Ismet Toto (
Progonat, 1908 –
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 le ...
, 1937) was an Albanian bureaucrat, publicist, writer and political activist. Along with
Vangjel Koça,
Branko Merxhani
Aleksandër Merxhani mostly known as Branko Merxhani (1894–1981) was an Albanian intellectual, sociologist, writer, journalist and literary critic. He was one of the most important cultural figures of the pre-World War II in Albania, publishe ...
and
Nebil Çika, he was one of the main representatives of the
Neo-Albanianism (neo-shqiptarizma) school of thought in the '30s.
Biography
Toto was born on 1908 in
Progonat,
Kurvelesh,
Labëria
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...
into an Albanian nationalist family. He graduated in the American Technical School in Tirana and went on to study in economics in the
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...
. During the early 1930s he became known for his writings on the topics of religion, philosophy and ethics. His tract "Grindje me klerin" was amongst the first and one of the most known anti-religious works in Albania.
Political activities and death
He joined the failed
Delvina uprising of 1937 was captured by government forces. On 12 July 1937 he was executed by hanging in the prison of
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 le ...
.
Published works
* "Grindje me Klerin" – polemic (1934)
* "Gazi-Kemal Ataturk" – biography (1935)
* "Plato" – translation (1936)
* "Bota e një djali kryengritës" – sent to the press in 1944
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toto, Ismet
1908 births
20th-century Albanian writers
Albanian former Muslims
Albanian atheist writers
1937 deaths
Critics of religions
People executed by Albania by hanging
Executed Albanian people
People from Tepelenë
Sapienza University of Rome alumni