Ledia Dushi (born 1978) is an Albanian writer and academic. She is known for her poetry in the

Gheg Albanian Gheg (also spelled Geg; Gheg Albanian: ''gegnishtja'', Standard sq, gegërishtja) is one of the two major variety (linguistics), varieties of Albanian language, Albanian, the other being Tosk Albanian, Tosk. The geographic dividing line betwee ...

dialect, unusual in a country where published writing is almost exclusively in

Tosk Albanian Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

Early life and education

Ledia Dushi was born in 1978 in

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

, a city in northern Albania. She studied Albanian language and literature, obtaining a doctoral degree in ethnology and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

from the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Art Studies at the

Academy of Albanological Studies The Academy of Albanological Studies ( sq, Akademia e Studimeve Albanologjike) is the main institution of albanology in Albania. History The Academy of Albanological Studies started as part of the reconstruction and modernization of the Albanian ...

Career

Dushi previously worked as a journalist, as well as in municipal government in Shkodër, where she focused on cultural issues. As an academic, she worked as a lecturer at the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...

in Albanian language and literature, then at the

European University of Tirana The European University of Tirana ( al, Universiteti Europian i Tiranës, UET) is an accredited private university in Tirana, Albania. It was established in 2006 by four PhD students (at the time): Adri Nurellari, Blendi Kajsiu, Ermal Hasimja ...

. Her academic research focuses on folklore and religious rites, particularly burial rites in northern Albania. In addition to her own poetry and academic writing, Dushi translates others' work from English, Spanish, and Italian, including writing by Gabriele D'Annunzio,

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

, and

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

Writing

Dushi is best known for her work as a poet. Notably, she writes primarily in

, the dialect used in her native Shkodër. This sets her apart from the vast majority of Albanian writers, who use the standard Albanian dialect that is based on the southern

. Early in her career, she was criticized for publishing in Gheg, accused of wanting to divide the Albanian nation. Her first book of poetry, ''Ave Maria bahet lot'', was published in 1997. The following year, it was awarded the

Albanian Ministry of Culture Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

's prize for best debut book. This was followed by two more collections in 1999 and 2003. Her 2009 collection of 33 poems ''Me mujt me fjet me kthimin e shpendve'' has been described by some critics as her "masterpiece." Most recently, she has published the collections ''N`nji fije t`thellë gjaku'' (2019) and ''Femna s`asht njeri'' (2020). A collection of her poetry translated into English was published in 2019 under the title ''Rain in the Dark''. Dushi's poetry is influenced by the work of such modernists as

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

Selected works

* ''Ave Maria bahet lot'' (Ave Maria Turns to Tears), 1997 * ''Seancë dimnash'' (Session of Winters), 1999 * ''Askush nuk vdes për mue'' (No One Dies for Me), 2003 * ''Me mujt me fjet me kthimin e shpendve'' (If I Could Sleep With the Bird's Return), 2009 * ''N`nji fije t`thellë gjaku'' (In a Deep Thread of Blood), 2019 * ''Femna s`asht njeri'' (Woman Is Not Human), 2020

External links

A selection of poems by Ledia Dushi in English translation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dushi, Ledia 1978 births Albanian women writers Albanian women poets Academic staff of the European University of Tirana People from Shkodër Living people Academic staff of the University of Belgrade