Anton Santori
Encyclopedia
Francesco Antonio Santori (also Françesk Anton Santori) (September 16, 1819 - September 7, 1894) also known as Ndon Santori was an Italian writer, poet and playwright of Arbëreshë
descent. His play
Emira is considered to be the first original Arbëreshë drama ever written.
, an Arbëreshë
town in the province of Cosenza
, modern southern Italy. In 1835 at the age of sixteen he decided to become a priest and started his training for priesthood. In 1843 he entered the Franciscan
monastery of the Reformed Order in San Marco Argentano
. In 1858 he unsuccessfully tried to found a monastery in Lattarico
, and in 1860 he abandoned monastic life.
He continued living in Santa Caterina Albanese, where he worked as a teacher and a vendor of a spinning jenny
he had constructed. In 1885 he was assigned as priest in San Giacomo di Cerzeto, a village of Cerzeto
where he worked until his death on September 7, 1894.
and wrote an Albanian
grammar book. Santori wrote and finished his first poetry, titled Canzoniere Albanese (Albanian Songbook) in the 1830s and published it in 1846. Canzoniere Albanese is a long lyric poem dedicated to love and nature. The poem was influenced by Girolamo de Rada
's Song of Milosao. In 1848 he composed a hymn in Albanian titled Valle haresë madhe (Dance of great joy), published on February 23, 1848 in De Rada's journal L'Albanese d'Italia (The Albanian of Italy).
In 1848 his bilingual political poem Il prigionero politico (The political prisoner) written in Albanian and Italian was published in Naples
. The poem recounts the changes of the life of a persecuted family during the revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
. During his years in the monastery of the Reformed Order in Cerzeto he wrote two religious works. The first work is a religious verse titled Rozhaari i S. Myriis Virgkiyry (Rosary of Virgin Mary, written in Albanian and published in 1849 in Cosenza
. The second one is a 230-page collection of prayers, religious texts and translations of religious songs titled Kryshten i shyityruory (The Sanctified Christian) published in 1855 in Naples. The Sanctified Christian contains parts of Cuneus Prophetarum
published in 1685 and written by Pjetër Bogdani
, one of the most important writers of early Albanian literature. Santori included excerpts of Cuneus Prophetarum in his book to symbolize the continuity of Albanian religious literature.
Santori wrote many plays, including melodramatic comedies and tragedies some of which remain incomplete. His plays include Jeroboam, a tragedy of biblical content and Alessio Dukagino a melodrama written between 1855 and 1860, recounting the life of Lekë Dukagjini
, an Albanian
prince who fought against the Ottoman Empire
. His best-known play, Emira, titled after the name of its central figure, is considered to be the first original Albanian drama ever written. The drama recounts the adventures of Emira, Kalina, Albenci, and Mirjani during a social revolt in Calabria
, and the life in the Arbëreshë communities. Some parts of the play were published originally in the journal Fjamuri Arbërit (The Albanian Flag) and later in Jeronim de Rada's Albanian Anthology. In modern years, 1,845 lines of satirical verse written by Santori have been found.
Most of Santori's novels and short stories were published after his death in 1894. His novels include Sofia Kominiate, an unfinished novel written in two versions. The first version contains 282 pages and is written in Albanian, while the second version, written in Italian, contains 714 pages. No copies have survived from his novel Bija e mallkuar (The Cursed Daughter) written in Albanian. He also wrote the novel Il soldato albanese (The Albanian soldier) in Italian. Santori wrote many short stories known by the names of their central figures. His short stories written in Albanian include: Brisandi Lletixja e Ulladheni, Emilja, Fëmija Pushtjerote, Filaredo, Gnidhja e Kusari, Kolluqi e Sorofina, Miloshini, Neomenia, Panaini e Dellja, Rosarja, and Virgjinia.
and are generally more accessible to the audience despite of his orthographic style. In his works he uses his own spelling system without any phonetic accuracy. Common themes in Santori's works include rural life, the period of the League of Lezhë
of Albanian history
and the customs of Arbëreshë communities. His political poems contain moralistic motifs describing the central ideas and feelings of the characters of each poem. In several of his poems like Dance of great joy Santori describes fokloric elements of Albanian culture like folk songs and dances.
Albanian literature
Albanian National Awakening
Girolamo de Rada
Arbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
descent. His play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
Emira is considered to be the first original Arbëreshë drama ever written.
Life
Santori was born on September 16, 1819 in Santa Caterina AlbaneseSanta Caterina Albanese
Santa Caterina Albanese is a village and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:The town is bordered by Fagnano Castello, Malvito, Roggiano Gravina and San Marco Argentano.- Notable people :...
, an Arbëreshë
Arbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
town in the province of Cosenza
Province of Cosenza
The Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
, modern southern Italy. In 1835 at the age of sixteen he decided to become a priest and started his training for priesthood. In 1843 he entered the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery of the Reformed Order in San Marco Argentano
San Marco Argentano
San Marco Argentano is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.Main sights include the Norman tower, several churches and an abbey....
. In 1858 he unsuccessfully tried to found a monastery in Lattarico
Lattarico
Lattarico is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy....
, and in 1860 he abandoned monastic life.
He continued living in Santa Caterina Albanese, where he worked as a teacher and a vendor of a spinning jenny
Spinning jenny
The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning frame. It was invented c. 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in England. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as technology...
he had constructed. In 1885 he was assigned as priest in San Giacomo di Cerzeto, a village of Cerzeto
Cerzeto
Cerzeto is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-References:...
where he worked until his death on September 7, 1894.
Work
During his life Santori wrote poetry, novels, plays and short stories. He also adapted 112 of Aesop's FablesAesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
and wrote an Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
grammar book. Santori wrote and finished his first poetry, titled Canzoniere Albanese (Albanian Songbook) in the 1830s and published it in 1846. Canzoniere Albanese is a long lyric poem dedicated to love and nature. The poem was influenced by Girolamo de Rada
Girolamo de Rada
Girolamo de Rada was an Italian writer of Italo-Albanian literature. Of Arbëreshë descent he was the foremost figure of the Albanian National Awakening in 19th Italy.-Biography:...
's Song of Milosao. In 1848 he composed a hymn in Albanian titled Valle haresë madhe (Dance of great joy), published on February 23, 1848 in De Rada's journal L'Albanese d'Italia (The Albanian of Italy).
In 1848 his bilingual political poem Il prigionero politico (The political prisoner) written in Albanian and Italian was published in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The poem recounts the changes of the life of a persecuted family during the revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
The 1848 revolutions in the Italian states were organized revolts in the states of Italy led by intellectuals and agitators who desired a liberal government. As Italian nationalists they sought to eliminate reactionary Austrian control...
. During his years in the monastery of the Reformed Order in Cerzeto he wrote two religious works. The first work is a religious verse titled Rozhaari i S. Myriis Virgkiyry (Rosary of Virgin Mary, written in Albanian and published in 1849 in Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
. The second one is a 230-page collection of prayers, religious texts and translations of religious songs titled Kryshten i shyityruory (The Sanctified Christian) published in 1855 in Naples. The Sanctified Christian contains parts of Cuneus Prophetarum
Cuneus Prophetarum
Cuneus Prophetarum is a philosophical, theological and scientific treatise written by Pjetër Bogdani, an Albanian philosopher, originally published in Padua in 1685 in the Albanian and Latin language...
published in 1685 and written by 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...
, one of the most important writers of early Albanian literature. Santori included excerpts of Cuneus Prophetarum in his book to symbolize the continuity of Albanian religious literature.
Santori wrote many plays, including melodramatic comedies and tragedies some of which remain incomplete. His plays include Jeroboam, a tragedy of biblical content and Alessio Dukagino a melodrama written between 1855 and 1860, recounting the life of Lekë Dukagjini
Lekë Dukagjini
Lekë III Dukagjini was an Albanian prince who fought against the Ottoman Empire. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit, a code of law instituted in northern Albania.- Biography :...
, an Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
prince who fought against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. His best-known play, Emira, titled after the name of its central figure, is considered to be the first original Albanian drama ever written. The drama recounts the adventures of Emira, Kalina, Albenci, and Mirjani during a social revolt in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, and the life in the Arbëreshë communities. Some parts of the play were published originally in the journal Fjamuri Arbërit (The Albanian Flag) and later in Jeronim de Rada's Albanian Anthology. In modern years, 1,845 lines of satirical verse written by Santori have been found.
Most of Santori's novels and short stories were published after his death in 1894. His novels include Sofia Kominiate, an unfinished novel written in two versions. The first version contains 282 pages and is written in Albanian, while the second version, written in Italian, contains 714 pages. No copies have survived from his novel Bija e mallkuar (The Cursed Daughter) written in Albanian. He also wrote the novel Il soldato albanese (The Albanian soldier) in Italian. Santori wrote many short stories known by the names of their central figures. His short stories written in Albanian include: Brisandi Lletixja e Ulladheni, Emilja, Fëmija Pushtjerote, Filaredo, Gnidhja e Kusari, Kolluqi e Sorofina, Miloshini, Neomenia, Panaini e Dellja, Rosarja, and Virgjinia.
Influences and style
Santori's works are written in an archaic form of Tosk AlbanianTosk Albanian
Tosk is the southern dialect of the Albanian language. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is the basis of the standard Albanian language.- Tosks :...
and are generally more accessible to the audience despite of his orthographic style. In his works he uses his own spelling system without any phonetic accuracy. Common themes in Santori's works include rural life, the period of the League of Lezhë
League of Lezhë
The League of Lezhë was an alliance of Albanian Principalities forged in Lezhë on the 2nd of March 1444. It was initiated and organised by Skanderbeg with the aim of uniting the Albanian principalities that had been founded in the 12th - 14th centuries, to fight the Ottoman Armies...
of Albanian history
History of Albania
The history of Albania emerges from the prehistoric stage from the 4th century BC, with early records of Illyria in Greco-Roman historiography. The modern territory of Albania has no counterpart in antiquity, comprising parts of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia , Macedonia , and Moesia Superior...
and the customs of Arbëreshë communities. His political poems contain moralistic motifs describing the central ideas and feelings of the characters of each poem. In several of his poems like Dance of great joy Santori describes fokloric elements of Albanian culture like folk songs and dances.
See also
ArbëreshëArbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
Albanian literature
Albanian literature
The Albanian literature is the literature written by Albanians.-Renaissance:The expansion of the Ottoman Empire pushed many Albanians from their homeland during the period of the Western European Renaissance humanism...
Albanian National Awakening
Girolamo de Rada
Girolamo de Rada
Girolamo de Rada was an Italian writer of Italo-Albanian literature. Of Arbëreshë descent he was the foremost figure of the Albanian National Awakening in 19th Italy.-Biography:...