Prishtina, 29, Janary 2006
The first writings on
literature Ibrahim Rugova began with poetry, as all writers do, when they begin
to deal with literature. He published about twenty poems, which were at the
level of the poems that were published at that time. But soon he abandoned that
genre and he devoted to the study of literature, literary criticism mostly.
Even early in his first compilation of writings in this area, in the “lyrical
touch” at 1971, he showed an inclination towards western advanced literature by
avoiding the socialist realism, which had included a part of literature
the so-called socialist camp whose territory belonged to Albania and
Kosovo as part of Yugoslavia at that time.
Lets add that the
proceedings of this book were first published in the temporary ”word” newspaper
with the superscript “Literary zeniths”, where his orientation was seen to deal
with roofs of literature, mainly with the universal one. In this context, we
should also overview the efforts of the creator to be released from the dogma
of socialist realism that had gripped the literature that was created at that
time, particularly the one that was created in Albania and that somehow
influenced the literary creativity created into territories of former Yugoslavia,
where Albanians lived and acted. It has been said and written that Ibrahim
Rugova was among the first who opposed this direction of literary qith his
writings published in newspapers of that time. Actually since in the writings
of his book he was warning his orienting that aimed the roofs of literature
world, the most progressive part of this literature. This orientation of his
would be perfected after his several months residence in Paris, France. One
could freely say that his creativity was linked to the modernity in Albanian
culture, with modernity of scientific and literary criticism, not only of that
created in the territories of former Yugoslavia, where Albanians lived, but in
all the world lands, where Albanian language is spoke and written. In this way,
his works became lighthouse that illuminate different aspects of literature,
overviewed from different aspects that until then had not been cultivated in
Albanian letters.
In the meantime
Ibrahim Rugova also published other books: “Towards Theory” – 1972, “The
strategy of understanding” – 1980, “The book of Bogdan 1675-1685″ -
1982, ” Directions and premises of Albanian literary criticism 1504-1983″
-1983, “Aesthetic rejection” – 1987, and is co-author of two other books
“Literary Criticism” (together with Sabri Hamiti) – 1979, and also
“Bibliography of Albanian literary criticism, ’44-’74″ (together with Isak
Shema) – 1976.
“Faik Konica” the
publishing house of Pristine published the set of his books to prove the
indisputable values which this creativity possesses and that have not lost
actuality even today. In all these books it is easily noticed his keenness to
seize things, to explore with rare skill and ability that raises issues in
these works. In all these books is apparent his trend to better illuminate
issues that writes, by sticking to its primary orientation, to analyze the book
in the aspects of art and its role in the development of knowledge. Ibrahim
Rugova has made selecting and preparing for the release of selected poems by
contemporary poets, as Din Mehmeti, Ali Podrimja, Bekir Musliu etc, which
accompanied with introductions, which in reality are concise analysis of the
value of these books.
Two are the most
precious books of this creator, which seems to be the masterpieces of Ibrahim
Rugova and those are “Bogdani’s book 1675-1685” and ”Directions and premises of
Albanian literary criticism 1504-1983″. While at first he deals with the
study of the work of this versatile humanist and writer, in the second Rugova
will deal with the ways of development of literary criticism in Albanian
literature. In his critic opinion for the art of the written word in Albanian
literature is very early, it even begins with the presentation of the first
writings of Albanian writers. Thus, for example, he wrote the following lines:”
Also in the line of humanity we have the poet and philosopher Mikel Maruli
(1453-1500), who wrote poetry in the spirit of the elegies of Katuli and made
the poetic interpretation of world according to Lukreci. In 1497 he published
two popular books “quip” and “hymns of nature”, and left in manuscript the book
“On the princely education.” In doing so he prove his commitment to track and
find elements of critical thinking to literary works, even in other countries
and among other peoples, which were published earlier.
In the continuation of
this study Ibrahim Rugova would focus on assessments that are given to
literature and literary books on different times and spaces. An important place
in his work takes the critical opinion of Renaissance writers and the important
contribution of this period, who had published numerous works in poetry, prose
or even other genres of artistic creativity, but they had given assessments of
published works, among whom he mentions Jeronim De Rada, then Faik Konica,
which list the among the most valued critics in the aesthetic thought in
Albanian letters, which in his writing “The timeline Albanian letters”
testifying a higher awareness of the need for Albanian literary criticism, as
part of the literature, which also helps in its development. We can freely say
that Faik Konica is valued as one of the most astute critics and one of those
who helped in the development of critical thought in Albanian literature.
In this sequence
should also be mention many other contemporaries of Konica, among whom we are
mentioning Fan S. Nolin, who accompanied by introductions translated books from
different languages into Albanian, hence his calls his criticism introduction
criticism. No doubt that these interpretations are Noli’s precious treasure in
the development and growth of critical and aesthetic thought in Albanian
letters.
However the
consolidation of Albanian literary criticism starts quite late. It begins to
develop and cultivate after the start of the publication of many literary
magazines in Albanian, whether in Albania or in the Diaspora. In these
newspapers and magazines many dams begin to publish their writings that would
later become known, thus helping cultivate literary criticism as an integral
part of literature. This happens in the ’20s and ’30s of the last century when
the magazines “Boyhood”, ” New Albania”, ”Minerva”, ” Illyria”, ” Light
Star”etc begn to publish. At their sites will find writings of Eqrem Çabej,
Justin Rrota, Mitrush Kuteli, Krist Maloki, but also those of Dhimiter
Shuteriqi, Gjergj Fishta and many famous names of Albanian literature. A good
part of the Ibrahim Rugova’s study is devoted to contemporary criticism,
separately what was created in Albania and separately what was created in
Kosovo, namely in the former Yugoslavia. The author of the work under review
has brought depth analysis of orientations and values of contemporary critics,
whether their published works in the press of Albania or Kosovo, together with
their orientations in this field of creativity.
Ibrahim Rugova has
followed its work with scientific apparatus, citing footnotes for the used
sources, as well as he acted with the count of the utilized literature,
historical index of terms, index of names and similar. In two other books, one
he has published collections of poetry list with brief assessment of each
separately, and on the other, to the latest “Aesthetic rejection” where he
counted novels published since 1949 until 1986, just a year before the
publication of the book in question. All of which makes his work with high
values not only aesthetic, but also scientific.
Albanian and European
middle Ages
The study of Ibrahim
Rugova, “Bogdani’s book”, where are integrally studied the works of one of the
biggest creators of Albanian Middle Ages, Pjeter Bogdani, he is part of those
cultural achievements in general, particularly scientific, that among others, inspire
respect for the object of study. The man of our time, of this rush and
confusion as it has no time to deal with cultural heritage, scientific,
philosophical and literary of ancestors. This may be the consequence of our
mentality that allegedly everything starts with us or at least reached the
enviable development with us. Thus, viewed from this angle, Ibrahim Rugova
study opens new windows of knowledge, and thus points out the dark centuries,
especially the Middle Ages, where as factuality, is not known for all the
treasure of our spiritual heritage. Further, “Bogdani’s Book” removes, among
other things, the disposal of heritage cheesecloth, which is a source of the
right recognition towards the present, which makes it possible to find ways for
prospects of future. The study of Ibrahim Rugova adamantly insists on this
issue.
Issues that he has
made efforts to raise in interest level and interpretation, to analyze and to
solve are major issues that arise before the researchers, and at the same time
are part of our spiritual heritage, but also spiritual good things, in the fond
of cultural achievements in Europe. Dealing with the work of Pjeter Bogdani,
the author of the study a major has investigated its great values in different
fields of knowledge, in different plans of knowledge and different plans of
achievements of the human mind. Bogdani’s book “Cuneus Prophetarum”, published
for the first time in 1685, in Padua, in the Cardinal Barbarigos printing, is
the best evidence of the development of art, science and philosophy in the
middle age Albanian. Seeing this issue, the author has investigated the
forerunners Albanian and European predecessors, to create links of continuity
of this development. In the European plan this development is a contemporary of
elevated minds of Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza, Pascal. In the national
development plan, it is the brainchild of achievements and efforts of Barleti,
Buzuku, Budi and Bardhi.
In the study
“Bogdani’s book” is followed a scientific methodology, which was limited by the
scope of the study. Multiple historic-graphical data offered to readers today,
it may seem that they burden the study, but it is necessary for works of
height, because only in this way can be achieved the potential continuity between
the offered level to the facility, which is examined in the level of
achievement of scientific opinion at the present time.
The study “Bogdani’s
book”, pull “annexes”, is divided into two parts. In the first part the author
has dealt with the genesis of the book, while in the second part with the
analytics of the book of Pjeter Bogdani. These main divisions are followed with
numerous subsequent subdivisions, highlighting numerous issues of the book’s
plans. The first part are addressed issues that are conditional on the arduous
road to the creation of first original national book “Cuneus Prophetarum”. The
author of the study has had to deal with the issues of the definition of old
Albanian literature, this means with problems of systematization of literature.
Furthermore, with the classification of genres and forms that are developed
within the old literature, the biography of the author, whose work is the
subject of study. To investigate his time, social and cultural circumstances of
the time, is also dealed with other sides, outside side of the book nature, to
complete this way not only scientific curiosity, but also the demand of
cultural opinion of our time. Because, as Shakespeare said, that the author has
quoted, “lets get back to the old (antiquity) because it will be progress.”
Below the author has
given the six publications that had Bogdani’s books starting from 1685 until
1977. Until today we know that not many people have tried to study the book of
Bogdani, even though the book has not ceased to be the subject of different
interests since its publishing, in 1685, to the present day. Special book known
until today about Bogdani and his work is that of Matteto Sciambra titled
“Bogdanica” II, published in Bologna in 1965, which provided many new documents
for Bogdani, and analyzes the linguistic and philosophical aspects of the book
the Bogdani. However, as the object of various interests, Bogdani’s book was
always in the spotlight. According to the author of the study “Bogdani’s book”,
among many researchers some of them may be singled out: Mark Harapi, who
transcribes and annotates the first part of Cunesit, which publishes in Shkodra
in 1940-43. Should mention the contribution of proff.Alberto Sratogonit, Anton
Santori, Zef Jubani, Sami Frasheri, Faik Konica, Gaetano Potrotta, Eqrem Çabej,
Justin Rrota, Injac Zamputit, the Serbian researchers Radoniq, where is
interesting the picture about Bogdani and his family. The study of Jovan
Radoniq, most likely, is a result of the controversy that he had with Chedomir
Mijatoviqi about the origin of Bogdani and his family, which Mijatoviqi
attpempted to proclaim with Serbian origin.
In the second part are
addressed issues that emanate from the structure of the book. This structure,
as it comes from the study of Ibrahim Rugova, departs with the outside and
formal organization of the book “Cuneus Prophetarum” (The Band of the Prophets)
that resembles the organization of a library, going till the spearation in
scales and circles, to interpret, analyze and evaluate then the book of
Bogdani.
To investigate all
these aspects of the values of Pjeter Bogdani’s book, the author has determined
rightly the extension within the time context, when it is created. This context
has two directions: European Middle Ages and national tradition. Obviously,
comparative plan was inevitable, because he has made it possible to be
understood right, and not just the issue of creation of the book, but also the
scientific, philosophical and artistic level. These and other issues, analyzed
and interpreted with knowledge of Ibrahim Rugova, make his study among those
works that put the fundamentals bases of the study of our spiritual heritage.
While exploring the stratification of the book values, the author has dealt
with issues of aesthetics and poetry, rhetoric and semiotics, the semantics and
poetics, rhetoric and semiotics, semantics and ethics. All these are associated
with arguments supported, primarily in resource values that offered Bogdani’s
work.
In the tradition of
writing and publication of the Middle Ages, it is known that within the
publishing of different nature have been introduced the poetry writings too.
The author of the study call the poetry that is published in Cuneus, poetic
practice. In this context, the author talked about the style, the figures, and
the entirety of the work for the types of discourse which, according to him,
are two: scientific discourse and artistic discourse. These and other plans
observed in the work of Pjeter Bogdani made possible the unfolding of different
angles of values that have conditioned its revival from the Middle Ages to the
present day. The author of the study, convinced that he hasn’t touched all the
contexts of Ceneus, brings an essay at the end. With this book, the author has
attempted to review the creative presence of Bogdani’s book in the subsequent
creativity of our artist. This interest starts with De Rada and Naim and
continues with Nol and Lasgush, coming up in the late days, with Sabri Hamiti
and others. Although this presence he calls as a job that should be
investigated, comes out tha fact that the greatness of the Bogdani’s book, with
its presence wasn’t fictitious but creative.
(Published in the book
of the author Engjël lKoliqi “Dr.Ibrahim Rugova architect of The New Dardania-Republic
of Kosovo”, Publisher “Rugova Art”, Pristina, May 2011, pg.55 to pg. 60).
