Injac Zamputi ( it, Ignazio Zamputti; Shkodra, 12 February 1910 – 28 February 1998) was an Albanian scholar, writer, and historian.

Early life

Zamputi was born on 12 February 1910 in Shkodra, today's

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, back then still part of the Vilayet of Scutari of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. His paternal grandfather was Italian (Zamputti) who had initially settled in Kavaja in 1870, while his wife (Zamputi's paternal grandfather) was a Ragusian-born migrated to Albania ( Račić). His father was born in Durres in 1876, while his mother was an Albanian woman from Temal of Dukagjin highlands. Zamputi graduated from the Saverian College in Shkodra, and at the age of 21, and where he would start his academic career as professor of the

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. He would later study

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

s at the

University of Trieste The University of Trieste ( it, Università degli Studi di Trieste, or UniTS) is a public research university in Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. The university consists of 10 departments, boasts a wide and almos ...

in Italy.

Academic life

In 1937, he wrote a melodrama titled ''Damiani Himarjot'' (Damian of Himara), published in the '' Leka'' magazine later in 1943. In 1943, he published his first book ''Zemra Njerëzish'' (People hearts) and in 1944 his second book, a collection of short stories titled ''Atje nën hijen e Rozafës'' (There, by the Rozafa Shade). After the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

he was the editor of Italian language part of the "Fascist Youth" journal (Rinija Fashiste). Right after the end of

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he started as director of the Cultural Center in Shkodra, while during 1946-1948 he lived in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 th ...

, teaching literature in the local

lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...

. He would continue to write during the '50s and '60s, three

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

s, a melodrama, two long stories, and a poem about the

Albanian uprising of 1481 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 ...

which would not get published, forcing him to focus on

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and paleography. He started working in the Medieval History section of the Institute of Sciences (later known as Institute of History, Alb: ''Instituti i Historisë'', where he would work for circa 40 years. In 1953, he settled in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. Zamputi gave an immense contribute in transcribing, translating, and commenting thousands of important documents about the history of Albania, taking advantage of his excellent knowledge of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, medieval Italian, paleography, and archival research. During his academic life, Zamputi distinguished himself as an historian of unusual precision and reliability. Some of his main works are ''Relacione mbi gjendjen a Shqiperise veriore e te mesme ne shkullin XVII'' (Reports on the state of Northern and Central Albania in the 17th century), ''Dokumenta te shekullit XV per historine e Shqiperise'' (15th century documents on the Albanian history), ''Regjistrimi i kadastres dhe koncencioneve ne rrethin e Shkodres, 1417-1418'' (Land and concessions registry in the Shkodra district, 1417-1418), and a set of volumes ''Dokumente per historine e Shqiperise'' (Documents on the history of Albania), by periods: 1479–1506, 1400–1405, 1507–1699 (the later in 4 volumes named ''Dokumente the shekujve 16-17 per historine e Shqiperise'' - Documents from the 16th-17th centuries on the history of Albania). Zamputi is also known for transcribing the Elbasan Gospel Manuscript. In 1993 he moved to Italy, where he kept working on the medieval history, finishing two manuscripts of translated medieval documents, and an autobiography. He died in Tivoli, on 28 February 1998, and was buried in Sharrë near Tirana on 5 March 1998.

Recognition

Despite his huge contribute in the fields of history and

albanology Albanology, also known as Albanian studies, is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the language, costume, literature, art, culture and history of Albanians. Within the studies the scientific methods of literature, ling ...

, the first scientific title was awarded to him in 1995 as "Punonjës i shquar i shkencës dhe i teknikës" (Distinguished contributor on science and technology), for "distinguished contribute on Albanological Sciences".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamputi, Injac 1910 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Albanian poets 20th-century Albanian historians Albanian translators Latin–Albanian translators Members of the Academy of Sciences of Albania People from Shkodër People from Scutari vilayet Albanian people of Italian descent Albanian people of Croatian descent Albanian expatriates in Italy Albanian palaeographers Albanologists Albanian short story writers Albanian novelists 20th-century translators University of Trieste alumni

Early life

Academic life

Recognition

See also

References