Llazar Siliqi (1924 – 2001) was a notable

Albanian 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 ...

poet. His poetic profile was influenced by the work of

Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...

. Siliqi was born 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 ...

, the son of the Albanian poet and nationalist figure Risto Siliqi. He was an active participant of the

Albanian resistance during World War II 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 ...

, was arrested and interned in the

Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

in Pristina, today's

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. Siliqi was the librettist of the first Albanian opera, ''

Mrika ''Mrika'' (''Maria'') is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi. It premiered (in a four-act version) in Shkoder, Albania in 1958 at the Migjeni Theatre. The revised three-act version (and ...

'', composed by

Prenkë Jakova Prenk Jakova (27 June 191719 September 1969) was an Albanian composer, musician, and author of ''Mrika'' (1958), which is considered the first Albanian opera. A native of Shkodër, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an ...

, as well as ''Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu'' (

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 ...

) of 1969, an epic-heroic work written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Scanderbeg, Albania's national hero, with music from Jakova as well. Siliqi is also known for the epic-narrative poem ''Prishtina'' (

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

) of 1949, dedicated to the Pristina Nazi concentration camp during World War II, and for the screenplay of the movie ''Komisari i Dritës'' (Commissar of Light) of 1966. A long time member of the

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 ...

, he participated in the Orthography Congress of 1972 where the orthographic rules 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 ...

were standardized, and was one of the signatories.

Other works

*''Mësuesit dhe Atit: Poezi dhe prozë shqipe kushtuar emrit të J. V. Stalinit'' (To the Teacher and Father: Poetry and prose dedicated to J.V.Stalin), as co-editor, Tirana: Ndërmarrja shtetërorre e botimeve, 1953. *''Mësuesi'' (The teacher), Tirana: Ndërmarrja shtetërorre e botimeve, 1955. *''Thirrja e zemrës'' (Call of heart), Tirana: Ndërmarrja shtetërorre e botimeve, 1957. *''Kangët nuk mbeten kurr të pakëndueme!'' (The songs never remain without being sung), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1959. *''Ringjallje: poemë'' (Renaissance: poem), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri", 1960. *''Kangë entuziaste'' (Enthusiast songs), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1962. *''Albanian contemporary prose'', Tirana: "Naim Frashëri", 1963. *''Kalorësi i lirisë: poemë dramatike'' (Freedom knight: dramatic poem), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri", 1967. *''Nga porti i ri deri ku vlon malsia'' (From the new port to the highland glows), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1967. *''Festë'' (Feast), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri", 1970. *''Kur zemra flet'' (When the heart talks), as co-editor, Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1970. *''Poemë për gruan shqiptare'' (Poem for the Albanian woman),

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 ...

: General Council of the Women's Union of Albania, 1972. *''Poema e dritës'' (Poem of light), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1972. *''Heshtja që flet'' (Silence that talks),

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

: Rilindja, 1972. *''Ju flet Tirana'' (Tirana speaking), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1974. *''Poezia Shqipe'' (Albanian poetry), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1976. *''Përpara historisë'' (In front of history), Tirana: "Naim Frashëri" 1979. *''Për ty zemra na këndon: antologji poetike për partinë'' (Our heart sings for you: poetic anthology for the

Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

), as co-editor, Tirana: "Naim Frashëri", 1981.

References

1924 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Albanian poets Albanian-language poets Albanian librettists Writers from Shkodër Albanian resistance members Albanian communists Albanian screenwriters Socialist realism writers Nazi concentration camp survivors Siliqi family 20th-century screenwriters {{Albania-writer-stub