Skënder Luarasi

Skënder Petro Luarasi
Born January 19, 1900
Luaras, Ottoman Empire
Died January 27, 1982 (aged 82)
Tirana, Albania
Nationality Albanian
Occupation Writer, translator, biographer, critic

Skënder Luarasi (1900-1982) was an Albanian scholar, writer and anti-fascist activist.

Life

Luarasi was born in Luaras of Kolonjë region (back then Ottoman Empire, today's Albania) on 19 January 1900. He was the son of Albanian patriot Petro Nini Luarasi, descendant of the Kostallari family of the Luaras village, and Lino Sevo.[1] Though Luarasi was a Protestant, he named his son Skënder to refer to the Albanian National Hero Scanderbeg. The poet Naim Frashëri was his godfather.
Luarasi performed the first studies in Albanian language schools of Negovan and Korçë (1909-1911). After the death of his father by poisoning, he was sent to Robert College of Istambul (1912-1913). Luarasi would continue his studies at Easton Academy in US (1914-1916), International College in Springfield, MA in US (1916-1918), Classis Gymnsium in Freistadt, Austria, (1922-1926) and graduated from the Faculty of Philology at University of Vienna, Austria in 1930.[2] During his return in Albania (1920-1922) he worked as a teacher in the schools opened by American Red Cross in Elbasan District.

Luarasi started his literary activity since 1917. During the 30s he would distinguish himself as teacher, critic, journalist, translator, playwright, and director and cooperator of several press periodicals. He was editor-in-chief of the periodicals Studenti ("The Student"), 1920 in US, Djalëria ("Boyhood"), Austria, 1927-1928, and the magazine Vullnetari i Lirisë ("Volunteer of Freedom"), Spain, 1937, together with Petro Marko. The last was a 20-page periodical of Albanian volunteers participating in the Spanish Civil War as anti-fascists.[3]
During the years 1930-1936 Luarasi taught at the Technical School of Tirana, Vlora, and Shkodra, until he left for Spain to join the International Brigades. He had been previously arrested and imprisoned three time by the Zogist regime.
During the Italian and German Occupation he was arrested and interned in several concentration camps, including Vernet, Gurs, St.Cyprien, etc.

After World War II, he was elected representative of Kolonje region in the Albanian Assembly (1945). Luarasi was one of the initiator of the foundation of Albanian League of Writers and Artists and member of the presidium until November 1949 when he was expelled for several years from the League due to his anti-conformist behavior. Until his retirement (1967), he worked as teacher and historian in the State Pedagogic Commission, Qemal Stafa High School, the Publishing Company of the Science Institute, Pedagogical School, "Jordan Misja" Artistic Lyceum, and Faculty e History-Linguistics of the University of Tirana ( where he established the English language major).
Until 1992, his activity focused on publicistics, monographs, theatrical plays, historical and literary studies.

Luarasi was awarded "Flag Order" (1960) and "Honor of the Nation" (1996) by the Albanian government with the motivation "For distinguished patriotic, anti-fascist, democratic, literary, and educative activity".

Luarasi died on 27 January 1982. Several schools in Albania and Kosovo are named after him.[4]

Main works

Studies, monographs, momoirs

Theatrical plays

As co-author

Translations to Albanian

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aleko Likaj (09.06.2011), I paepuri Profesor Skender Luarasi (in Albanian), Prishtina Press, retrieved 03.02.14, Jeta e tij nisi me një tragjedi të rëndë familjare. Ishte njëmbëdhjetë vjet, kur babain ia helmuan agjentët filogrekë të shtyrë nga rrethet klerikale greke. Skënderi, si bir i denjë i babait të vet, e vazhdoi rrugën patriotike po me atë pasion dhe këmbëngulje, po me atë zell, pa përfillur asnjë lloj rreziku nga çdo anë që i vinte. Nga leximi i librit të Guri Sevos “Mësuesi im i parë i shqipes” kisha formuar një ide për karakterin e Petro Ninit, ndërsa pas njohjes me Skënderin vura re ngjashmëri të madhe midis tij dhe të atit Check date values in: |date=, |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ Dashnor Kaloçi, "Kush ishte Profesor Skënder Luarasi [Who was Prof. Skender Luarasi]", Si e vodhën dhe e falsifikuan jetën e veprën e Migjenit [How Migjeni's work was stolen and falsified] (in Albanian), Shkodra Online, retrieved 04.02.14, Skënderi i vogël u dërgua për të studiuar në "Robert Kolezh" të Stambollit. Në vitin 1914, Skënderi shkoi në SHBA dhe u regjistrua në "Easton Akademi" të cilën e përfundoi në vitin 1916 dhe po atë vit ai ndoqi "Amerikan Internacional Kolezh Spring-field. Mass", të cilin e përfundoi në vitin 1918. Gjatë asaj kohe që ishte në atë kolegj, ai themeloi dhe u zgjodh kryetar i Lidhjes së Studentëve shqiptarë dhe editor i gazetës "Studenti". Kur u kthye në Shqipëri, në vitet 1920-1922, ai punoi si mësues në Qarkun e Elbasanit në shkollat që u hapën nga Kryqi i Kuq amerikan. Në vitet 1922-1926, Skënderi studioi dhe u diplomua në gjimnazin klasik të Freishtadt të Austrisë dhe në vitet 1926-1930, ai u diplomua në fakultetin e Filozofisë së universitetit të Vjenës. Gjatë asaj periudhe, ai ishte kryetar i shoqërisë "Albania" dhe editor i revistës "Djalëria". Nga viti 1930 e deri në 1936, Skënderi punoi si mësues në shkollën teknike të Tiranës, në Institutin Tregtar të Vlorës dhe në atë të Shkodrës. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ↑ Robert Elsie (December 22, 2005), Albanian Literature: A Short History, I. B. Tauris, p. 184, ISBN 978-1845110314
  4. ↑ Shkolla e Mesme Teknike "Skender Luarasi" - Suharekë