Musine Kokalari
Encyclopedia
Musine Kokalari of Gjirokastër
, Albania
was an Albanian
prose writer
and politician in Albania's pre-communist period. Kokalari was the first female writer of Albania. After a short involvement in politics during World War II, she was persecuted by the communist regime in Albania, and not allowed to write anymore. She died in poverty and complete isolation.
in southern Turkey
of a patriotic and politically active family of Gjirokastrian origin. She returned to Albania with her family in 1920. Musine was early to acquire a taste for books and learning since her brother Vejsim operated a bookstore in Tirana
in the mid 1930s. In January 1938, she left for Rome
to study literature at the university there and graduated in 1941 with a thesis on Naim Frashëri
. Her stay in the eternal city gave her an ephemeral glimpse into a fascinating world of intellectual creativity and her sole aim in life upon her return to Albania was to become a writer.
In 1943, she declared to a friend, "I want to write, to write, only to write literature, and to have nothing to do with politics."
and by the day-by-day struggles of women of Gjirokastër, is thought to be the first work of literature ever written and published by a woman in Albania. Their value consists of the very lively dialect of Gjirokastër and the prevailing mores of the region. Kokalari called the book, "the mirror of a world gone by, the path of transition from girlhood with its melodies and the first years of marriage to the world of the grown woman, once again bound by the heavy chains of slavery to patriarchal fanaticism."
Three years later, despite the vicissitudes of World War II
, Kokalari now twenty-seven, was able to publish a longer collection of short stories and sketches entitled How life swayed , Tirana, 1944, a total of 348-pages which established her—ever so briefly—as a writer of substance. A third volume of her folksy tales was entitled Around the Hearth , Tirana, 1944.
came to an end, Kokalari herself opened a bookstore and was invited to become a member of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists
, created on October 7, 1945 under the chairmanship of Sejfulla Malëshova
. All the time she was haunted by the execution without trial of her two brothers, Mumtaz and Vejsim, on November 12, 1944 by the communists and candidly demanded justice and retribution. Having herself been closely associated in 1944 with the fledgling Albanian Social-Democratic party and its press organ Zëri i lirisë ("The voice of freedom"), she was arrested on January 17, 1946 in an age of terror concomitant with the arrest of Malëshova, and on July 2, 1946 was sentenced to twenty years in prison by the military court of Tirana as a saboteur and enemy of the people.
Right before her arrest Kokalari had sent a letter to the Allied Forces
, which were still based in the Albanian capital, Tirana. In her letter she called for free elections and freedom of expression. At the trial, Kokalari stated the following:
In 1964, after 18 years in the Prison of Burrel in the District of Mat region, isolated and under constant surveillance, she spent the following next 19 years of her life in internment
in the town of Rrëshen
, Northern Albania, where she had to work as a streetsweeper. She was never allowed to resume her writing. Terminally ill with cancer, she was even refused a hospital bed before her death on August 14, 1983.
). In 1993 Kokalari was posthumously declared a Martyr of Democracy by the President of Albania and a school in Tirana now bears her name.
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...
, 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...
was 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...
prose writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and politician in Albania's pre-communist period. Kokalari was the first female writer of Albania. After a short involvement in politics during World War II, she was persecuted by the communist regime in Albania, and not allowed to write anymore. She died in poverty and complete isolation.
Early life
Musine Kokalari was born on February 10, 1917 in AdanaAdana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
in southern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
of a patriotic and politically active family of Gjirokastrian origin. She returned to Albania with her family in 1920. Musine was early to acquire a taste for books and learning since her brother Vejsim operated a bookstore in Tirana
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...
in the mid 1930s. In January 1938, she left for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to study literature at the university there and graduated in 1941 with a thesis on 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...
. Her stay in the eternal city gave her an ephemeral glimpse into a fascinating world of intellectual creativity and her sole aim in life upon her return to Albania was to become a writer.
In 1943, she declared to a friend, "I want to write, to write, only to write literature, and to have nothing to do with politics."
Publications
She had, at the age of twenty-four, indeed already published an initial 80-page collection of ten youthful prose tales in her native Gjirokastrian dialect: As my old mother tells me , Tirana, 1941. This historic collection, strongly inspired by Tosk folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and by the day-by-day struggles of women of Gjirokastër, is thought to be the first work of literature ever written and published by a woman in Albania. Their value consists of the very lively dialect of Gjirokastër and the prevailing mores of the region. Kokalari called the book, "the mirror of a world gone by, the path of transition from girlhood with its melodies and the first years of marriage to the world of the grown woman, once again bound by the heavy chains of slavery to patriarchal fanaticism."
Three years later, despite the vicissitudes of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kokalari now twenty-seven, was able to publish a longer collection of short stories and sketches entitled How life swayed , Tirana, 1944, a total of 348-pages which established her—ever so briefly—as a writer of substance. A third volume of her folksy tales was entitled Around the Hearth , Tirana, 1944.
After World War II
As World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
came to an end, Kokalari herself opened a bookstore and was invited to become a member of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists
Albanian League of Writers and Artists
The Albanian League of Writers and Artists is an organization of creators, located in Tirana, Albania, which includes writers, composers, and artists and critics of the literary and artistic values.- History :...
, created on October 7, 1945 under the chairmanship of 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...
. All the time she was haunted by the execution without trial of her two brothers, Mumtaz and Vejsim, on November 12, 1944 by the communists and candidly demanded justice and retribution. Having herself been closely associated in 1944 with the fledgling Albanian Social-Democratic party and its press organ Zëri i lirisë ("The voice of freedom"), she was arrested on January 17, 1946 in an age of terror concomitant with the arrest of Malëshova, and on July 2, 1946 was sentenced to twenty years in prison by the military court of Tirana as a saboteur and enemy of the people.
Right before her arrest Kokalari had sent a letter to the Allied Forces
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, which were still based in the Albanian capital, Tirana. In her letter she called for free elections and freedom of expression. At the trial, Kokalari stated the following:
I don't need to be a communist to love my country. I love my country even though I am not a communist. I love its progress. You boast that you have won the war, and now you are the winner you want to extinguish those who you call political opponents. I think differently from you but I love my country. You are punishing me for my ideals!
In 1964, after 18 years in the Prison of Burrel in the District of Mat region, isolated and under constant surveillance, she spent the following next 19 years of her life in internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in the town of Rrëshen
Rrëshen
Rrëshen is a small Albanian city and the administrative seat of the Mirditë District, in northern Albania. In 2001, it had a population of 9,240 people.-The City:...
, Northern Albania, where she had to work as a streetsweeper. She was never allowed to resume her writing. Terminally ill with cancer, she was even refused a hospital bed before her death on August 14, 1983.
Recognition
Kokalari was one of the first 30 imprisoned writers to be listed in 1960 by the Committee of the Three (precursor of International PENInternational PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
). In 1993 Kokalari was posthumously declared a Martyr of Democracy by the President of Albania and a school in Tirana now bears her name.