Luigj Gurakuqi

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Luigj Gurakuqi
Born February 19, 1879(1879-02-19)
Shkodër, Albania (then Ottoman Empire)
Died 2 March 1925(1925-03-02) (aged 46)
Bari (Italy)
Pen name Jakin Shkodra and Lekë Gruda
Occupation writer, journalist, politician
Ethnicity Albania Albanian
Period 1900-1925
Literary movement Albanian National Revival

Luigj Gurakuqi (February 19, 1879 – March 2, 1925) was an Albanian writer and politician. He was an important figure of the Albanian National Awakening and was honoured with the People's Hero of Albania medal.

Contents

[edit] Life

Born in Shkodër on February 19, 1879, Gurakuqi started his studies there, and he finished them at the University of Naples in Italy, where he was also a student of Jeronim De Rada. He was also a poet and published under the pen name Jakin Shkodra and Lekë Gruda. He published articles in Albania, Drita (magazine), Kalendari-kombëtar, Liria e Shqipërisë, and La Nazione Albanese.

In 1908, Gurakuqi returned to Albania and took an important role in the Albanian movement for independence. He participated in a meeting of Albanian leaders in Manastir, (Bitola, present-day Republic of Macedonia), was the first principal of Aleksandër Xhuvani University, and was the right-hand man of Ismail Qemali in the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912, and one of the leaders of the northern uprisings of 1911-1912.

In 1924 Gurakuqi was one of the leaders of the revolution that overthrew the regime of Ahmet Zogolli and established a democratic government. Fan S. Noli became the new Prime Minister, while Luigj Gurakuqi was part of the new cabinet as Minister of Economy and Finance.[1] After the restoration of the Zogist regime Gurakuqi went to Italy, where he was assassinated in a cafe of Bari on March 2, 1925 by agents of Zog.[1]

[edit] Honors

Luigj Gurakuqi was awarded the titles Hero i Popullit (Hero of the People) and Mësues i Popullit (Teacher of the People). The Luigj Gurakuqi University of Shkodra, established in 1957 was named after. A statue of him stands in the center of Shkodër.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

This article was based partly on facts from [1] and [2].

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