Polish historians recount Ndre Mjeda in Krakow

Last year, a book was published in Albanian with the author Polish historian, theologian and philosopher, professor of the Ignatianum Academy of Krakow, Stanislaw Cieslak SJ (Stanislaw Çieshlak) entitled "Venerable Mjeda and other Jesuits of the Province of Venice in Krakow". The well-known Polish historian Tadeusz Czekalski (Tadeush Çekalski), author of many books on the History of Albania, professor at the University of Krakow, has written the following review for this book, published at the end of 2018 in "Balcanica Posnaniensa", no. XXV, edition of the Scientific Proceedings of the "Adam Mickevič" University of Poznan.

Review of the book by author Stanissaw Cieslak entitled: "Venerable Mjeda and other Jesuits of the Province of Venice in Krakow", translated into Albanian by Leonard Zissi, published in Tirana in 2018 (for technical reasons, the references of the article were removed by the editors ).

Recently, thanks to an intensive work of Polish-Albanian cultural cooperation, many publications have appeared on the shelves of Albanian bookstores that were created with the initiative of the environment of Albanians who in the past were graduates of Polish Universities, who continue to be fully engaged in the promotion of the Polish language and literature in their Homeland. Most of these publications are personal initiatives of Albanian translators, which are rarely new publications that would be the result of a collaboration between contemporary Polish and Albanian authors. A special example of such a successful Polish-Albanian venture is the new publication of the Jesuit priest Stanisław Cieslak, historian, theologian and philosopher, professor of the Ignatianum Academy in Krakow, whose scientific activity includes a series of publications devoted to the history of the Jesuits , with the main emphasis on their religious activity related to the environment of Krakow.

His work on the Jesuit pilgrims of the Province of Venice in Krakow, in the period 1881-1894, which was published for the first time in the Albanian language by the FLESH Publishing House, is at the same time another example of the cooperation of the Jesuits of Krakow with the translator Leonard Zissi. Thanks to his efforts, the Polish theme has been constantly present in the press and on the shelves of Tirana's bookstores for many years. The collaboration of the Krakow Jesuits with the Albanian translator dates back to 2014, the year in which it became possible for the Albanian reader to become familiar with the works of the Polish Catholic missionary Marcin Czermisski (Marçin Çerminjski), who was little known outside Poland, who in in 1893 he published one of his first publications dedicated to Albania.

This book, as well as other publications by this author that were his reports from his travels in Dalmatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the translation of Leonard Zissi, became bestsellers in the Albanian publishing market, simultaneously confirming the originality and the values ​​of the Albanian society that the Jesuit of Krakow left behind.

Undoubtedly, the inspiration for the publication of this book, for which we are doing this review, is the publication in the Albanian press by L. Zissi of the documents of the Archive of the Jesuit College of Krakow dedicated to Ndre Mjeda (1866-1937). This cleric, politician and poet was one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian political scene of the 20s of the XX century. He began his education in a Shkodra family, to continue them in Jesuit schools and colleges in Valencia, Rome and Chieri in the surroundings of Turin. In 1891, after four years of studies in Cremona, Ndre Mjeda came to Krakow to continue two years of theology studies at the local Jesuit College. After leaving Krakow, he was appointed professor at the Jesuit College in Kraljevica, Croatia. In 1898, he left the Jesuit Order and, as a lay clergyman, concentrated on the highest level of political and pedagogical activity.

Mjeda belonged to the founding group (together with his brother, Llazar) of the "Agimi" Association that patronized the publication of dispensations and literary texts in the Albanian language. During the works of the Congress of Bitola in 1908, Mjeda was part of the group of 11 people of the Albanian Language Commission that prepared the project of unifying the alphabet of the Albanian language. In the years 1921-1925, Mjeda was a deputy in the Albanian Parliament, where he was involved in the preparation of new legal acts, including the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament. From 1923, against the background of the growing political crisis, he became one of the leading figures of the democratic opposition, centered around Fan Noli. In December 1924, after the fall of Fan Noli's government, Ndre Mjeda withdrew from political activity, devoting himself to religious literary activity. Towards the end of his life he gave lectures for seminarians at the Pontifical College in Shkodër. In the assessment of his life productivity, an important place is occupied by the filling of the literary gap, especially his first volume of poetry entitled "Juvenilia" which refers to the style of Italian poetry of the 20th century. Then, in the XNUMXs of the XNUMXth century, he published volumes with the names of the ancient cities of Albania (Lissus, Scodra, Dyrrachium, Apollonia).

The description of the period of Honorable Mjeda's stay in Krakow in the book of Prof. S. Cie?lak, constitutes one of the most unknown parts of his biography so far. The starting point for the publication of this book about Mjeda and the other Jesuits of the Province of Venice was the history of several dozen clerics who, at the end of the 19th century, from the Province of Venice were educated at the Jesuit College in Krakow, where over twenty of they were ordained as priests by Cardinal Albin Dunajewski. On the basis of the documents and manuscripts collected in the Archive of the Jesuit Association of South-Eastern Poland in Krakow, it is possible to study the participation of each student in lectures and theological debates, as well as other forms of their activity both within the walls of the College and in public life.

The book consists of the Introduction, written by the translator, as well as three separate parts. The first part is devoted to the history of the presence of the Jesuits in Kraków from the end of the 19th century, as well as contains information devoted to the city and its society. The second part presents the history of the contacts of the Jesuits of Krakow with those of the Province of Venice, including those of the forty Jesuits from this Province who studied in Krakow. The third part, which is also the largest part of the book, focuses on the situation and development of the theological studies of Ndre Mjeda in Krakow.

This is served by the presentation of the study program, that of the silhouette of the College professors in the form of a biographical dictionary, as well as the activity of the hero of the book as a participant in theological debates. In addition to the panorama of studies in Krakow, the author also describes the program of excursions to get to know the surroundings of Krakow, which were organized for the clergy during their free time. The book does not confirm the thesis of Robert Elsie's study of Albanian literature that in Krakow Mjeda first became acquainted with the works of philologists and albanologists Gustav Meyer and Holger Pedersen, who had a significant influence on his poetic and literary activity.

A decent review should also take into account some shortcomings of a published book. The concept of this book is determined by the amount of collected data sources, making them a biographical dictionary, accompanied by photographs of the Jesuit education period of Ndre Mjeda in Krakow. A lack of photographs could be the marginalization of a declamatory part that would have a significant impact on increasing the cognitive values ​​of this book. The choice of the basic language of this book creates the belief that the main consumers will be Albanian readers. Taking into account the lack of books on the history of Poland in the Albanian market, the publication of this book for the studies of Ndre Mjeda in Krakow, creates a favorable situation that, through the figure of the Albanian student, you can get closer to his compatriots to a large extent the Polish scientific context of the pilgrims, as well as the appearance of Polish society at the end of the XNUMXth century.

The summary form in which the author has treated the context of Mjeda's studies may pose an inherent problem for readers who know little about the history of Poland. The specificity of Krakow as an intellectual center, especially important during the period of autonomy it enjoyed within Galicia, allows you to judge that the Jesuit students, in addition to the theological debates that took place in a closed environment, were simultaneously raised in the specific atmosphere of " Polish Athenians". The book of the priest professor Stanis?aw Cie?lak, as well as the translation of the works of Marcin Czermi?ski into the Albanian language, opens new research perspectives for our two peoples, who, although geographically far from each other, do not cut off contacts between them, the roots of which date back to the 14th century and the common war between Turkey and the Ottomans. /Albanian Newspaper/