Serafin Fanku, director, actor, playwright, People’s Artist, passed away. He was born in Shkodër, in 1937. He studied film directing at the Academy of Arts in Prague (1959–1960) and then as an actor at the “Aleksandër Moisiu” High School for Actors (1960–1963). In 1964, he started working as an actor and then as a director at the “Migjeni” Theater in Shkodra. He has staged about 125 works in the theaters of Shkodra, Tirana, Skopje, Durrës, Gjakova, Struga, Fier, etc. As a director, he was distinguished for his in-depth and elegant treatment of the work and for his rich stage culture “Fisheku në pajë“ (“Cartridge in the dowry”), “Toka jonë“ (“Our land”), “Këshilli i ndrikullave“ (“The council of godmothers”), “Gjaku i Arbrit“ (“Arber’s blood”), “Baca i Gjetajve“. In the 90s of the 20th century, Serafin Fanku significantly enriched the expressive forms, applying bold metaphors to the mise-en–scène and favoring elaborate mythological treatments. He was the creator of the “Poetic Theatre” near the “Migjeni” Theater in Shkodra. In the plays written by him, such as “Çmurosja“, “Pse?” (“Why?”), “Trokitje në dyert e dhimbjes“ (“Knock on the doors of pain”), besides the tragic, a grotesque side also stands out, as well as a challenging attitude towards hardened social realities. (In the photo: Serafin Fanku)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 646.
Graphic processing: AHCF
