Giuseppe Schirò
| Giuseppe Schirò | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | Zef Skiroi |
| Born |
10 August 1865 Piana dei Greci, Italy |
| Died | 17 February 1927 (aged 61) Naples, Italy |
| Occupation | Poet, linguist, publicist and folklorist |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Ethnicity | Arbëreshë |
Giuseppe Schirò (Arbërisht: Zef Skiroi; Piana dei Greci, 10 August 1865 – Naples, 17 February 1927) was an Arbëreshë neo-classical poet, linguist, publicist and folklorist from Sicily. His literary work marked the transition to modern Albanian literature in Italy.
Schirò was born in Piana dei Greci (now Piana degli Albanesi). While still young he was encouraged by his cousin Cristina Gentile Mandalà (1856-1919) to value his native Arbëreshë language and culture. She would assist him later in collecting local folktales and published a compilation of folktales herself. At the age of nine he wrote poem inspired by nationalism and dedicated to Albania's most important national hero Skanderbeg.
In 1890, he graduated with a law degree at the University of Palermo. However, his main passion remained classical and Italian folklore and literature, which he taught from 1888-1894 at the Garibaldi secondary school in Palermo. At the university he befriended Luigi Pirandello, who would become a world-famous novelist and playwright.
He wrote poems in both Italian and Albanian, and soon began to collaborate with literary and political writings in various periodicals. In 1887, he founded the magazine Arbri i rii (La giovine Albania/The young Albania), which was followed in 1890 with Archivio albanese (Albanian archive) and in 1904 with the short-lived La bandiera albanese (The Albanian flag).
His literary breakthrough was Rapsodie albanesi (Albanian Rhapsodies) in 1887, which made him known to Albanologists and Albanian patriots. In 1891, he published an imaginary love idyll Mili e Haidhia (Mili and Haidhia), which would eventually be published in three editions (1900 and 1907), including notes on traditions, legends, customs and traditions of Piana dei Greci. The work is considered to be a masterpiece of early 20th century Albanian verse and is probably his best work.
A collection of patriotic songs Kënkat e luftës (The songs of battle), dedicated to Albanian independence, came out in Palermo in 1897, followed by the historical idyll Te dheu i huaj (To the foreign land) in 1900 about the epic escape of Albanians in the 15th century from their homeland and their arrival in Sicily. He also published work on Arabëreshë folklore in Canti sacri delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia (Sacred Songs of the Albanian Colonies in Sicily) in 1907, and Canti tradizionali e altri saggi delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia (Traditional Songs and Other Essays of the Albanian colonies of Sicily) in 1923.
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