Ernest Koliqi, writer, translator, literature researcher, publicist and publisher, was born in Shkodër. In Shkodra, he attended the Saverian College of the Jesuits and continued his education in Arice, Lombardy. He returned to his homeland in 1922, where he quickly integrated into the cultural and political life of the country, as an activist of the societies “Bashkimi” and “Atdheu”. During 1933-1937, he studied literature at the University of Padua. During the Italian occupation, he was appointed Minister of Education. In 1943, he left Albania to chair the departament of the Albanian language at “La Sapienza” University, Rome, where he remained until the end of his life. He passed away in 1975. Ernest Koliqi is the author of many literary works, such as: “Kushtrimi i Skënderbeu” (The oath of Skanderbeg) (1924), “Hija e Maleve” (Shadow of the Mountains) (1929), ” Tregtar famujsh ” (1935) etc. He not only cultivated poetry but also the genres of the novel and drama. He was rightly considered the founder of Albanian novel. With Ernest Koliqi’s initiative, in 1941 and later, the foundations of Albanian education in Kosovo and Macedonia were laid, school literature was enriched with a variety of anthological texts, and a series of volumes titled “The Highland Lute” were published, gathering an extraordinary wealth of folklore from all regions of the country. Ernest Koliqi is one of the most visionary intellectuals regarding national culture and the Albanian issue. (In the photo: Ernest Koliqi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1211-1212.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Koliqi
Graphic processing: AHCF
