Haki Stërmilli

Haki Stërmilli
Born 1895
Debar, Ottoman Empire (modern Macedonia)
Died 1953
Tiranë, Albania
Nationality Albanian
Ethnicity Albanian
Notable works
  • Dibranja e mjerueshme, 1923
  • Dashuni e Besnikëri, 1923
  • Burgu, 1935
  • Sikur t'isha djalë, 1936
  • Trashëgimtarët tanë, 1950
  • Shtigjeve të lirisë, 1966
  • Kalorësi i Skënderbeut, 1968

Haki Stërmilli (1895–1953) was an Albanian writer and journalist. His works dealt mostly with issues related to the rights of the Albanian communities outside Albania, republicanism, emancipation of women and feminism. His best-known work is the novel Sikur të isha djalë (English: If I were a Boy).

Life

Born in Debar, Ottoman Empire, (modern Macedonia). Stërmilli finished his first studies in Bitola. In 1920 along with Avni Rustemi he became one of the founders and the secretary of the youth organization, Bashkimi.[1] An antimonarchist and supporter of Fan Noli he took part in the revolt that overthrew the monarchy, but after its restoration in late 1924 he was exiled. In 1930 he was captured by the Yugoslav authorities and evicted to Albania, where he was sentenced to prison for his antimonarchist activities. During World War II he joined the National Liberation Movement (LNÇ) and became head of the organization in the Dibër District. After the war he was elected a deputy of the Albanian parliament and also served as head of the National Library of Albania until his death in 1953.

Works

Stërmilli's first works include the novel The Unfortunate Dibrane (Albanian: Dibranja e mjerueshme) and Love and Loyalty (Albanian: Dashuni e Besnikëri), which describe the persecution of the Albanian community of his home region Debar by the Serbian army.[2] In 1935 his semi-autobiographical work The Prison (Albanian: Burgu), a memoir of life in prison and its degraded conditions and effects, was published. The novel Sikur t'isha djalë (English: If I were a Boy), published in 1936, is his best-known work and the first literary work in Albanian that dealt with the subjects of feminism and the emancipation of women.[3] "Sikur t'isha djalë" became one of the most popular books of the 1930s in Albanian and is considered revolutionary for that period.

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ Kiefer, Dorothea (1979). Entwicklungspolitik in Jugoslawien: ihre Zielsetzungen, Planungen u. Ergebnisse. Oldenbourg. ISBN 978-3-486-49601-7. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  2. ↑ Banham, Martin (1995). The Cambridge guide to theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-521-43437-9. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Bihiku, Koço (1964). An outline of Albanian literature. Naim Frashëri State Publishing House. Retrieved 5 June 2011.