Maximilian Lambertz (1882–1963), an Austrian linguist, professor, and Albanologist, passed away in Vienna. He focused extensively on the study of Arbëresh dialects, the dialectal division of Albanian, and the folklore and popular culture of Albania. During World War I, Lambertz undertook a study trip to Albania, where he collected folklore and dialect materials and participated in the Albanian Literary Commission’s work, contributing to discussions on the formation of a unified Albanian literary language. His significant publications in popular culture include “Die Volkspoesie der Albaner” (1917) (“Albanian Folk Poetry”), “Albanische Märchen und andere Texte zur albanischen Volkskunde” (1922) (“Albanian Fairy Tales and Other Texts from Albanian Folklore”), “Albanien erzhält” (1956) (“Albania Tells”), and “Die Volksepik der Albaner” (1958) (“Albanian Folk Epic”), which provided a detailed study of the Albanian Kreshniks cycle. In the field of syntax, he published a monograph titled “Die hypothetische Periode im Albanischen” (1914) on the hypothetical mood in Albanian. Following World War II, Lambertz settled in the German Democratic Republic, where he taught Albanian language courses at the University of Leipzig. He authored a variety of learning materials, including an anthology of Albanian literature with German translations and an introductory course in Albanian (1948, two volumes), as well as a three-volume course on the Albanian language that included an Albanian-German dictionary, an anthology, and grammar (1954, 1955, 1959). Additionally, he published papers on Albanian syntax and contributed articles and reviews to Albanian language and literary publications. He translated and published the complete German version of Gjergj Fishta’s “Lahuta e Malësisë” (“The Highland Lute”) and the drama “Toka jonë” (“Our Land”) by Kola Jakovo. For his contributions to Albanian studies, Lambertz was awarded the “Order of the Flag.” (In the photo: Maksimilian Lamberc)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1455.
Photo: © http://www.albanianphotography.net/lambertz/index_al.htm
Graphic processing: AHCF
