Giuseppe Schirò ( Arbërisht: Zef Skiroi; 10 August 1865 – 17 February 1927)Elsie, ''Albanian literature'',
pp. 60–64
/ref> was an Arbëresh neo-classical poet, linguist, publicist and folklorist from

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. His literary work marked the transition from the Arbëresh language to modern

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. Alb ...

in Italy. He was a major protagonist of the

Rilindja The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

, the Albanian cultural awakening or Albanian Renaissance, in Italy.

Early life

Schirò was born in Piana dei Greci (now Piana degli Albanesi).Di Marco & Musco, ''Aspetti della cultura bizantina ed albanese in Sicilia''
p. 85
/ref> While still young he was encouraged by his cousin Cristina Gentile Mandalà (1856–1919) to value his native Arbëreshë language and culture. She would assist him later in collecting local folktales and published a compilation of folktales herself. At the age of nine he wrote a poem inspired by nationalism and dedicated to Albania's most important national hero

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 ...

. In 1890, he graduated with a law degree at the University of Palermo. However, his main passion remained classical and Italian folklore and literature, which he taught in 1888–1894 at the Garibaldi secondary school in Palermo. At the university he befriended

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

, who would become a world-famous novelist and playwright.

Literary career

He wrote poems in both Italian and Albanian, and soon began to collaborate with literary and political writings in various periodicals. In 1887, he founded the magazine ''Arbri i rii'' (''La giovine Albania''/The young Albania), which was followed in 1890 with ''Archivio albanese'' (Albanian archive) and in 1904 with the short-lived ''La bandiera albanese'' (The Albanian flag).Enciclopedia Italiana (1936)
at Treccani His literary breakthrough was ''Rapsodie albanesi'' (Albanian Rhapsodies) in 1887, which made him known to Albanologists and Albanian patriots. In 1891, he published an imaginary love idyll ''Mili e Haidhia'' (Mili and Haidhia), which would eventually be published in three editions (1900 and 1907), including notes on traditions, legends, customs and traditions of Piana dei Greci. The work is considered to be a masterpiece of early 20th century Albanian verse and is probably his best work. A collection of patriotic songs ''Kënkat e luftës'' (The songs of battle), dedicated to Albanian independence, came out in Palermo in 1897, followed by the historical idyll ''Te dheu i huaj'' (To the foreign land) in 1900 about the epic escape of Albanians in the 15th century from their homeland and their arrival in Sicily. He also published work on Arbëreshë folklore in ''Canti sacri delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia'' (Sacred Songs of the Albanian Colonies in Sicily) in 1907, and ''Canti tradizionali e altri saggi delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia'' (Traditional Songs and Other Essays of the Albanian colonies of Sicily) in 1923.

Academic career and politics

Schirò was a major protagonist of the Rilindja, the Albanian cultural awakening or Albanian Renaissance, in Italy.Fracchia, Joseph (2010). ''"Hora": Social Conflicts and Collective Memories in Piana degli Albanesi''. Past & Present, Volume 209, Issue 1, November 2010, Pages 181–222, https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gtq030 In October 1895, along with fellow Italo-Albanians

Girolamo de Rada Girolamo de Rada ( Arbërisht: ''Jeronim de Rada''; 29 November 181428 February 1903) was an Arbëreshë folklorist, journalist, lawyer, playwright, poet, rilindas and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of t ...

and Anselmo Lorecchio, he organised a congress on Albanian national, cultural and linguistic self-determination that convened in

Corigliano Calabro Corigliano Calabro is a town and a ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano located in the province of Cosenza, c. 40 km northeast of the city of Cosenza, in Calabria, southern Italy. Geography It is situated near the mouth of a river of the same ...

and it was followed by a second congress in Lungro during February 1897. Schirò's views on the Albanian question during the late Ottoman period were in support of revolution against the empire so as to take advantage of sympathy toward Albanians in the European press and influence European diplomacy toward supporting an uprising. For Schirò, the existence of the Ottoman Empire was on borrowed time and he was against Albanian-Ottoman cooperation to safeguard Albanian interests as for him it was counterproductive to achieving Albanian independence. In 1900 he was appointed professor of Albanian language and literature at the ''Istituto Regio Orientale'' (Royal Oriental Institute) in Naples, where he would remain until the end of his life. From 1912 to 1914 Schirò worked in Albania as an inspector for Italian schools. Those were the years of the birth of an independent Albania, proclaimed in November 1912 after nearly 500 years of

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

. Meanwhile, he had laid the foundation of the ''Società nazionale albanese'' (Albanian National Society) to affect public opinion in favour for the independence of Albania, and for the same purpose composed a poem ''Fiamuri i Arbërit'' (The Albanian flag) and the book "The Albanians and the Balkan question", both in 1904. While devotedly Albanian, Schirò also admired Italy's cultural potential. He often advocated Italy's role, with its strong Arbëreshë minority, as a protector of the weak Albanian state against the hostile intentions of its Balkan neighbours. In 1913, Schirò participated in the

Albanian Congress of Trieste The Albanian Congress of Trieste ( sq, Kongresi Shqiptar i Triestës) was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support ...

for recognition of the political and economic independence of Albania. Schirò was fascinated with the early Fascist movement of Benito Mussolini. In ''Kënkat e litorit'' (The Songs of the Littoral), published in 1926, he glorified the rise of the movement. In local politics, he was an unyielding opponent of

Nicola Barbato Nicola Barbato (Piana dei Greci, October 5, 1856 – Milan, May 23, 1923) was a Sicilian medical doctor, socialist and politician. He was one of the national leaders of the Fasci Siciliani (Sicilian Leagues) a popular movement of democratic an ...

, the socialist leader of his hometown Piana dei Greci. He supported the local Mafia boss

Francesco Cuccia Francesco Cuccia (1876 – 1957), also known as Don Ciccio, was a member of the Sicilian Mafia and one-time mayor of Piana dei Greci (now Piana degli Albanesi). He is best known as the Mafia boss who triggered Benito Mussolini’s war on the Mafi ...

for mayor in April 1922. Schirò publicly defended the Mafia administration of Cuccia several times, considering it "the most suitable for the peaceful development of the best qualities of its people," able to open "a new period in our history." In a speech from the balcony of City Hall, he praised Cuccia to have had the merit and the courage "to have done away with that red flag of socialism from our community."Il coraggio di Mariano Barbato
, La Sicilia, 17 January 2010

Death and legacy

The death of his son Mino, murdered in a political intrigue in July 1920, shed a heavy shadow over his final years. He dedicated the poem "Mino" to his son's death. Schirò died on 17 February 1927 in Naples. His absolute belief in fascist Italy as a potential protector and custodian of the culture of Albania conflicted with the aspirations of Albanian nationalists, which advocated absolute independence, including from Italy. Despite his accomplishments, Schirò was less appreciated by literary historians in

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

and political criteria interfered with objective literary criticism. Schirò is considered to be one of the greatest figures of contemporary Sicilian Arbëresh literature. According to the scholar in Albanian literature and folklore,

Robert Elsie Robert Elsie (June 29, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was a Canadian-born German scholar who specialized in Albanian literature and folklore. Elsie was a writer, translator, interpreter, and specialist in Albanian studies, being the author of numerou ...

, Schirò “first succeeded in blending the romantic elements of Arbëresh folk verse with the artistic precision of Italian classical and neo-classical poetry to form a harmonious and balanced poetic corpus. What

Girolamo De Rada Girolamo de Rada ( Arbërisht: ''Jeronim de Rada''; 29 November 181428 February 1903) was an Arbëreshë folklorist, journalist, lawyer, playwright, poet, rilindas and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of t ...

had done for Arbëresh literature in the 19th century, Giuseppe Schirò accomplished in the 20th.”

References

Sources

* Elsie, Robert (2005).
Albanian Literature: A Short History
', I. B. Tauris, * Di Marco P. & Musco A. (2005).
Aspetti della cultura bizantina ed albanese in Sicilia
', Officina di Studi Medievali {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiro, Giuseppe 1865 births 1925 deaths People from Piana degli Albanesi Arbëreshë people Italian people of Arbëreshë descent Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Linguists from Italy Albanian folklorists Italian folklorists 19th-century Albanian poets 20th-century Albanian poets 19th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian poets Albanian-language poets Albanian male poets Italian male poets 19th-century Italian male writers Poets from Sicily 20th-century Italian male writers