Skënder Petro Luarasi (19 January 190027 April 1982) was an

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 ...

n scholar, writer and anti-fascist activist.

Life

Luarasi was born in Luaras of

Kolonjë Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat of ...

region (back then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, today's

) on 19 January 1900. He was the son of Albanian patriot

Petro Nini Luarasi Petro Nini Luarasi (born 22 April 1865 in Luaras, Kolonjë, Albania, then Ottoman Empire, and died on 17 August 1911 in Ersekë, Kolonjë, Albania, then Ottoman Empire) was an Albanian rilindas activist, teacher and journalist. His father, Nini ...

, descendant of the ''Kostallari'' family of the Luaras village, and Lino Sevo. Though Luarasi was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, he named his son ''Skënder'' to refer to the Albanian National Hero

Scanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

. The poet

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, translator, and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening. Regarded as a pioneer of moder ...

was his godfather.
Luarasi performed the first studies in Albanian-language schools of Negovan and

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 ...

(1909-1911). After the death of his father by poisoning, he was sent to

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

(1912-1913). Luarasi would continue his studies at Easton Academy in US (1914-1916), International College in

Springfield, MA Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

in US (1916-1918), Classis Gymnsium in

Freistadt Freistadt (, ) is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of a district of the sa ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, (1922-1926) and graduated from the Faculty of Philology at

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, Austria in 1930. During his return in Albania (1920-1922) he worked as a teacher in the schools opened by

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

Elbasan District Elbasan District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 counties. It had a population of 224,974 in 2001, and an area of It was in the centre of the country, and its capital was the city o ...

. 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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, 1937, together with Petro Marko. The last was a 20-page periodical of Albanian volunteers participating in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

s.
During the years 1930-1936 Luarasi taught at the Technical School of

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 ...

, Vlora, and Shkodra, until he left for Spain to join the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

. He had been previously arrested and imprisoned three time by the Zogist regime.
During the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

German Occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

he was arrested and interned in several concentration camps, including Vernet,

Gurs Gurs () in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. History Gurs was the site of the Gurs internment camp. Nothing remains of the camp; after World War II, a forest was planted on the site where it stood. Geography 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 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 ...

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 Qemal Stafa High School is a high school located in Tirana, Albania. Founded in 1925 by Prime Minister Ahmet Zogu as the ''Lyceum of Tirana'', it is notable for its alumni, seventy-five of whom died in World War II, and fourteen of whom were ...

, the Publishing Company of the Science Institute, Pedagogical School, "Jordan Misja" Artistic Lyceum, and Faculty e History-Linguistics of the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana (, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the State University of Tirana (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes ...

( where he established the English language major).
Until 1982, 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 April 1982. Several schools in Albania and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

are named after him.Shkolla e Mesme Teknike "Skender Luarasi" - Suharekë

Main works

Studies, monographs, memoirs

*''Isa Boletini'', short biography, Prishtina, "Rilindja" 1972. OCLC 43365281 *''Ismail Qemali'', biography, Tirana, Shtëpia Botuese e Librit Politik, 1972. OCLC 80727030 *''Les soeurs Qiriasi'', study, Tirana, 1962. OCLC 79170189 *''Kolonel Thomson'', monograph *''Petro N. Luarasi, jeta dhe vepra'', study, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1958. OCLC 560911213 *''Migjeni, jeta dhe vepra'', study, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1961. OCLC 462044090 *''Gjerasim Qiriazi, jeta dhe vepra'', study, Tirana, Naim Frashëri, 1962. OCLC 28785711 *''Sevasti Qiriazi, vepra'', study *''Në Brigadat internacionale'', memories, Tirana, Toena, 1996. OCLC 37228386 *''Fjala shqipe'', study, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1961. OCLC 462053473 *''Fjala e lirë shqipe (publicistikë e studime)'', study *''Kujtime historike'', memoirs *''Kujtime autobiografike (Ç'kam parë e ç'kam dëgjuar)'', autobiographic collection *''Tri jetë, Koloneli Tomson - Ismail Qemali - Isa Boletini'', collection of biographies, Tirana, "Migjeni", 2007.

Theatrical plays

*''Agimi i Lirisë (Freedom's Dawn)'' *''Stuhi në prill (Storm in April)''

As co-author

*''Zgjimi Kombëtar Shqiptar : 1878-1912 (Albanian National Awakening)'', Stavro Skëndi; Skender Luarasi; Nestor Nepravishta, Tirana, Phoenix : Shtëpia e Librit dhe e Komunikimit, 2000,

Translations to Albanian

*''

Enoch Arden ''Enoch Arden'' is a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1864 during his tenure as British poet laureate. The story on which it was based was allegedly provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lends its name to a ...

'' by

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

, "Shtypshkronja Tirana", 1936. *''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1968. OCLC 503885742 *''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' by

, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1968. OCLC 503889228 *''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' by

, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1968. OCLC 503895560 *''

'' by

Thomas Whincop Thomas Whincop (2 June 1697 – 1730) was an English compiler of theatrical history. Life He is identified as the son of Thomas Whincop, D.D., rector of St Mary Abchurch. On that basis he was educated at Merchant Taylor's School and Corpus Christ ...

, Shtëpia Botonjëse "Naim Frashëri", 1967. OCLC 504060109 *''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, Prishtina, 1961, OCLC 558205528 *''

The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...

'' by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

, Tirana, 1960. OCLC 562688044 *''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, Tirana, Ndërmarrja shtetrore e botimeve, 1957. OCLC 163308588 *'' Fuente Ovehuna'' by

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...

, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1980. OCLC 441739925 *''

Götz von Berlichingen zu Hornberg (, ; 15 November 1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand (German language, German: Eisenfaust), was a 16th-century Germany, German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary and poet. He wa ...

'' by

, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1959. OCLC 43129221 *''

Intrigue and Love ''Intrigue and Love'', sometimes ''Love and Intrigue'', ''Love and Politics'', or ''Luise Miller'' (, ; literally "''Cabal and Love''") is a five-act Play (theatre), play written by the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller. His third play, it was ...

'' by

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

, Tirana, Ndërmarrja shtetërore e botimeve, 1955. OCLC 796248147 *''

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage: A Romaunt'' is a long narrative poem in four parts written by Lord Byron. The poem was published between 1812 and 1818. Dedicated to " Ianthe", it describes the travels and reflections of a young man disillusioned ...

'' by

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

, Tirana, Ndermarrja Shteterore e Botimeve, 1956. OCLC 248867971 *''

Emilia Galotti ''Emilia Galotti'' () is a play in five acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781), which premiered on 8 March 1772 in Braunschweig, Brunswick (''Braunschweig'' in German). The work is an example of German ''bürgerliches Trauerspiel'' (bourg ...

'' by

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (; ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the dev ...

, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1962. OCLC 72370973 *''

Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. After self-publishing it in 1855, he spent most of his professional life writing, revising, and expanding the collection until his death in 1892. Either six or nine separa ...

'' by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

, Tirana, Ndërmarrja Shtetërore e botimeve, 1956. OCLC 660230353 *''

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

'' by

, Tirana, Shtëpia botuese "Naim Frashëri", 1975. OCLC 77886954 *''Albania: Its discontents and their origin'' by Frederick Morton Eden (1865-1948), Tirana, Infbotues, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luarasi, Skender Albanian writers English–Albanian translators German–Albanian translators Robert College alumni People from Kolonjë People from Janina vilayet 1900 births 1982 deaths Albanian people of the Spanish Civil War 20th-century Albanian translators

Life

Main works

Studies, monographs, memoirs

Theatrical plays

As co-author

Translations to Albanian

See also

References