Skënder Petro Luarasi (19 January 190027 April 1982) was an Albanian scholar, writer and anti-fascist activist.

Life

Luarasi was born in

Luaras Luaras is a village in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, it became part of the municipality Kolonjë. Notable people *Kristo Luarasi, Albanian rilindas and first editor of the Kalendari Kombëtar maga ...

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 th ...

region (back then Ottoman Empire, today's Albania) on 19 January 1900. He was the son of Albanian patriot Petro Nini Luarasi, descendant of the ''Kostallari'' family of the Luaras village, and Lino Sevo. Though Luarasi was a Protestant, he named his son ''Skënder'' to refer to the Albanian National Hero

Scanderbeg , 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 ...

. The poet

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, rilindas and translator who was proclaimed as the national poet of Albania. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern ...

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

Negovan Negovan may refer to: *Negovan, Bulgaria, a village ** Negovan Crag, a peak in Antarctica, named after the village *Flampouro, Florina ( sq, Negovan, links=no), a village in northern Greece * Thomas Negovan (born 1971), American historian, musician ...

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

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...

of Istanbul (1912-1913). Luarasi would continue his studies at Easton Academy in US (1914-1916), International College in Springfield, MA in US (1916-1918), Classis Gymnsium in

Freistadt Freistadt (, literally "Freetown") 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 ...

, Austria, (1922-1926) and graduated from the Faculty of Philology at University of Vienna, 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 Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

Elbasan District Elbasan District () was one of the 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 capita ...

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

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 ...

s.
During the years 1930-1936 Luarasi taught at the Technical School of Tirana, Vlora, and Shkodra, until he left for Spain to join the

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

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

German Occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

he was arrested and interned in several concentration camps, including

Vernet Vernet is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Painters * Antoine Vernet (1689-1753), French painter, father of Claude Joseph Vernet * Claude Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. ...

, 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, as well as to assess and reassess the finest works ...

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 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 ( 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 ...

( where he established the English language major).
Until 1992, 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 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 published in 1864 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, during his tenure as England's poet laureate. The story on which it was based was provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lent its name to a principle in ...

'' by Alfred Tennyson, "Shtypshkronja Tirana", 1936. *'' King Lear'' by Shakespeare, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1968. OCLC 503885742 *''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' by Shakespeare, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1968. OCLC 503889228 *'' The Merchant of Venice'' by Shakespeare, 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 Chri ...

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

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' by Charles Dickens, Prishtina, 1961, OCLC 558205528 *'' The Song of Hiawatha'' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Tirana, 1960. OCLC 562688044 *'' Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 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. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

, Prishtina, "Rilindja", 1980. OCLC 441739925 *'' Götz von Berlichingen'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1959. OCLC 43129221 *'' Intrigue and Love'' by

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

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

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'' 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 world-weary young man, who is dis ...

'' by Byron, 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 Brunswick ("Braunschweig" in German). The work is a classic example of German '' bürgerliches Trauerspiel'' (bourgeois ...

'' by

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

, Tirana, "Naim Frashëri", 1962. OCLC 72370973 *'' Leaves of Grass'' by Walt Whitman, Tirana, Ndërmarrja Shtetërore e botimeve, 1956. OCLC 660230353 *'' William Tell'' 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 Albanian translators 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 translators