Martin Camaj, writer, linguist, philologist, passed away in Lenggries, Germany. He was born in Temal of Dukagjin. After his first lessons, he attended the Saverian College in Shkodër and worked for a year as a teacher in the highlands. In 1948 he escaped from Albania, settling at first in Yugoslavia, where in 1949 he began his higher studies in Romanistics and Balkanology at the University of Belgrade. In 1956-1960, he studied at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Rome and was appointed a lecturer of the Albanian language at that university. In 1961, he settled in Germany, where, after defending his doctorate in Albanology, he was appointed 1965 docent of the Albanian language and literature at the University of Munich and then chair holder (1971–1990). Maintained close ties with compatriots through the Albanian diaspora and Kosova. At the beginning of Martin Camaj’s poetic creation, there is a reliance on traditional and folkloric artistic means. Native motifs inspire the first volumes. Martin Camaj, in his poetry, mainly prefers free verse; he skillfully cultivates the Gheg linguist variation. Just as prominent as an artistic individual, Martin Camaj also appears in the field of prose. Martin Camaj also studied the drama genre. As one of the prominent albanologists, Martin Camaj left a series of important works in the field of linguistics. Among them stand out: “Il Messale di Gjon Buzuku” , 1961 (“The Missal of Gjon Buzuku“); “Albanische Wortbildung“,1966 (“Formation of words in Albanian”); “Lehrbuch der albanischen Sprache“, 1969 (“Albanian language textbook”); “La parlata Albanese di Greci in provincia di Avellino“, 1971 (“The Arbëresh dialect of Greci in the Province of Avellino”); “Die albanische Mundart von Falkonara Albanese in der Province Cosenza“, 1977 (“The Arbëresh dialect of Falkonara in the Province of Cosenza”); “Albanian Grammar”, 1984 etc. Martin Camaj has also published a series of studies on the history of the Albanian language, etymology, dialectology, grammar, old texts, literature, folklore, etc. His work and personality became popular in Albania after the system change in 1990, being included in literature texts and treated in special scientific studies. (In the photo: Martin Camaj)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 354-355.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Camaj
Graphic processing: AHCF
