Jeton Neziraj


Jeton Neziraj is a playwright from Kosovo. He was the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Kosovo and now he is the Director of Qendra Multimedia, a cultural production company based in Prishtina.

Background

Neziraj has written over 25 plays that have been staged and performed in Europe as well as in the USA. His plays and his writings have been translated and published in more than 15 languages, such as: German, English, French, Italian, Slovak, Macedonian, Slovenian, Croat, Romanian, Bosnian, Spanish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Greek etc.
As a playwright, he has worked and had his plays shown in various theatres, including La MaMa in New York, Volkstheater Vienna, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Vidy Theater in Lausanne, National Theater of Kosovo, City Garage Theater in Los Angeles, National Theater of Montenegro, Turkish National Theater, etc.
"The plays of Jeton Neziraj are raucous, irreverent and absurdist. They invoke Ibsen, Molière and Kafka…”, The Guardian wrote about his work. While the German theatre magazine Theater der Zeit and the German Radio Deutschlandfunk Kultur have described him as ‘Kafka of the Balkans’. Los Angeles Times called him “a world- class playwright who challenges our complacency at every twist and turn”.
Neziraj is the author of many articles on cultural and political issues, published in local and international magazines and journals. He is also the author of various books, including a book on the famous Kosovar actor Faruk Begolli. Neziraj is the founder and the director of Qendra Multimedia, a cultural production company based in Pristina. Neziraj was Professor of Dramaturgy at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Pristina during the year 2007–2008. He has given speeches and has run theater workshops at several festivals, conferences and universities throughout the world.
Neziraj's plays have been performed in many important theatre festivals in Europe, including: Festival Internazionale del Teatro, International Theater Festival "Protected territory" - Slovakia, International Theatre Festival MESS, Desire Festival, VIE FESTIVAL, euro-scene, Die Besten aus dem Osten, , Zoom Festival, and Experimental Theatre Festival Shanghai.
He is member of the European Cultural Parliament and Kosovo coordinator of the EURODRAM network. He was board member of Dokufest, and Kosovo patron for the New Plays from Europe Festival in Wiesbaden.

Awards

2019–2020