Zef Skiroi (Giuseppe Schiró) was a poet, publicist, folklorist, and Arbëresh historian born in Hora of Arbëreshë, Sicily. He attended the Palermo Arborist Seminar and graduated in law in 1890. That same year, he began working as a lecturer in ancient literature at the “Garibaldi” high school in Palermo. In 1900, Skiroi took on the role of chairholder for the Albanian language at the Royal Oriental Institute of Naples. Very active in the political landscape that was shaping the future of Albania, Zef Skiroi spent some time in Albania during the turbulent years of 1913–1914 as an envoy of the Italian government. He became known in poetry with his volume “Rapsodie Albanesi” (“Albanian Rhapsody”), published in 1887, which followed in the footsteps of several romantic poets and was presented as a collection of popular songs. The romantic nature of Skiroi’s poetry often intertwined with the direct political commitment that typically characterized the literature of the National Renaissance. Devoted to the theme of the Albanian issue, he also articulated visions that did not always align with the political developments of his time. Skiroi created various lyrical forms, including songs, hymns, and elegies, and composed texts that, in their poetic discourse, resembled folk songs. Recognizing the cultural significance of crafting literary Albanian, he developed an Arbëresh script closely aligned with the Tosk Christian language of Albania while also incorporating elements from the northern dialect. As a researcher with a broad interest, Zef Skiroi published several studies on the Albanian language and literature, including “Della lingua e della letteratura albanese anche in rapporto alle colonie albanesi d’Italia” (1919) (“On the Albanian Language and Literature Viewed Also in Relation to the Albanian Colonies in Italy”). He dedicated his most comprehensive work to the history of Albania in “Gli Albanesi e la questione balcanica” (1904) (“Albanians and the Balkan Question”). Zef Skiroi passed away in 1927, leaving a lasting legacy in the study of Albanian culture and history. (In the photo: Zef Skiroi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2358.
Photo: © Albanian Telegraphic Agency
Graphic processing: AHCF
