Ernest Koliqi was a well-known Albanian poet, writer, playwright, scholar and translator. He was born in Shkodër, where he also received his first lessons, he moved to Italy to study in Brescia and then at the University of Padua. He has written the works “Tregtar flajmsh”, “Shadow of the mountains”, “Reflections of Narcissus”, literary studies and many translations, mainly from Italian literature.

Ernest Koliqi was a well-known Albanian poet, writer, playwright, scholar and translator. Born in Shkodër, where he also received his first lessons, he moved to Italy to study in Brescia and then at the University of Padua. He started writing under pseudonyms, such as Hilushi, Hilush Vilza and Borizani.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Koliqi was the founder of the main magazines in Albania, such as “Illyria”, “Ora e Maleve”, “Shkendija” and other magazines such as Shejzat in Italy. He was also Minister of Education during the Kingdom of Albania during World War II, when he contributed to the creation of public libraries in Albania.

Koliqi tried to write a history of Albanian literature, without any influence from political ideologies or other factors.

As a writer many of his literary works were banned during the communist era due to his liberal political views. He became a creator in prose, and together with Mitrush Kuteli are considered the founders of modern Albanian prose. He translated into Albanian the works of great Italian writers, such as Dante Alighieri, Petrarca, Ludovico Ariosto, Torquato Tasso, Giuseppe Parini, Vincenzo Monti, Ugo Foscolo and Alessandro Manzoni. He excelled in translating an anthology of Italian poetry in 1963.

In his books such as “Mountains’ shadow” (1929), “Flag Merchant” (1935) and “Mirrors of Narcissus” (1936), Koliqi brings a unique Albanian spirituality to literature. Koliqi died in Italy in 1975.

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