On November 12, 1987, the poet Lasgush Poradeci passed away.

He was born into the Gusho family on December 27, 1899, in Pogradec. He was named Llazar, although he would achieve eternal fame through his pen name. At the age of 10, he began his education in Manastir and later moved to Athens, where he completed his high school studies. In 1921, he moved to Romania to pursue higher education. In Bucharest, he became involved in the national movement of the Albanian community and was appointed as the secretary general of the Albanian colony.

Poradeci’s poetic work forms a triptych that celebrates freedom, love, and the lake. In 1933, his first collection, Vallja e Yjeve (“The Dance of the Stars”), was published, followed by Ylli i Zemrës (“The Star of the Heart”) in 1937. Among other works, Poradeci wrote the poems Ekskursioni Teologjik i Sokratit (“Socrates’ Theological Excursion”), Mbi Ta (“Above Them”), and Kamadeva.

Lasgush Poradeci translated several masterpieces of world literature, including Eugene Onegin by Pushkin, the lyrics of Lermontov, Blok, the poems of Heine, Mayakovsky, and Mickiewicz, the lyrics of Goethe and Heine, and works by Lanault, Brecht, Hugo, and others.

Some of Poradeci’s most famous poems that were set to music include Të Rite e Viteve të Mi (“The Years of My Youth”), Fryn Veriu (“The North Wind Blows”), Foli Nëna me Vajtim (“Mother Spoke with Lament”), Mall’i Vjershëtorit (“The Poet’s Longing”), Kroj’i Fshatit Tonë (“The Song of Our Village”), and Kush Ta Fali Bukurinë (“Who Gave You Your Beauty”).

The year 2024 has been declared by the National Center for Books and Reading as the Year of Lasgush Poradeci, marking the 125th anniversary of the poet’s birth.

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