Injac Zamputi ( it, Ignazio Zamputti; Shkodra, 12 February 1910 – 28 February 1998) was an Albanian scholar, writer, and historian.
Early life
Zamputi was born on 12 February 1910 in Shkodra, today's
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...
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) ...
. His paternal grandfather was Italian (Zamputti) who had initially settled in Kavaja in 1870, while his wife (Zamputi's paternal grandfather) was a Ragusian-born migrated to Albania ( Račić). His father was born in Durres in 1876, while his mother was an Albanian woman from
Temal
Temal is a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Vau i Dejës. The population at the 2011 census was 1,562.Dukagjin highlands. Zamputi graduated from the Saverian College in Shkodra, and at the age of 21, and where he would start his academic career as professor of the
Albanian language
Albanian (endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europe ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
. He would later study
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
s at the
University of Trieste
The University of Trieste ( it, Università degli Studi di Trieste, or UniTS) is a public research university in Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. The university consists of 10 departments, boasts a wide and almos ...
in Italy.
Academic life
In 1937, he wrote a melodrama titled ''Damiani Himarjot'' (Damian of Himara), published in the '' Leka'' magazine later in 1943. In 1943, he published his first book ''Zemra Njerëzish'' (People hearts) and in 1944 his second book, a collection of short stories titled ''Atje nën hijen e Rozafës'' (There, by the Rozafa Shade). After the
Italian invasion of Albania
The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime ...
he was the editor of Italian language part of the "Fascist Youth" journal (Rinija Fashiste). Right after the end of
WWII
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, he started as director of the Cultural Center in Shkodra, while during 1946-1948 he lived in
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea ...
, teaching literature in the local
lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the ...
. He would continue to write during the '50s and '60s, three
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
s, a melodrama, two long stories, and a poem about the Albanian uprising of 1481 which would not get published, forcing him to focus on
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and
paleography
Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...
. He started working in the Medieval History section of the Institute of Sciences (later known as Institute of History, Alb: ''Instituti i Historisë'', where he would work for circa 40 years. In 1953, he settled in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and 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 overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
. Zamputi gave an immense contribute in transcribing, translating, and commenting thousands of important documents about the history of Albania, taking advantage of his excellent knowledge of
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
,
medieval Italian
Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...
, paleography, and archival research. During his academic life, Zamputi distinguished himself as an historian of unusual precision and reliability. Some of his main works are ''Relacione mbi gjendjen a Shqiperise veriore e te mesme ne shkullin XVII'' (Reports on the state of Northern and Central Albania in the 17th century), ''Dokumenta te shekullit XV per historine e Shqiperise'' (15th century documents on the Albanian history), ''Regjistrimi i kadastres dhe koncencioneve ne rrethin e Shkodres, 1417-1418'' (Land and concessions registry in the Shkodra district, 1417-1418), and a set of volumes ''Dokumente per historine e Shqiperise'' (Documents on the history of Albania), by periods: 1479–1506, 1400–1405, 1507–1699 (the later in 4 volumes named ''Dokumente the shekujve 16-17 per historine e Shqiperise'' - Documents from the 16th-17th centuries on the history of Albania). Zamputi is also known for transcribing the
Elbasan Gospel Manuscript
The Elbasan Gospel Manuscript is an 18th-century collection of translations from the New Testament into Albanian. Although the author is mainly known as the Anonymous of Elbasan ( sq, Anonimi i Elbasanit), according to Mahir Domi and Robert Elsie ...
.
In 1993 he moved to Italy, where he kept working on the medieval history, finishing two manuscripts of translated medieval documents, and an
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English p ...
. He died in
Tivoli
Tivoli may refer to:
* Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli
Buildings
* Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855
* Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), a ...
, on 28 February 1998, and was buried in
Sharrë
Sharrë is a village in the former municipality of Vaqarr in Tirana County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is lo ...
near Tirana on 5 March 1998.
Recognition
Despite his huge contribute in the fields of history and
albanology
Albanology, also known as Albanian studies, is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the language, costume, literature, art, culture and history of Albanians. Within the studies the scientific methods of literature, lingu ...
, the first scientific title was awarded to him in 1995 as "Punonjës i shquar i shkencës dhe i teknikës" (Distinguished contributor on science and technology), for "distinguished contribute on Albanological Sciences".
Studime Historike
''Studime Historike'' ("Historical Studies") is a scientific magazine on albanology. It is published by the Institute of History, part of the Centre of Albanological Studies in Tirana, Albania.
It is profilised as a bulletin short studies or art ...
''
*
Albanology
Albanology, also known as Albanian studies, is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the language, costume, literature, art, culture and history of Albanians. Within the studies the scientific methods of literature, lingu ...
*
Medieval Albania
When the Roman Empire divided into east and west in 395, the territories of modern Albania became a part of the Byzantine Empire. At the end of the 12th century, the Principality of Arbanon was formed which lasted until mid 13th century, after ...