship.In	my	short	interaction	with	Ypi	in	Prishtina,	she	fascinatingly	pointed	out	the	disparities	between	the	recollection	ofher	memories	in	English	and	Albanian.	The	first,	Ypi	argued,	was	much	more	emotionally	distant.	On	the	otherhand,	the	Albanian	version,	Të	Lirë	 ​​–	which	is	a	rewritten	version	rather	than	a	conventional	translation	of	theEnglish-language	book	–	enabled	the	author	to	emotionally	relive	some	of	the	dialogues	that	had	taken	place	morethan	three	decades	ago.	The	recollection	and	reconstruction	of	these	conversations,	Ypi	told	me,	were	significantlymore	traumatic	as	the	reminiscing	took	place	in	the	authentic	form	of	her	mother	tongue.	Here,	I	understood	whyinternational	and	Albanian	audiences	had	experienced	Ypi’s	masterful	text	so	distinctively.Despite	the	gulf	between	overidentifying	with	and	denying	Ypi’s	narrative,	it	is	safe	to	say	that	Free	is	not	anattempt	to	manipulate	the	past	because	it	does	not	aspire	to	monopolise	the	truth.	Instead,	it	reconstructs	Ypi’smemories	by	converging	her	own	subjective	experiences,	diaries	and	dialogues.	Her	philosophical	preoccupationswith	freedom	continuously	traverse	the	lines	between	memory	and	imagination	throughout	the	book.	Aspsychologist	Frederic	Bartlett	would	argue,	Ypi’s	remembering	of	the	events	portrayed	so	vividly	are	a	product	ofthe	constructive	process	of	integrating	bits	and	pieces	of	information,	rather	than	a	literal	replaying	of	the	past.Therefore,	the	emphasis	on	minor	historiographical	inaccuracies	in	some	of	the	responses	to	the	book	seems	to	bemissing	one	crucial	point:	Free	is	based	on	a	true	story,	but	it	is	not	the	true	story.	It	narrates	the	thin	line	betweenfacts	and	literary	imagination.	It	is	a	book	written	about	the	end	of	history	that	did	not	happen.	A	book	that	will	standthe	test	of	time	and	be	read	for	many	years	to	come.Note:	This	article	originally	appeared	at	our	sister	site,	LSE	Review	of	Books.	It	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	notthe	position	of	EUROPP	–	European	Politics	and	Policy	or	the	London	School	of	Economics.	Featured	image	credit:‘Street	scene	in	Durrës	with	propaganda	posters’	by	Robert	Schediwy	licensed	under	CC	BY	SA	3.0LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Book Review: Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2022-06-05Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2022/06/05/book-review-free-coming-of-age-at-the-end-of-history-by-lea-ypi/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/

Book review: Free: coming of age at the end of history by Lea Ypi

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Book review: Free: coming of age at the end of history by Lea Ypi

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