Gezim Hajdari (b. 1957) was born in Lushnja, Albania, but has lived in Frosinone, Italy, since 1992, initially in the ruins of an abandoned building, but now in an apartment that he was awarded by the town council after he was awarded the prestigious Montale Prize. He writes in both Albanian and Italian, but is perhaps more recognised in his adopted country than in his native land. Stigmate / Vrage appeared in a bilingual edition in 2002 and here receives its first complete English translation. "My identity is Gezim, my body is my fatherland," says the author.

Translated by: Cristina Viti