Dritëro Agolli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dritëro Agolli
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Portrait of a young Agolli, 1951
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| Born | 13 October 1931 Menkulas, Devoll, Albania |
| Died | 3 February 2017 (aged 85) Tirana, Albania |
| Occupation | novelist, poet |
| Period | 1958–2017 |
| Literary movement | Socialist realism, Postmodern literature |
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Dritëro Agolli (born October 13, 1931 – died February 3, 2017) was a famous Albanian poet, writer, and politician. He studied in Leningrad, which was in the Soviet Union. He wrote many poems, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels.
From 1973 to 1992, he was the leader of the League of Writers and Artists of Albania. He was also an important person in the Albanian Communist government.
Contents
About Dritëro Agolli
Agolli was born into a farming family in Menkulas, a village in the Devoll District. He finished high school in Gjirokastër in 1952. Later, he went to the Faculty of Arts at the University of Leningrad.
When he came back to Albania, he became a journalist. He worked for the daily newspaper Zëri i Popullit (which means The People’s Voice) for 15 years. Agolli was also a representative in the Albanian Parliament, helping to make laws for the country.
His First Poems
Dritëro Agolli started his career as a poet. His first collections of poems were:
- I went out on the street (Albanian: Në rrugë dolla, published in Tirana in 1958)
- My steps on the pavement (Albanian: Hapat e mija në asfalt, Tirana 1961)
- Mountain paths and sidewalks (Albanian: Shtigje malesh dhe trotuare, Tirana 1965)
Writing Stories and Novels
Agolli also became a prose writer, meaning he wrote stories and novels. His first novel was Commissar Memo (Albanian: Komisari Memo, Tirana 1970). This book was later translated into English as The Bronze Bust in 1975.
His second novel was The Man with the Cannon (Albanian: Njeriu me top, Tirana 1975). This book also talked about the theme of partisans, who were fighters during World War II.
One of his most famous books is the funny story Splendour and fall of comrade Zylo (Albanian: Shkëlqimi dhe rënja e shokut Zylo, Tirana 1973). This book is a satire, which means it uses humor and exaggeration to make fun of something. In this story, Comrade Zylo is a government official who tries his best but often makes silly mistakes. His assistant, Demkë, writes down all of Zylo's funny adventures. The book shows how people can be clumsy and a bit silly, no matter where they are. This story first appeared in a funny magazine called Hosteni in 1972.
Leading the Writers' League
From 1973 to 1992, Agolli was the head of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists. This was a very important role during the time when Albania was under a Communist government.
During this period, writers in Albania were expected to follow a certain style called "Socialist Realism." This meant their writing should support the goals of the Communist Party. Some writers faced difficulties if their work did not fit these rules. Some were not allowed to publish, and others had to leave the country. For example, the famous writer Ismail Kadare moved to France.
The 1990s and Later Life
In the early 1990s, Agolli became a member of Parliament again, this time for the Socialist Party of Albania. He also started his own company, the Dritëro Publishing Company, where he published new books of his own.
Agolli continued to write a lot during the 1990s. Some of his poetry collections from this time include:
- The Time Beggar (Albanian: Lypësi i kohës, Tirana 1995)
- The Spirit of Our Forefathers (Albanian: Shpirti i gjyshërve, Tirana 1996)
- The Strange Man Approaches (Albanian: Vjen njeriu i çuditshëm, Tirana 1996)
- Ballad for My Father and Myself (Albanian: Baladë për tim atë dhe për vete, Tirana 1997)
- Midnight Notebook (Albanian: Fletorka e mesnatës, Tirana 1998)
- The Distant Bell (Albanian: Kambana e largët, Tirana 1998)
He also wrote more prose, like the short story collection Insane People (Albanian: Njerëz të krisur, Tirana 1995) and the novel The Devil's Box (Albanian: Arka e djallit, Tirana 1997).
Dritëro Agolli passed away on February 3, 2017, in Tirana, at the age of 85. He died from a lung illness.
His Legacy
Even though Dritëro Agolli was an important figure during the Communist era in Albania, his books are still very popular and widely read today. People remember him for his wonderful writing.
See also
In Spanish: Dritëro Agolli para niños
