Fatmir Gjata (September 22, 1922 – 1989) was a prominent Albanian writer of Socialist Realism.

Life

Fatmir Gjata was born in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, in 1922. His father, Isuf Gjata, was a teacher who joined the National Liberation Movement during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and fell in 1944. Fatmir Gjata studied in the French Lyceum of Korçë and later he attended the

Maxim Gorky Literature Institute The Maxim Gorky Literature Institute () is an institution of higher education in Moscow, Russia. It is located at 25 Tverskoy Boulevard in central Moscow. History The institute was founded in 1933 on the initiative of Maxim Gorky, a writer, foun ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. As a communist and a poet, he wrote several poetry volumes during World War II and later, some of which would become known partisan songs. During the war he was in charge of a local illegal newspaper. His poetry was embroidered with march-style enthusiasm and solemn

lexicology Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that analyzes the lexicon of a specific language. A word is the smallest meaningful unit of a language that can stand on its own, and is made up of small components called morphemes and even smaller elemen ...

. He would claim his place in Albanian literature during 1950–90 period with his novels, theatrical plays, short story volumes and screenplays, some of which would turn into films such as ''Tana'', the first Albanian movie. Fatmir Gjata is also known for directing some of the most important institutes of art and culture in

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the Pa ...

. He served as Chairman of the Committee for Arts and Culture, member of the

Albanian League of Writers and Artists The League of Writers and Artists of Albania () is a non-profit organization founded with the goal of promoting and advancing the literary and artistic creativity of Albanian writers and artists. Its mission includes assessing and reassessing outs ...

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

for 25 years of '' Nëntori'' literary magazine, journalist, and member of the collegial council for other press organs such as ''

Zëri i Popullit ''Zëri i Popullit'' () is an Albanian online newspaper. It was the official press organ of the Party of Labour and, later, of the Socialist Party of Albania, but it later ceased print publication and became an independent online publication.

'', '' Drita'', ''Ylli'', '' Hosteni'', etc. His work has been translated into other languages. Many of his works received national prizes in Albania, such as "Republic's First Prize", "Order of the Flag of First Class", etc. He died in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, in 1989.

Prominent works

* (The Swamp), 1959 (novel) * (The Counselors), 1979 (novel) * (At the doorstep of life), 1960 (short stories) * (Spring eve), 1977 (novel) * (Generations), 1968 (novel) * , 1958 (novel) * (The overthrow), 1954 (novel) * (In the Chinese land – memoirs and stories), 1958 (co-author with Sterjo Spasse) * (With a bagful of bullets: diary), 1982 (memoirs) * (In the streets among simple people), 1969 (stories collection) * (Heroes of Vig), 1959 (story) * (The enemies), 1966 (novel)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjata, Fatmir Albanian-language writers 1922 births 1989 deaths Albanian communists Writers from Korçë Albanian resistance members Socialist realism writers Albanian National Lyceum alumni Albanian male writers 20th-century Albanian novelists Albanian male short story writers Albanian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Male screenwriters Male dramatists and playwrights Male novelists 20th-century Albanian short story writers Maxim Gorky Literature Institute alumni 20th-century Albanian journalists 20th-century Albanian screenwriters Albanian expatriates in the Soviet Union