Ardian Klosi (9 July 1957 – 26 April 2012) was an Albanian publicist, albanologist, writer, translator and social activist. He graduated

Albanian literature Albanian literature stretches back to the Middle Ages and comprises those literary texts and works written in Albanian. It may also refer to literature written by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and the Albanian diaspora particularly in Italy. Alba ...

at the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana ( sq, Universiteti i Tiranës, 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'' in 1957 through merging of ...

in 1981 and received his PhD on German and Comparative Literature at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

Early life and family

Ardian Klosi was born in Tirana in 1957 to Klosi family, originally from

Mallakastër Mallakastër ( sq-definite, Mallakastra) is a region and a municipality in Fier County, southwestern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the present municipalities Aranitas, Ballsh, Fratar, Greshicë, Hekal, Kutë, Ngraçan, Qendër Du ...

. His father was

Bilbil Klosi Bilbil Klosi (25 January 1915 – 22 November 1978) was an Albanian politician and public prosecutor during the Communist Albania period. Among other duties, he served as Minister of Justice from 1951 to 1966. Klosi was born in the village of Kl ...

, the former Minister of Justice in period 1953—1966 and secretary of the presidium of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

in period 1966—1973. In 1981 Ardian earned a degree in Albanian literature at the

Return to Albania

Klosi returned to Albania in 1998 and engaged in civil society activities and journalism. After returning from Germany, Klosi was from 1998 to 1999 the General Director of

Radio Televizioni Shqiptar Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (; en, "Albanian Radio and Television"; mostly called RTSH ) is an Albanian public broadcasting radio and television company. Founded in 1938, it operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmi ...

, the public broadcaster of Albania.

Bibliography

Klosi's activity is closely related to books and other publications: * “Reflections” with

Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...

* "Albania, a Painful Awakening” * "Quo Vadis, Albania" (Whither Goest Thou, Albania) * "Albania, What can it Be in the Future” * "Albanian Survival" in German * a German-Albanian vocabulary, in cooperation with other authors in 1997 Klosi has given a great contribution in translation into Albanian. Authors whose works he translated include

Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt (; 5 January 1921 – 14 December 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-g ...

Max Frisch Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity, individuality, responsibility, morality, and political commitment. The use of irony is a significant featur ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (; 21 December 1917 – 16 July 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers, Böll is a recipient of the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972). ...

, Georg Büchner, Ernest Gellner and François Pouqueville. He was awarded several times for his translations: with "Kult" prize for the best translation of the non-fiction book of 2005 (

Karl Reinhold Karl Reinhold (1834–1880) was a German physician and Albanologist from Kingdom of Hannover. He was born in Göttingen, and worked as the physician-in-chief in the Greek Navy, after Prince Otto of Bavaria became King of the newly constituted Kin ...

's ''"Pelasgic Nights"''). and "Best translator of 2008" for the translation of Oliver Schmitt's "

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

. Der neue Alexander auf dem Balkan".

Death and reactions

Klosi had a long history of mental health issues, particularly depression, which had severely affected him in different points of his life. Following the death of his mother in November 2011, he unsuccessfully attempted suicide and was treated in a Tirana hospital. After he was discharged from the hospital, he was fired from his workplace at the Goethe Institute of Tirana, where he had worked for a number of years. This led to yet another suicide attempt, for which he was hospitalised again. In the early hours of April 26, 2012, Klosi hanged himself in his holiday home in Dardhe, Korce. He was 54 years old, and left behind two young daughters and his wife, German photographer Jutta Benzenberg. The Albanian President

Bamir Topi Bamir Myrteza Topi (; born 24 April 1957)CV at Albanian presidency website
. i ...

considered it "an irreplaceable loss for the family and the entire Albanian society, that today more than ever needs intellectuals of an independent and courageous voice, carrying out altruistic missions on behalf of the Albanian people. The

Socialist Party of Albania The Socialist Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Socialiste e Shqipërisë, PS or PSSh) is a social-democratic political party in Albania. It has been described as centre-left, to left-wing. It was founded on 13 June 1991. The PS is an associate of t ...

expressed their condolences, saying, "Ardian Klosi created a precious value with his example as an intellectual committed to give his efforts for democracy and social justice, and for an Albania that should be protected with its assets. He will be remembered as an active citizen in the civil battle against the environmental destructions, and who made the voice of independent citizens to be listened for environmental protection", the SP message says.Mesazh për një humbje të madhe për botën shqiptare të fjalës së lirë
, Socialist Party of Albania, 2012-04-27 (in Albanian) The opposition leader,

, tweeted: ''“A dear friend of our country left this night, after refusing to coexist with vulgarity”''. He was buried at the public Sharra cemetery in a Tirana suburb.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klosi, Ardian 1957 births 2012 deaths People from Tirana Albanian non-fiction writers Albanian male writers 20th-century Albanian writers 21st-century Albanian writers Albanian translators German–Albanian translators 20th-century translators 21st-century translators Albanian activists University of Tirana alumni University of Innsbruck alumni