Abstract: The very last years of communist Albania were plagued by massive emigration. Albanians were attuned to economic issues, feared civil war, and lacked confidence in the democratic process. These years echoed back to the early decades of the twentieth century, when waves of emigration left southern Albania to find work abroad. Initially, the immigration was primarily male, leaving women alone in their home villages. Esat Musliu's Vitet e pritjes/Years of Waiting (1990), set in the 1930s, draws upon the earlier period of emigration to explore the contemporaneous situation. In this respect, it creates a transition between the last works of Kinostudio and one of the primary thematic thrusts of the early decades of postcommunism.

Key words: Albania, communism, Ramiz Alia, emigration, Kinostudio, postcommunism

This change of ideological and trade partners had a devastating effect on the country's already weak economy. The results were outdated industries and technology, poor agriculture, hard working conditions, no contacts with the rest of the world and widespread poverty. The government's attempt to remain ideologically pure did not succeed either. Despite the propaganda, young people were sceptical of socialist principles and would rather have consumer goods (p. 7).