Haki Stërmilli (17 May 189517 January 1953) was an Albanian writer and journalist. His works dealt mostly with issues related to the rights of Albanian communities outside Albania, republicanism, the emancipation of women and feminism. His best-known work is the novel '' Sikur të isha djalë'' ( en, If I were a Boy).

Life

Born in

Debar Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(modern

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

), Stërmilli finished his first studies in Bitola. In 1920 along with

Avni Rustemi Avni Rustemi (22 September 1895 – 22 April 1924) was an Albanian patriot, militant, teacher, activist and member of the Albanian parliament. Rustemi was the leader of both democratic organisations "Atdheu" and "Bashkimi", and also a member ...

he became one of the founders and the secretary of the youth organization ''Bashkimi''. An anti-monarchist 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 deported to Albania, where he was sentenced to prison for his anti-monarchist activities. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he joined the National Liberation Movement (LNÇ) and became head of the organization in the

Dibër District Dibër District ( sq, Rrethi i Dibrës) was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 counties. It had a population of 86,144 in 2001, and an area of . It is in the northeast of the country, and i ...

. After the war he was elected a deputy of the Albanian parliament and also served as head of the

National Library of Albania The National Library of Albania ( al, Biblioteka Kombëtare e Shqipërisë) is an Albanian national library headquartered in the capital, Tirana. It was founded in 1920 and inaugurated on December 10, 1922. History The Library Commission of Alb ...

until his death in 1953.

Works

Stërmilli's first works include the novel ''The Unfortunate Dibrane'' ( sq, Dibranja e mjerueshme) and ''Love and Loyalty'' ( sq, Dashuni e Besnikëri), which describe the persecution of the Albanian community of his home region Debar by the Serbian army. In 1935 his semi-autobiographical work ''The Prison'' ( sq, Burgu), a memoir of life in prison and its degraded conditions and effects, was published. The novel '' Sikur t'isha djalë'' ( en,

If I were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...

), 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. ''"Sikur t'isha djalë"'' became one of the most popular books of the 1930s in Albanian and is considered revolutionary for that period.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stermilli, Haki 1895 births 1953 deaths Albanian writers People from Debar

Life

Works

See also

Sources