The National Historical Museum commemorated today on the 5th anniversary of his death, the famous albanologist Robert Elsie.

In May 2016 in the UNESCO hall of the National Museum, researcher Robert Elsie, among friends and interested guests, presented a part of the fund of 450 unknown photographs that Miss Edith Durham took during her travels mainly in Albania and Montenegro.

In the field of albanology, Robert Elsie has first devoted himself to Albanian literature. Among his early publications are: Dictionary of Albanian Literature, Westport, Connecticut 1986, and History of Albanian Literature, Boulder, Colorado 1995, in two volumes.

He has also published literary translations in English and German, such as in the UNESCO volume “An Elusive Eagle Soars”: An Anthology of Modern Albanian Poetry, London 1993; Albanian Folktales and Legends, Tirana 1994; the poetic works of the poet Migjeni (1911-1938) translated into English in the volume Free Verse (Vargjet e lira), Tirana 1991.

Considering the extremely dire situation in Kosovo, a situation largely unknown to the outside world, he compiled the first major anthology of writings on the subject of Kosovo in the 600-page volume Kosovo: “In heart of powder keg), Boulder, Colorado 1997.

He also published the Canon in German, Der Kanun: das albanische Gewohnheitsrecht nach dem sogennenten Kanun des Lekë Dukagjini (The Canon: Albanian customs’ law according to the so-called Canon of Lekë Dukagjini), Pejë 2001; author of many books and countless articles, mainly in the field of Albanianology.

Albanologist Robert Elsie passed away on October 2, 2017.

/Klara Ruci/