Frashëri, Naim

Frashëri, Naim 

Born May 25, 1846, in the village of Frashëri; died Oct. 20, 1900, in Istanbul. Albanian poet. Figure in the Albanian national renaissance.

Frashëri’s works include the collection Dreams (1885; in Persian), the patriotic narrative poem The Herd and the Field (1886), the collections of lyric verse Summer Flowers (1890) and Paradise and Well-aimed Words (1894), the religious and philosophic narrative poem Qerbelaja (1898), and the epic poem The History of Skanderbeg (1898). In the narrative poem The True Desire of Albanians (1886; in Greek), Frashëri urged the peoples of the Balkans to respect one another and live in friendship.

Frashëri’s poetry is distinguished by patriotism and moral intelligence and displays an enthusiasm for struggle and an interest in the life of the common people. It combines aspects of realism with tendencies toward romanticism. Frashëri’s verse played a significant role in the development of Albanian literature and the formation of the Albanian literary language.

WORKS

Vjersha lirike. Tirana, 1950.
Historie Skënderbeut. Tirana, 1953.
Bagëti e bujgësia. Tirana, 1960.

REFERENCE

Historia e litërsisë shqipe, vol. 2. Tirana, 1959.