Fan Stilian Noli | |
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13th Prime Minister of Albania | |
In office June 16, 1924 – December 23, 1924 |
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Preceded by | Iliaz Vrioni |
Succeeded by | Iliaz Vrioni |
Personal details | |
Born |
Ibriktepe, Adrianople Vilayet, Ottoman Empire |
January 6, 1882
Died | March 13, 1965 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
(aged 83)
Political party | Independent (Albanian nationalist) |
Alma mater | Harvard,Boston University |
Occupation | Writer, Bishop, Translator, Composer, Politician |
Profession | Priest and Politician |
Theofan Stilian Noli, known as Fan Noli (6 January 1882 – 13 March 1965) was an Albanian writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator and founder of the , who served as Prime Minister and regent of Albania in 1924 during the June Revolution.
Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature, history, theology, diplomacy, journalism, music and national unity. He played an important role in the consolidation of Albanian as the national language of Albania with numerous translations of world literature masterpieces. His contributions to English language literature are also manifold: as a scholar and author of a series of publications on Skanderbeg, Shakespeare, Beethoven, religious texts and translations. He produced a translation of the New Testament in English, The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the approved Greek text of the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Greece, published in 1961.
He earned degrees at Harvard (1912), the New England Conservatory of Music (1938), and finally his Ph.D. from Boston University (1945). He was ordained a priest in 1908, establishing thereby the Albanian Church and elevating the Albanian language to ecclesiastic use. He briefly resided in Albania after the 1912 declaration of independence. After World War I, Noli led the diplomatic efforts for the reunification of Albania and received the support of US President Woodrow Wilson. Later he pursued a diplomatic-political career in Albania, successfully leading the Albanian bid for membership in the League of Nations.