AN ALBANIAN ROMAN-À-CLEF
AN ALBANIAN ROMAN-À-CLEF

Summary/Abstract: This article analyses Ag Apolloni’s My Middle Ages (org. Mesjeta ime), a work that resists easy categorization by blurring the boundaries between the essay collection and the novel. The study argues that the work functions as a roman-à-clef, where autobiographical narration acts as a façade covering a fictional core. Through an examination of Apolloni's double-coding strategy, which intertwines high culture with popular elements, and his strategic use of erudition, the article demonstrates how the text invites the reader into a game of hide-and-seek. Ultimately, the author identifies the structural triad of Ulalume, Allegoria, and Via as the specific key that unlocks the work, positing that it is fundamentally a book devoted to the mystery of literary creation and inspiration.

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