Petro Marko, a writer, journalist, and anti-fascist fighter, passed away in Tirana. He was born in Dhërmi, Himarë, in 1913. He attended the Commercial School in Vlorë (1932). In the 1930s, he collaborated and edited magazines such as “Illyria” and “Përpjekja shqiptare” (“Albanian Effort”). He participated in the early communist groups and their activities. In 1936, he volunteered for the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, and after its failure, he moved to France (1939–1940). He returned to Albania in 1940, where he was soon imprisoned as a prominent anti-fascist and interned on the island of Ustica (Italy, 1941). After escaping internment (1943), also in Italy, he joined a partisan unit with Croats, Serbs, Montenegrins, and Italians. He briefly worked in Rome for the newspapers “Unita” and “Avanti.” Upon his return to Albania (October 1944), he enlisted in partisan brigades. In 1945, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the only daily newspaper “Bashkimi” (Unity). He was imprisoned in 1947 for political reasons and released in 1951. Passionate about communist ideals for a just and equal world, he was a member of communist parties in Spain, France, and Italy. However, Petro Marko led a turbulent life (for a while he was excluded from the Writers’ Union and lost his publishing rights) because his openly expressed works were often misunderstood and stigmatized by the official practices accompanying and overseeing the developments of socialist realism literature. Petro Marko wrote poetry, short stories, novels, dramas, journalism, memoirs, etc. His early poems had a romantic spirit, expressing the experiences of a rebellious soul, an idealist seeking freedom, truth, and poetry. His later poetry emphasized social issues against tyranny, poverty, and social inequality. His poems written in Spain, France, and fascist prisons were inspired by proletarian and socialist ideas. Often written in free verse, rich in philosophical figures, Petro Marko’s poems played a role in the renewal of Albanian poetry in the 1930s–1950s. The humanism of his work was part of that spiritual constitution layer created in post-war Europe, seeking a society without wars, without national and racial differences, a world that did not know social inequality, where everyone had the opportunity to fully realize themselves. His most accomplished work, the novel “Qyteti i fundit” (“The Last City”) (1960), was dedicated to universal humanism and pure love, far from any moral taboo. Petro Marko’s prose stands out for its vivid and flowing narration, especially for the abundance and authenticity of events. His characters are mostly characterized through vibrant and often dramatic dialogues, but sometimes also through pathos. Their inner world is revealed through monologues with psychological details. (In the photo: Petro Marko)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1631-1632.
Photo: © Albanian Telegraphic Agency
Graphic processing: AHCF
