Exclusive interview of journalist, researcher and professor Robert C Austin, given to editor, DalipGreca/
When was your first contact with the Albanians and their cause?/
Prof. Robert C Austin – I have been working on issues related to Albania and the Albanians since the late 1980s. As an undergraduate student in Ottawa I was already interested in the 19th and 20th century history of the Albanians with a particular focus on Albania’s communist period. I started visiting Albania in 1991, lived there for a while as a journalist and have been a regular visitor since then. I became much more focused on Kosova in the late 1990s and have been also regular visitor there for many years now. I was lucky enough to be in Prishtina in February 2008 together with a group of ten of my students from Toronto for Independence Day. Every year I bring a group of students from Canada to Kosova.
I have tried as much as possible to maintain my links with Vatra and my many friends in the United States. I have always enjoyed the hospitality of my friends there and hope to again take part in an event that celebrates the varied contributions of Vatra and its membership.
Which of Albanian personalities have impressed you the most?
-In historic perspective, I most admire Faik Konica but Fan S Noli as well. I maintain a deep interest in the period between the two World Wars as this was an extremely challenging period for Albania and its people. In my own research, I take a relatively critical view of many of Albania’s political leaders, especially King Zog for the failure to address the problems faced by Albania’s peasantry. In contemporary perspective, I have come to know many leaders in Albania, Kosova and Macedonia and have been in the region at several historic moments. For me, it was extremely touching that I was able to host President Rugova in Toronto in 2001. I enjoyed that visit immensely.He left a very deep impact on the people that he met in Canada.
How do you see Noli: as a poet, writer, leader, religious leader or interpreter?
-Noli was really a “jack of all trades.” There are few things he could not do and that is what makes him so interesting. I see Noli’s legacy of multi-layered. But first and foremost, I see his greatest impact within the realm of Albanian Orthodoxy. I think his time in Albanian politics was too short and fraught with challenges that his legacy there is less substantial.
Those who read my book will note that my assessment of Noli’s principal political decisions is negative. I am also highly critical of Albania’s neighbors who often did their best to thwart Noli’s well-intentioned policies.
How would you compare Fan Noli to Konica in the political aspect?
Noli and Konica were remarkably different people. I have always maintained that things would have been different for Albania had Konica taken a more active role on-the-ground inside Albania in the 1920s. Konica was probably a better politician and certainly better suited to navigate Albania’s political scene but he clearly did have the stomach for that kind of life.
In the 1920s, Konica’s writing, while deeply thoughtful and often extremely humorous, are also cynical and extremely critical. Konica was ultimately a pragmatist while Nolifell victim to his unrelenting idealism. This cost him dearly in the long run while Konica was able to retain his role in Albania over a much longer period of time. Noli and Konica have highly praised each other, but they had conflicts too.
Do you think their controversies have affected the way they are perceived by the people?
-I do not see much impact of the quarrel between the two men as impacting now how they are perceived now. For sure that was part of the picture in the 1920s but not now. I think that the 20th Century in Albania gave us several remarkable figures. Noli and Konica come first to mind when one thinks this period. Both had similar ideas, both understood Albania’s serious challenges but both pursued different means. With the benefit of hindsight, it appears Konica was right and Noli was wrong.
Next year it is going to be Vatra’s 100th anniversary, what do you think of its historical contributions to the Albanian nation?
-One cannot deny the huge impact Vatra had in the Albanian National Awakening, independence and the 1920s. I also tell my students that the Albanian – American community is unique in many aspects but primarily for its decisive role at key moments and the significance of many of the community’s leaders. I would also add that even during the very difficult communist period Vatra ensured that Albania was not forgotten by policy makers. Moreover, its role after the collapse of the regime in Albania, Vatra again assumed an important role for Albanians in the region and in the United States.
What are some of the new features that the book that you are republishing has?
-The biggest single difference is that it is English. The version in Albanian was never available to the North American and more broadly English – speaking world. That version was essentially my doctoral dissertation from 1997. The present version has been revised and has benefitted from the intervening decade of reflection. While it remains a scholarly book, I think it is accessible to a wide audience who are interested not only in Albania but also the problems faced by small states in the Balkans after the First World War. I also maintain that the book offers some important lessons for Albanian leaders in the Balkans today. Lots of mistakes were made then that do not need to be made again! I hope they see that. Finally, the chapters that deal with foreign relations are substantially revised, especially the section on Kosova.
Do you have a message for your New York friends who are helping you with the book?
-This book went through a very rigorous peer review process. Publishing a serious academic study is an extremely time consuming and meticulous process. It is also expensive. When I learned that I would need a subsidy to bring the book to fruition, I immediately knew that my friends in New York could help me. I have had a long and special relationship with the Bitici brothers. I have met them in NYC and Prishtina – I was in the same hotel with Sergio and Mike on Independence Day.
I appreciate maybe more than they know their leadership role in helping me. I can only say that when the book is finally in print, I can sit down with everyone over a nice meal and say thanks in person. The book was ultimately written for an Albanian audience. It is a great honor for me to have such wonderful supporters. See you in New York very soon with your copies!
New York-Budapest, 14 April 2011(Dielli-arkiv)
Caption: – At the fundraising dinner at Fiorino Restaurant on April 7th, hosted by Sergio and John Bitici for Robert Austin, author of newly published book in the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Vatra. Other supporters who participated in the event were: Harry Bajraktari, Lewis Gjelaj, Sejdi Husenaj, Zef Balaj, Elmi Berisha, Gjok Deckaj, Sergio and Sabit Bitici, Anton Raja, HalilMulaj and Dalip Greca.