Haki Stërmilli (17 May 1895 – 17 January 1953) was an
Albanian writer and journalist.
His works dealt mostly with issues related to the rights of Albanian communities outside Albania, republicanism, the emancipation of women and feminism. His best-known work is the novel ''
If I Were a Boy'' ().
Life
Born in
Debar,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
(modern
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
), Stërmilli finished his first studies in
Bitola. In 1920 along with
Avni Rustemi
Avni Rustemi (26 September 1895 – 22 April 1924) was an Albanian patriot, revolutionary, teacher, activist and member of the Albanian parliament. Rustemi was the leader of numerous patriotic societies and associations and also a member o ...
he became one of the founders and the secretary of the youth organization ''Bashkimi''.
An anti-monarchist and supporter of
Fan Noli he took part in the revolt that overthrew the monarchy, but after its restoration in late 1924 he was exiled. In 1930 he was captured by the Yugoslav authorities and deported to Albania, where he was sentenced to prison for his anti-monarchist activities. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he joined the
National Liberation Movement (LNÇ) and became head of the organization in the
Dibër District. After the war he was elected a deputy of the Albanian parliament and also served as head of the
National Library of Albania until his death in 1953.
Works
Stërmilli's first works include the novel ''The Unfortunate Dibrane'' () and ''Love and Loyalty'' (), which describe the persecution of the Albanian community of his home region Debar by the Serbian army.
In 1935 his semi-autobiographical work ''The Prison'' (), a memoir of life in prison and its degraded conditions and effects, was published. The novel ''
Sikur t'isha djalë'' (), published in 1936, is his best-known work and the first literary work in Albanian that dealt with the subjects of feminism and the emancipation of women.
''"Sikur t'isha djalë"'' became one of the most popular books of the 1930s in Albanian and is considered revolutionary for that period.
See also
*
Albanian literature
Albanian literature stretches back to the Middle Ages and comprises those literary texts and works written in Albanian language, Albanian. It may also refer to literature written by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and the Albanian diaspora particul ...
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stermilli, Haki
1895 births
1953 deaths
Albanian writers
People from Debar