Albanian League of Writers and Artists
Encyclopedia
The Albanian League of Writers and Artists (ALWA) is an organization of creators, located in Tirana
, Albania
, which includes writers, composers, and artists and critics of the literary and artistic values.
was appointed its leader and Fan S. Noli
its honorary president. Among the most known creators were Poradeci, Bulka, Luarasi, Shuteriqi, Asllani, Pasko, Prenushi, Spasse, Haxhiademi etc. This voluntary union of creators from all the country, at the beginning was compound by 70 members.
Albanian League of Writers and Artists is a non-government organization created by a group of Albanian Writers and Artists to propagate literary and artistic creativity of Albanian authors, to evaluate and re-evaluate the best works of the Albanian literature, music, painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary values, and to encourage the creativity of young talents. ALWA protects and stimulates the best tendencies of the developments of literature and art to serve to the society and Albanian nation, under the best models of literary and artistic values of the civilized nations.
The man-doll without character and individuality that the communist ideology aimed was never realized in Albania
. Despite some communist writers and artists subservient to the Communist dictatorship, the majority of Albanian writers and artists sometimes in silent and sometimes opened resisted to the ideological poisoning. Through the years with the insistence of the writers, artists and scholars actually was reached to collect the old Albanian literature, pre-medieval authors like Bardhi, Budi, Pjetër Bogdani
, etc. were published and propagandized. Popular poets, the period of Albanian National Renaissance, the romantics like Naim Frashëri
and Lasgush Poradeci, the critics as Fan S. Noli
and Migjeni (Millosh Gjergj Nikolla
) and how many other authors with deep national Albanian values were published.
Many of Albanian writers were made translators and succeeded to publish in Albanian language masterpieces of world literature from antiquity like Aristotle, Plato, Euripides, Sophocles, Virgil, Homer, Shakespeare to them of modern literature as Mark Tuen, Jack London, Truman Kapote, Bohres, Asturias, Garcia Marquez and how many other authors of the East and West, whose works were the true school for Albanian creativity. Among the queues of the League of Writers and Artists have been also dissident-minded authors like Sejfulla Malëshova
, the first leader of this organization, like the writer Kasem Trebeshina, who was imprisoned for his creativity, like Pjetër Arbnori
, Albanian Mandela, who was re-convicted in prison for his literary anticommunist work, as the dissident Bilal Xhaferri
who was expelled, exiled in communist gulags and forced to flee to the U.S., as Vilson Blloshmi who was shot and how many others who were persecuted in thousands ways. A part, like the poet Xhevahir Spahiu, Dritëro Agolli
or Ismail Kadare
, survived. With these kinds, the communist regime was done by banning and criticizing the publication of any of their works. Of course, to survive will be published creativity that served the communist ideology. So did many writers and artists like Dritëro Agolli
, Ismail Kadare
, Fatos Arapi
, Fatos Kongoli
etc. and also many painters, sculptors, composers, literary critics, cinematographers, scholars, journalists, etc. So, they chose the path of compromise for survival. Thus, between the communist anti-values, the true values of Albanian art and literature survived as well. It is true that some members of ALWA, part of communist censorship with their reviews have affected to ban dissident literature and art and have encouraged prosecution and persecution of dissident authors, but there were periods that they have supported and encouraged young talent. The writer Dritëro Agolli
, who has had longer the leader’ duty of this organization, in the years 80’ has followed a liberal politic to the support and promotion of the new talents. With his initiative and recommendations have been allowed to follow the university studies and have been encouraged to create talents even from the most persecuted and anti-communist classes of Albanian society, like the poets Skënder Buçpapa, Mujo Buçpapa or prosers like Faruk Myrtaj, Shefki Hysa
, Lazer Stani etc.
For these and many other reasons it is wrong to say that the members of ALWA are socialists, communists and how many inventions of this nature that stem from some extremist that supposedly hold the flag right in the name of revenge against the left extreme.
After 1990, Albanian creators, writers and artists, members of the League of Writers and Artists, believed too much in their liberation and in the liberation of artistic creativity in general. There was worked a lot in the hurry to catch the lost time. There was a huge boom of creativity. Many of the prohibited works were reassessed and were published. Persecuted figures of the past like Faik Konica
, Gjergj Fishta, Ernest Koliqi
, etc, dissidents of the communist era like Bilal Xhaferri
, Kasem Trebeshina, Pjetër Arbnori
etc were revalued. So, ALWA contributed too much in the appreciation of art, literature and authors aforetime prohibited. However, during the post-communist period as well, with a very problematic democracy and highly politicized, the League of Writers and Artists is imposed an adulatory attitude toward the ruling party, the right one or the left one. Again the government has tried to usurp this institution and has appointed leaders of Albanian creators taking advantage by the economical difficulties that writers, artists and organizations were experiencing.
Finally, after ALWA managed to escape from politics, it was found without economic support and on the verge of bankruptcy. In this difficult situation the state turned to it its back, got the building where its headquarters was but the writers and artists did not abandoned it. Most of them have realized that they must cooperate far from the policy of powers and parties. Writers and artists are those who keep alive ALWA in this difficult period full of crisis. In ALWA status, Article 1, is clearly defined its essential nature as the common home of art and literature: “Albanian League of Writers and Artists is a free and independent institution, a set of professional creators, opened for every other literature and artistic association, unconditioned by political views, trends and artistic platforms”. Today, the ALWA has approximately 1300 members. Leading authorities are: National Congress, Chairmanship and Administrative Council. In the organizational structure operate: the section of literature, music, painting, sculpture, and the section of young talents. For more than 60 years of its history, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has been leaded by distinguished personalities of our culture. Its leaders have been the gentlemen: Sejfulla Malëshova
, Dhimitër Shuteriqi
, Dritëro Agolli
, Bardhyl Londo, Xhevahir Spahiu, Limos Dizdari, Zyhdi Morava, and Hysen Sinani the actual leader.
, the magazine in French language “Les letters Albanaises” (1978), “Bota Letrare” (Literary World) and “Revista Letrare” (Literary Magazine) as alternative publications after 1990 while currently the organization of Albanian writers and artists doesn’t publishes any organ due to lack of funds.
In 2007, after 62 years of continuous activity, the Albanian government took unfairly office Albanian League of Writers and Artists. However ALWA currently continues its activities. Albanian writers continue to create decent work, although without the economic benefits. Prose writer like Ismail Kadare, Fatos Kongoli, Hysen Sinani, Shefki Hysa and poets like Visar Zhiti, Sazan Goliku, Namik Mane, etc. have written and published many works that address social problems of the time.
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, which includes writers, composers, and artists and critics of the literary and artistic values.
History
Writers League was founded on October 7, 1945 while the Artists League in 1949. The First Congress held on 1957, joined these two organizations in a single institution: in Albanian League of Writers and Artists. In the establishment and direction of the first organization of Albanian creators took part some of the most distinguished intellectuals. Sejfulla MalëshovaSejfulla Malëshova
Sejfulla Malëshova was an Albanian politician and writer.- Career :In 1924, a 23 years old Malëshova was Fan Noli's personal secretary. He held that position after having studied some medicine in Italy. After Noli's government was overthrown, Malëshova fled to Paris and then to Moscow, where he...
was appointed its leader and Fan S. Noli
Fan S. Noli
Theofan Stilian Noli, better known as Fan Noli was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature,...
its honorary president. Among the most known creators were Poradeci, Bulka, Luarasi, Shuteriqi, Asllani, Pasko, Prenushi, Spasse, Haxhiademi etc. This voluntary union of creators from all the country, at the beginning was compound by 70 members.
Albanian League of Writers and Artists is a non-government organization created by a group of Albanian Writers and Artists to propagate literary and artistic creativity of Albanian authors, to evaluate and re-evaluate the best works of the Albanian literature, music, painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary values, and to encourage the creativity of young talents. ALWA protects and stimulates the best tendencies of the developments of literature and art to serve to the society and Albanian nation, under the best models of literary and artistic values of the civilized nations.
Stories of survival
The League of Writers and Artists, despite the ideological dictates of the Party of Labour of Albania, has played a positive and decisive role in the development of Albanian literature and art, especially for the selection, publication and propaganda of the works with Albanian nationality content. Among ALWA queues have been continuously writers and artists who have not ever loved communist ideology and have acted in a disguised manner to protect and promote literary and artistic real values by advertising, publicizing, studying, and making them part of school programs for pupils and students. Thanks to the writers, artists and scholars who have loved Albanian nation in silent more than the ideology of the Party of Labour of Albania, which had subjected the art, literature, cinematography and literary criticism to the Method of Socialist Realism, to the Albanian people eager for knowledge and especially that part of intelligence that in silent ever disagreed with communist ideology are offered true artistic values with deep national spirit and content. The Party of Labour of Albania through the Method of Socialist Realism, aimed to establish the new communist man, a kind of subjected individual, internationalist, anti-Albanian, a kind of a robot or a kind of human model as Lejfeni, famous Chinese character.The man-doll without character and individuality that the communist ideology aimed was never realized in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Despite some communist writers and artists subservient to the Communist dictatorship, the majority of Albanian writers and artists sometimes in silent and sometimes opened resisted to the ideological poisoning. Through the years with the insistence of the writers, artists and scholars actually was reached to collect the old Albanian literature, pre-medieval authors like Bardhi, Budi, Pjetër Bogdani
Pjetër Bogdani
Pjetër Bogdani , known in Italian as Pietro Bogdano, is the most original writer of early literature in Albania. He is author of the Cuneus Prophetarum , 1685, the first prose work of substance written originally in Albanian Pjetër Bogdani (ca. 1630 - 1689), known in Italian as Pietro Bogdano, is...
, etc. were published and propagandized. Popular poets, the period of Albanian National Renaissance, the romantics like Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri was an Albanian poet and writer. He was one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening of the 19th century, together with his two brothers Sami and Abdyl...
and Lasgush Poradeci, the critics as Fan S. Noli
Fan S. Noli
Theofan Stilian Noli, better known as Fan Noli was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature,...
and Migjeni (Millosh Gjergj Nikolla
Millosh Gjergj Nikolla
Millosh Gjergj Nikolla was an Albanian poet and writer. He is better known under his pen name Migjeni.-Life:...
) and how many other authors with deep national Albanian values were published.
Many of Albanian writers were made translators and succeeded to publish in Albanian language masterpieces of world literature from antiquity like Aristotle, Plato, Euripides, Sophocles, Virgil, Homer, Shakespeare to them of modern literature as Mark Tuen, Jack London, Truman Kapote, Bohres, Asturias, Garcia Marquez and how many other authors of the East and West, whose works were the true school for Albanian creativity. Among the queues of the League of Writers and Artists have been also dissident-minded authors like Sejfulla Malëshova
Sejfulla Malëshova
Sejfulla Malëshova was an Albanian politician and writer.- Career :In 1924, a 23 years old Malëshova was Fan Noli's personal secretary. He held that position after having studied some medicine in Italy. After Noli's government was overthrown, Malëshova fled to Paris and then to Moscow, where he...
, the first leader of this organization, like the writer Kasem Trebeshina, who was imprisoned for his creativity, like Pjetër Arbnori
Pjetër Arbnori
Pjetër Filip Arbnori was an Albanian gulag survivor. He was dubbed "the Mandela of the Balkans" by Albanian statesmen because of the length of his 28 year internment. He was born in Durrës, on the Adriatic coast...
, Albanian Mandela, who was re-convicted in prison for his literary anticommunist work, as the dissident Bilal Xhaferri
Bilal Xhaferri
Bilal Xhaferri was an Albanian poet and novelist, and a political dissident against the Albanian communist regime. He was born in Ninat, Konispol in southern Albania, and died in Chicago, USA...
who was expelled, exiled in communist gulags and forced to flee to the U.S., as Vilson Blloshmi who was shot and how many others who were persecuted in thousands ways. A part, like the poet Xhevahir Spahiu, Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli is an Albanian poet, writer, politician, and former president of the defunct Albanian League of Writers and Artists. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels...
or Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare is an Albanian writer. He is known for his novels, although he was first noticed for his poetry collections. In the 1960s he focused on short stories until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army. In 1996 he became a lifetime member of the Academy of Moral...
, survived. With these kinds, the communist regime was done by banning and criticizing the publication of any of their works. Of course, to survive will be published creativity that served the communist ideology. So did many writers and artists like Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli is an Albanian poet, writer, politician, and former president of the defunct Albanian League of Writers and Artists. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels...
, Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare is an Albanian writer. He is known for his novels, although he was first noticed for his poetry collections. In the 1960s he focused on short stories until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army. In 1996 he became a lifetime member of the Academy of Moral...
, Fatos Arapi
Fatos Arapi
Fatos Arapi is an Albanian poet, short story writer, translator and journalist, laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath Award for 2008.-Biography:...
, Fatos Kongoli
Fatos Kongoli
Fatos Kongoli has recently become one of the most forceful and convincing representatives of contemporary Albanian prose. He was born and raised in Elbasan and studied mathematics in China during the tense years of the Sino-Albanian alliance. Kongoli chose not to publish any major works during the...
etc. and also many painters, sculptors, composers, literary critics, cinematographers, scholars, journalists, etc. So, they chose the path of compromise for survival. Thus, between the communist anti-values, the true values of Albanian art and literature survived as well. It is true that some members of ALWA, part of communist censorship with their reviews have affected to ban dissident literature and art and have encouraged prosecution and persecution of dissident authors, but there were periods that they have supported and encouraged young talent. The writer Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli is an Albanian poet, writer, politician, and former president of the defunct Albanian League of Writers and Artists. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels...
, who has had longer the leader’ duty of this organization, in the years 80’ has followed a liberal politic to the support and promotion of the new talents. With his initiative and recommendations have been allowed to follow the university studies and have been encouraged to create talents even from the most persecuted and anti-communist classes of Albanian society, like the poets Skënder Buçpapa, Mujo Buçpapa or prosers like Faruk Myrtaj, Shefki Hysa
Shefki Hysa
Shefki Mazar Hysa - is an Albanian writer and journalist.- Biography :He continued his elementary studies in Shalës of Konispol, Çamëri region.In 1976, he continued his studies at high school Konispol...
, Lazer Stani etc.
For these and many other reasons it is wrong to say that the members of ALWA are socialists, communists and how many inventions of this nature that stem from some extremist that supposedly hold the flag right in the name of revenge against the left extreme.
After 1990, Albanian creators, writers and artists, members of the League of Writers and Artists, believed too much in their liberation and in the liberation of artistic creativity in general. There was worked a lot in the hurry to catch the lost time. There was a huge boom of creativity. Many of the prohibited works were reassessed and were published. Persecuted figures of the past like Faik Konica
Faik Konica
Faik Konica , born in Konitsa, was one of the greatest figures of Albanian culture in the early decades of the twentieth century. Prewar Albanian minister to Washington, his literary review, Albania, became the focal publication of Albanian writers living abroad...
, Gjergj Fishta, Ernest Koliqi
Ernest Koliqi
Ernest Koliqi was an Albanian-Italian poet, prose writer, dramatist, and literary scholar and translator.-Biography:Born in Shkodra, where he also attended his first lessons in the Jesuit College he moved to Italy to study in Brescia and then at the University of Padua, and become knowledgeable in...
, etc, dissidents of the communist era like Bilal Xhaferri
Bilal Xhaferri
Bilal Xhaferri was an Albanian poet and novelist, and a political dissident against the Albanian communist regime. He was born in Ninat, Konispol in southern Albania, and died in Chicago, USA...
, Kasem Trebeshina, Pjetër Arbnori
Pjetër Arbnori
Pjetër Filip Arbnori was an Albanian gulag survivor. He was dubbed "the Mandela of the Balkans" by Albanian statesmen because of the length of his 28 year internment. He was born in Durrës, on the Adriatic coast...
etc were revalued. So, ALWA contributed too much in the appreciation of art, literature and authors aforetime prohibited. However, during the post-communist period as well, with a very problematic democracy and highly politicized, the League of Writers and Artists is imposed an adulatory attitude toward the ruling party, the right one or the left one. Again the government has tried to usurp this institution and has appointed leaders of Albanian creators taking advantage by the economical difficulties that writers, artists and organizations were experiencing.
Finally, after ALWA managed to escape from politics, it was found without economic support and on the verge of bankruptcy. In this difficult situation the state turned to it its back, got the building where its headquarters was but the writers and artists did not abandoned it. Most of them have realized that they must cooperate far from the policy of powers and parties. Writers and artists are those who keep alive ALWA in this difficult period full of crisis. In ALWA status, Article 1, is clearly defined its essential nature as the common home of art and literature: “Albanian League of Writers and Artists is a free and independent institution, a set of professional creators, opened for every other literature and artistic association, unconditioned by political views, trends and artistic platforms”. Today, the ALWA has approximately 1300 members. Leading authorities are: National Congress, Chairmanship and Administrative Council. In the organizational structure operate: the section of literature, music, painting, sculpture, and the section of young talents. For more than 60 years of its history, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has been leaded by distinguished personalities of our culture. Its leaders have been the gentlemen: Sejfulla Malëshova
Sejfulla Malëshova
Sejfulla Malëshova was an Albanian politician and writer.- Career :In 1924, a 23 years old Malëshova was Fan Noli's personal secretary. He held that position after having studied some medicine in Italy. After Noli's government was overthrown, Malëshova fled to Paris and then to Moscow, where he...
, Dhimitër Shuteriqi
Dhimitër Shuteriqi
Dhimitër Shuteriqi was an Albanian writer, historian and critic. During the 1946-1973 period he was the president of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists.-References:...
, Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli
Dritëro Agolli is an Albanian poet, writer, politician, and former president of the defunct Albanian League of Writers and Artists. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels...
, Bardhyl Londo, Xhevahir Spahiu, Limos Dizdari, Zyhdi Morava, and Hysen Sinani the actual leader.
Activity
For more than 50 years, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has had its literary and artistic organs: the magazine “Literatura jone” (our Literature), after that the monthly magazine “Nentori” (November), later on the weekly “Drita” (The light) (1961)Drita magazineDrita (magazine)
Drita magazine is an Albanian literary magazine published by the Association of the Young Modern Artists of Albania . Drita was one of the first magazines in the Albanian language. It has been published for 127 years with some interruptions.-History: 1883-1922:Drita was one of the first magazines...
, the magazine in French language “Les letters Albanaises” (1978), “Bota Letrare” (Literary World) and “Revista Letrare” (Literary Magazine) as alternative publications after 1990 while currently the organization of Albanian writers and artists doesn’t publishes any organ due to lack of funds.
In 2007, after 62 years of continuous activity, the Albanian government took unfairly office Albanian League of Writers and Artists. However ALWA currently continues its activities. Albanian writers continue to create decent work, although without the economic benefits. Prose writer like Ismail Kadare, Fatos Kongoli, Hysen Sinani, Shefki Hysa and poets like Visar Zhiti, Sazan Goliku, Namik Mane, etc. have written and published many works that address social problems of the time.
See also
- Homepage of Cultural Community Chameria
- Bilal Xhaferri Publishing House
- Homepage of Shefki Hysa
- Official website of Diplomatic Mission Peace and ProsperityDiplomatic Mission Peace and ProsperityDiplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity is an international lobbying organization initiated by a group of diplomats from western countries with the intention of creating powerful lobbies to support Balkans causes...
- Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity
External links
Further reading
- Robert Elsie, Albanian literature: a short history, Centre for Albanian Studies, 2005, page 164.