Mitrush Kuteli (Dhimitër Pasko), writer, economist, literary critic, translator and folklorist, passed away in Tirana. He was born in Pogradec. He completed his secondary education at the Romanian commercial school in Thessaloniki. He pursued higher education, graduating from the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest (1931), where he received the title of Doctor of Economic Sciences (1934). In Romania, he worked as a bank employee and director, writing and publishing several works on economic and financial issues in Albania and the Balkans (1932–1938). He returned to Albania in 1942. In 1944, together with Vedat Kokona and Sterjo Spasse, he launched the bi-weekly “Revista letrare” in Tirana. Immediately after liberation, he worked at the State Bank. He was one of the founders of the Writers’ League. In the years 1947-1949, he spent two years in political prison. Later, he worked as a translator at the “Naim Frashëri” publishing house. He gained fame as a storyteller with collections such as “Netë shqiptare” (Albanian Nights) (1938), ” Ago Jakupi e të tjera rrëfime” (Ago Jakupi and other stories) (1943), and “Kapllan Aga i Shaban Shpates” (Kapllan Aga of Shaban Shpata) (1944). During this time, he also published the folklore collection “Këngë e britma nga qyteti i djegur” (Songs and cries from the burning city) (1944), as well as the poetic volume “Sulm e lot” (Offense and tears) and the pamphlet book “Havadan më havadan”. After Liberation, he published children’s books such as “The Chestnut Forest” (1958), “Xinxifillua” (1962), and “Tregime të moçme shqiptare” (Old Albanian Stories) (1965) – a collection of folk ballads and legends masterfully retold. With his distinctive style and original storytelling, Kuteli created a school of Albanian narrative, mainly focusing on the storytelling genre. His prose often depicts the struggles of rural and urban characters fighting to protect their land and honor, emigrants suffering in foreign lands, outlaws and brave rebels against social injustices, harsh realities and characters, the poetry of childhood and longing for a dreamy past, enchanting nature, and the life of the birth city and surrounding regions, often portrayed through picturesque ethnography.. (In the photo: Mitrush Kuteli)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1429.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitrush_Kuteli
Graphic processing: AHCF
