Kasëm Trebeshina

Kasëm Trebeshina (born 5 August 1926, in Berat, Albania) is an Albanian writer.^[1]

Biography

Kasëm was born in Berat, Albania on 5 August 1926. He finishes elementary education in his birthplace and continues high-school in Elbasan. In the year of 1942 he joins the military in the National-Liberation war during which he was injured and had to stop his education temporarily. Kasëm was one of the voices of dissent during the post-World War II era in Communist Albania, voice which got him arrested three times and even falsely proclaimed by the oppressive regime as a madman.^[2] Kasëm has spent 17 years in prison.

All the oppressions Kasëm faced during his lifetime would fuel, influence and affect his literary work. After the infamous 1997 riot in Albania Kasëm flees from Albania and migrates to Istanbul, Turkey where he still lives.

In his non-fictional book Mosmarreveshja, writer Ismail Kadare asserted that Trebeshina cannot claim to be a dissident, as he was one of the founders of Sigurimi, and behind the killing of partisan Zaho Koka, whereas, according to Sadik Bejko, Trebeshina can be accused for the killing of other partisans, but not Koka's.^[3]

Literary works

Most of his work was published after the fall of Communism, during the 1990s, which made him free to express his ideas in his works.^[4] His literary works include:

• Stina e Stinëve, 1991
• Legjenda e asaj që iku, 1992
• Qezari niset për luftë, 1993
• Koha tani, vendi këtu, 1992
• Rruga e Golgotës, 1993
• Mekami, melodi turke, 1994
• Lirika dhe satira, 1994
• Fshati midis 7 kodrinave

See also

• Albanian literature
• Ismail Kadare
• Jakov Xoxa

References