by Rafaela Prifti/
The unquestionable integrity and message of a trailblazer continue to reverberate today. Kristo Floqi’s time at Vatra and Dielli, however short, is incredibly significant.
Jonela Spaho’s monograph of Kristo Floqi proposes to shed light on “the influential thinker of the first half of the 20th century”. The Professor of Literature at Korca University wrote her PHD thesis on Floqi’s exceptional role particularly as a playwright in the years of Albania’s Independence era throughout the start of WWII. The publication of the 2021 monograph provides as much a historical contextualization as an appreciation for a “multifaceted personality” and offers compelling insights sourced by the subject’s own autobiography, according to Dr. Spaho’s introduction.
Dr. Paulin Marku, one of the leading scholars on Albania’s Independence Period, told Dielli that “Kristo Floqi’s figure stands out for his influence in the political and legal sphere. As a Doctor of Jurisprudence and a law practitioner, he was a pioneer of the judicial system in Albania and its first Chief Justice. During the 20s and 30s, as a legislative representative of two districts, Dibra and then Korça, a State Council member, Minister of Education in Isuf Vrioni’s administration, Floqi was a distinguished figure well-deserving of respect and appreciation. Above all, the unifying role of Floqi to advance the national movement for Albania’s independence cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Marku.
In the realm of the literary world, Dr. Spaho’s claim is that Kristo Floqi is not only one of the most prolific Albanian writers but as author of two dozen comedies, “he is a founder of the genre”. A gifted author, public speaker and journalist, Floqi is a remarkable pioneer and publicist of the Albanian word. Much of his hard-working nature and perseverance shine through since the early years of his life particularly in reference to his pursuit of self-improvement and education. Born in Korce, Villayet of Manastir, in the Ottoman Empire, he moved from school to school due to family circumstances. He learned Albanian through sheer determination, great writers and kind-hearted mentors. At one point, a 14 year-old Floqi started a personal correspondence with Naim Frasheri, who was so impressed with the writings, the national poet affectionately called his pen pal ‘the little La Fontaine’
Vatra and Dielli are both well served by the publication of the monograph by Jonela Spaho. In a real sense, they both owe their existence to Kristo Floqi’s relentless efforts and unifying style of leadership. He became editor of the Albanian weekly Dielli (The Sun) in September 1911. The national program published by Dielli and later adopted by Vatra illustrate his qualifications as a visionary with incredible foresight. Driven by the idea of unifying the Albanian community under one organization, Kristo Floqi led numerous conferences around the country laying the groundwork for what would be later known as Vatra. Floqi rallied Albanian émigrés around the flag and was a prominent leading voice for merging numerous organizations at the time. Alongside Fan Noli and Faik Konica, he is one of the main contributors for the founding of the Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra in Boston. Due to disagreements with the editor, Floqi resigned his position with Dielli in April 1912. During the winter of 1912-1913 he moved to New York City where he started a newspaper titled Zeri i Popullit (‘Voice of the People’) Though it attracted quite a number of subscribers, it was a short lived periodical.
Kristo Floqi’s time at Vatra and Dielli, however short, is incredibly significant.
Throughout Kristo Floqi’s personal life, academic education, political career and literary work, there is one constant thread which is his unquestionable integrity and patriotism. Having lived through some regime changes, there has been no shortage of twists and turns, ups and downs, more of the latter especially in communist Albania in the late period of Floqi’s personal and professional life. Yet, he reappears now in the monograph Kristo Floqi: His time and Works by Dr. Spaho. Whether it will serve as a call for scholars of the co-founder of Vatra and editor of Dielli, time will tell. In that context, Wednesday’s book presentation at Vatra’s headquarters in New York would be a hopeful sign of inviting historians and researchers to explore Kristo Floqi’s figure in all its dimensions.