Last night, on September 23, 2025, those present in Traiskirchen – among them Vice Chancellor and Minister of Culture Andreas Babler, many ambassadors and many lovers of literature – experienced something very special: the presentation of my autobiographical novel KREUZTANNE by Fate Velaj accompanied by the paintings and photographs taken by him.
It was a deeply human encounter – far from the repeated applause for Mozart and Beethoven.
The audience heard the touching story of a young boy from Vlora, from an Albania that was then isolated from the world. A young man who dreamed of living in a metropolis, but whose fate, after the fall of communism in 1991, led him to a small guesthouse in the Austrian mountains.
From there, a new life began: as a dishwasher, as a factory worker in three shifts – and after work, he would "dip his hands in paint", to one day become a famous artist.
A story of sweat and tears. Between life and death to come back to life, stronger than ever before.
Excerpt from the speech of Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler:
Traiskirchen, September 23, 2025
…this book is not only a literary work, but also a deeply personal and political story.
Fate Velaj's story is an Austrian story, an Albanian story – but above all a European story.
What is Europe if it is not a point of meeting and integration?
And what would Europe be without bridge builders like Fate Velaj?
Fate Velaj, in his creativity, unites art, culture and politics – and in doing so has contributed decisively to mutual understanding between Austria and Albania, between Southeast Europe and the European Union…
Dear Fate, your story shows: Europe does not grow only through treaties, but above all through people who build bridges. For this I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.