This profile is part of a series of interviews chronicling the experiences of researchers who use The New York Public Library's collections for the development of their work.

Genta Nishku is a writer and researcher pursuing a doctorate in Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Originally from Tirana, Albania, she has spent half of her life in New York, obtaining a BA in Classics from CUNY Hunter and working in NYC nonprofits, as well as the Brooklyn Public Library, before starting graduate school.

What research are you working on?

I am working on my dissertation, a comparative study of the politics of writing about trauma and pain in contemporary literature from the former Yugoslavia and Albania. The 1990s were a period of significant changes in the Balkans. Albania’s celebration of the end of five decades of totalitarianism was short-lived, as mass migration and corruption characterized the decade, while for Yugoslavia, this decade brought the federation's disintegration into independent states through a series of brutal wars. My research explores narratives created around these events.

While the question of how one can even write about torture, genocide or death is a compelling one, I'm more interested in how writers resist appropriation by state and institutional agendas that co-opt pain and trauma. This question is important for the Balkans— in addition to local historical revisionism and nationalism, the post-socialist landscape there is affected by the Europeanization of memory to fit EU standards, and Cold War dynamics that still influence the introduction of Balkan writers to the west. My research focuses on writers who, through silence and the negative space, subvert official narratives on the past, and dominant ideas about passive victimhood, which can be instrumentalized to justify new violence.

What resources are you using for your research?

While I have physical copies of many of the primary sources I need, I also consult e-books offered through NYPL. Recently, I have been reading novels by David Albahari, like Leeches and Globetrotter, both available digitally in the Library’s catalog. The Library’s e-books have also helped me when I’ve been conducting research abroad and needed to return to certain works, like Daša Drndić’s Belladonna and Trieste. At the beginning of this year, when I was back in New York between research trips abroad, I spent some time at the Rose Main Reading Room and the Dorot Division in the Schwarzman Building, reading and scanning literary magazines and newspapers published in Albania and Kosovo during the late '80s and early '90s. At the Library I was also able to find and read a 1971 edition of a poetry collection central to my research, Torzo by Ali Podrimja. I had previously only seen this book’s 1979 version, so I was excited for the chance to compare the two and think through what any changes in the new edition might indicate.  

In addition to academic research, I am also in the early stages of research for a creative writing project. I am using the Digital Collections to access photographs and ephemera related to ships operating out of the New York Harbor during the 1930s and '40s. For instance, I’ve been exploring the Buttolph Collection of Menus to see what was served on these ships and how it differed by ship, year and type of ticket. Italian lines like SS Conte di Savoia seem to often have had quite lavish meals, like this “farewell dinner” held January 21, 1936. The Digital Collections are also great for finding photographs of New York at that time and getting a feel for people’s daily lives. One collection I love for this purpose is the Photographs taken by inspectors of the New York City Tenement House Department.  

Have you discovered a great online resource you've never used before?

Yes! The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program has a very useful digital archive of writing, interviews and other materials from participants in their program. It can offer researchers a clearer sense of how foreign writers are framed and promoted to the US literary market. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum has a collection of the interviews Claude Lanzmann conducted for his film Shoah, some of which were later incorporated by Drndić in her novel Trieste. I’ve also found lots of fascinating videos on YouTube, like this of New York streets in the ‘30s. The Ellis Island Oral History Project is a resource I recently found and have enjoyed listening to some of the interviews. NYPL’s Doc Chats have been introducing me to a lot of exciting resources available online through the Library! 

What's your working from home setup?

I’ve recently moved back to the US after spending most of the year in Albania, so I am still figuring out a new home setup. For now, being able to work in front of a big window overlooking a tree-lined street more than suffices! 

What research tools could you not live without?

Google Drive is indispensable for backing up my work and accessing it from anywhere. A good pen and notebook have also proven necessary for overcoming moments of writer’s block and for generating more creative thinking and writing. I also couldn’t do without the wonderful Scan & Deliver service from NYPL, and a similar service offered through my university’s library. 

What's your favorite distraction or snack when working from home?

Some of my favorite distractions are people-watching out of the aforementioned window, chatting with friends via text or video calls, and attending one of the many interesting webinars available seemingly every day. Getting up to make another cup or coffee or tea is always a good excuse for a break.