Communism in Albania, untruths, slander and insults about Faik Konica

By: Agim Xh. Dëshnica

At a time when the dictatorship was rolling downhill, some petty critics with scientific degrees tried to go further. In the book The history of Albania, volume II, year 1984, the alienation of history crossed every limit, with distortions of facts such as these: "The representatives of the reformist current associated with the Sultan's regime aimed to limit the national movement, only with some cultural and economic demands. The expression of the ideas and program of this current was the magazine Albania of Konica”! But who were these “representatives”? In the magazine Albania, Konica gathered around him talented poets and writers, such as: Luigj Gurakuqi, Gjergj Fishta, Çajupi, Fan S. Noli, Asdreni and Filip Shiroka, known in history as patriots of freedom and independence of the homeland.

While in the book History of Albanian literature, these lines of untruths, slander, and insults are found:

"Faik Konica (1875-1942). Son of an old family of beylers, mainly a publicist, he began his literary activity with the publication of the magazine Albania (Brussels 1897) and for some time edited the newspaper sun of Albanian emigration to the United States, where she spent most of her life. From her first year, Albania was put at the service of Austro-Hungarian policy towards Albania. An unscrupulous politician, Konica was unstable, brutal and aggressive all his life, attacking many progressive patriots on one occasion and another, trying to discredit the first government of Ismail Qemali, or to attack the Congress of Lushnja. After the counter-revolution of 1924, he linked himself to the Zog regime, tried to treacherously damage Noli with polemics and threats, or to disparage the work of Naimi. He often presented the country's image in such a dark way that he fueled distrust in a progressive future and in general in the popular and progressive force, defending, on the other hand, from the very beginning, the thesis that only the aristocratic elite was capable of leading Albania. All this, dressed in a cloak of "Occidentalism"!

Read also:

- Faik Konica on "the historical fate of Albanians"
- Konica, Prince Vidit: Keep thieves and intriguers away
- The words of Faik Konica, still relevant today
- Guillaume Apollinaire, Faik bey Konica and Annie Playden
- "In our country, great people are as abundant as leeks and cabbages"
- "Albanians will lose, because we are a cold nation, where everyone lies about himself"
- They tell us that the donkey spoke... we believe it!

However, this smoke could not cover the light of one of the stars of the Albanian literary and cultural world, Faik Konica. Even after 1990, in the books The history of the Albanian people III and Albanian encyclopedic dictionary, Konica's life and work, reconstructed by those same hands, is presented in a half-baked way:

"Writer, literary critic, publicist, essayist, one of the most prominent personalities of Albanian culture and literature"!

What does the truth say?

The birth of Faik Konica on March 15, 1875, into a noble Albanian family in Konica, an early Albanian settlement, undoubtedly influenced his upbringing and patriotic, educational and cultural journey. He received his first lessons in his hometown, his secondary lessons at the Jesuit College in Shkodër and at the French Imperial Lyceum of Gallata in Istanbul and completed them in France. After them, he pursued higher studies in philosophy in Dijon and Paris.

There, in several competitions, for the sake of intellectual abilities, he was awarded first prizes. Then he left Europe and traveled to America. In 1912, he graduated in literature from Harvard University. The true story of Faik Konica lists a series of values: great patriot, politician, leader of the patriotic movement and diplomat.

Above all, he is known as an activist in the service of the nation, with his masterpiece, the magazine Albania, in Brussels and London and the uninterrupted connections with the great patriots of the National Renaissance, through letters and in assemblies. The most accurate response to the slanders about the great love for the Turko-Shake beylers is given by Konica with the well-known satirical poem, Anatolian in the mess and philosophical statements scattered in newspapers, magazines and his own books. As strict as Konica was towards the "partygoers", who wasted time away from the independence movement, he also wisely posed the issue of independence, as he wrote:

"Truly Albanians, today, have begun to have an unquenchable desire for our language; truly, the coldest ones have begun to understand that it is necessary to breathe life into the nation; truly, books and periodicals are being published, in which the nation has tasted and seen things that it cannot live without; truly, in a word, things have changed in the past few years, and whoever is not blind cannot deny that today, many Albanians' hearts burn for the progress of the Fatherland. Yes, despite all this, we do not have the happiness of seeing a true and strong unity"!

Hasan Kaleshi, one of the serious researchers of Konica's work, writes about the academic noise regarding the stance towards Austria:

"Even if this reflection of (Konica) were to come out with some stains, even completely negative ones, as the dogmatists of Albania and, unfortunately, under their influence, some in Kosovo want to present, still no one would have the right to remove Konica from our national movement, from our history of culture and literature. Because, by removing her from these, we do nothing but impoverish our not-so-rich culture and, as a result, we impoverish ourselves"!

Also, the renowned scholar Namik Resuli, defending Konica, explains that:

"Austria has always protected the Albanians, otherwise the Slavs and Greeks would have taken Albania by storm"!

In one of the books of the publicist from Kosovo, Bejtullah Destani, a 1912 article is published by the prominent French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire, who met Konica in 1903 in London. Among other things, he writes:

"One of the people I have met and remember with special respect, Faik Bey Konica, is one of the most unusual"!

Apollinaire, informs us that during his studies in France, Konica was tormented by longing for his homeland, Albania. Returning to Turkey, he had participated in a secret movement against the Sultan. He was sentenced in absentia, twice to death. The French poet then tells an incident about Konica and the magazine Albania in Brussels:

“One day he caught the attention of a policeman. He asked him: - 'Where are you from'? - 'I'm from Albania' - 'Where do you live'? - 'On 'Albania' street. - 'What do you do'? - 'I work in Albania' - 'Don't make fun of me'? - the policeman replied, and so the Albanian patriot spent the night in one of the police stations"!

Faik Konica on April 14, 1912 participated in the establishment of the Pan-Albanian Federation “Vatra” in Boston and was elected its general secretary. In 1913, Fan Noli and Faik Konica represented the Federation “Vatra” at the Conference of Ambassadors in London. In the same year, Konica was elected chairman of the Congress of Albanians gathered in Trieste, for the defense of the territorial integrity of the homeland. During the First World War and afterwards, he performed diplomatic services for Albania, in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, etc. In 1921, returning to Boston, he was elected chairman of the Federation “Vatra”. Through the newspapers “Dielli” and “Shqiptari i Amerika”, he supported democratic developments in Albania.

In the newspaper "Dielli" on January 22, 1922, Faik Konica writes:

"Fan Noli would do Albania the greatest service if he were able to breathe a little breath of order, justice and obedience into that drunken crowd, which puts at risk an innocent people, marked by the hand of fate for a near and shameful death"!

Meanwhile, Noli, standing up in defense of Konica in the 1923 Parliament, stated:

"Faiku is the pioneer of our language, the discoverer of our forgotten flag, the champion of national freedom and independence, and we are all nothing but his disciples. Impartial history cannot deny this, nor can it deny that he has devoted all his youth and all his mind to the cause for twenty-seven years in a row without ceasing"!

Faik Konica continued to serve Albania during the governments of the 1920s-'40s, with the duty of consul, then minister plenipotentiary in Washington until the end of his life, on December 15, 1942. Letters at the beginning of World War II with King Zog, his ministers or secretaries in London, with Fan Noli in Boston and the State Department in Washington, testify to his great concern for the fate of the occupied homeland.

Cultural and literary activity

Old, uncultured, document-poor professors and academics, since they have not dealt with Konica, write with conjecture that he created little or left some writings unfinished. On the contrary, all that extensive activity in Albania, Europe and America, the lectures, the endless writings in newspapers and magazines, the hundreds of letters and documents that are discovered in the archives and libraries of the cities where he lived and worked, such as Paris, Brussels, Boston and Washington, prove quite differently. Thus, instead of professors, in the Albanian press, young writers and researchers, from time to time, inform the general reader about the discovery of Konica's writings, letters and books.

Faik Konica is mentioned in the true history of our national culture, as the creator of modern prose, a talented writer and poet with special feelings, a rare essayist, founder of Albanian literary criticism, publicist, translator, master of the Albanian language and researcher of other languages. In the intellectual circles of Paris, he was known as one of the most cultured Albanians, irrepressible in polemics, when it came to defending the dignity of the Albanian nation, ready to respond in any language, to those who insulted the homeland, as he himself knew.

Faik of Albaniahistorical

He spoke and wrote fluently in Albanian, Greek, Italian, French, German, English and Turkish. Namik Resuli writes:

"Faik's prose is very pleasant, very refined and at the same time very simple and very flowing. It descends into the heart of the reader just like the nectar of the gods, which intoxicates and lifts the soul to another world, to a world of endless beauty. His articles AlbaniaSat of him Sun.", Dr. Gjëlpëra's columns and translations like those of Arabic fairy tales, constitute in themselves more than a complete and accomplished work. They will remain for Albanians as some of the most beautiful and graceful pages of prose, as a living model of Albanian, not only from an aesthetic point of view but also from the point of view of language work."

Read also:

- Faik Konica on "the historical fate of Albanians"
- Konica, Prince Vidit: Keep thieves and intriguers away
- The words of Faik Konica, still relevant today
- Guillaume Apollinaire, Faik bey Konica and Annie Playden
- "In our country, great people are as abundant as leeks and cabbages"
- "Albanians will lose, because we are a cold nation, where everyone lies about himself"
- They tell us that the donkey spoke... we believe it!

Konica's cultural and literary activity in the service of the homeland traversed many paths in Europe and America. In 1895, in Paris, she published the book Albania and the TurksIn Brussels and then in London, he publishes the magazine Albania and Little AlbaniaIn 1909, invited by Albanian patriots in America, he settled in the United States. In Boston, he ran the newspaper sun, alongside it the temporary The Trumpet of Kruja, The Battle of Kruja, Bota e Re etc. These political-cultural and literary newspapers and magazines of our Renaissance informed everyone about the rich history and culture of the Albanian people and the program of the national movement.

Some of these creations are: Doctor Gjilpëra reveals the roots of the Mamurras drama, Albania, the rock garden of Southeast Europe, A Zulu embassy in Paris, Four Tales from Zululand, How did Albania seem to me?, translation Under the shade of the dates ... Unlike all the creations of socialist realism, Konica, with his masterful narratives, without insulting anyone by name, equips every reader with comprehensive knowledge, teaches how to speak and write Albanian properly. He writes with respect for good national traditions, education and morality, simplicity in dress and behavior, for true history, politics, philosophy and the performance of duties in accordance with the laws in force.

Without embellishing anything, he criticizes the shortcomings of society with a clear patriotic purpose, the further progress of our country. With the advice, "beware of yourself and others", in a way he addresses his compatriots, as a parent and brother. Many of Konica's creations have the colors of a poetic prose. Such are Homesickness, Some memories of Father Gječov, Lakeside’, On the lake, Explore, The Life of Skanderbeg, Abdul Frasheri, Naim Frashëri … From their reading, the poet's sensitive love for the homeland and the heroes of the nation, for man and nature, is revealed.

In addition to his patriotic and diplomatic activities, the writings published to date, the beautiful Albanian language with a tendency towards unification, the noble way of speaking, are an example for everyone, even today, whether for poets, writers and literary critics, or for Albanian politicians and journalists. Faik Konica, with his perfect criticism, evaluated all poets and writers without exception, Naimi, Fishta, At Gjeçov, Noli, Asdren, Çajup, and even for political issues Ismail Qemali, Ahmet Zogu, etc., according to their merits. Meanwhile, he remained their loyal friend until the end. We also highlight cases when Konica included in his criticisms some of Naimi's poems, about which socialist realist analysts still make a fuss in vain today and remain silent about his overall assessment of Naimi's work!

They forget that Konica, as a tireless, demanding critic, accustomed to the poetry of great modern poets in Paris and London, appreciating the talent of our national poet, the expressive abilities and the charm of the Albanian language, desired a Naim of contemporary European standards. Against all this noise, Konica, in his writing Naim Frashëri lists a series of qualities of our national poet, such as: "merry-hearted, subtle mind, salty words, subtle empathy, a bright and rare star in the sky of Albania"!

Father Gjergji Fishta, an admirer of Naimi, called Konica “the arbiter of the most elegant writings in Albanian”, while Fan S. Noli “a brilliant Eurydicean and a great patriot”. For the poet Apollinaire, he is a “walking encyclopedia”. Konica also signed his writings with pseudonyms: Faik be Konitza, Faik bej Konitza, Faik Bey Konitza, Fk.BK, FBK, Fk Konitza, Fk K-ntza, Fk K etc.

Ambassador Konica in Washington

After the agreement and approval by King Zog as Albania's diplomatic representative in Washington, Konica departed Boston and arrived in the US capital on July 11, 1926. After work, he would relax, listening to classical music. Especially Wagner and Mozart. He adored the world-famous conductor, Arturo Toscanini. At a reception at the Italian embassy in Washington, Konica had spoken with him for about an hour and had been amazed by the depth and nobility of the great musician.

In the newspaper, The Washington Post (April 1, 1934), it was written:

"No one in the diplomatic corps in Washington is more well-known and well-liked than Faik Konica, Minister of Albania"!

Throughout his time as minister in Washington, Konica had never missed a summer without going on vacation to Swampscott, a world-famous lobster fishing spot that attracted wealthy Americans and vacationers from around the world. In one of the buildings, facing the ocean, Konica had befriended the owner, who invited him to stay for two more weeks for free. The expanse of the ocean and the distance from the noise of Washington helped calm his mind and his hypertension. Swampscott had a great advantage, because the Albanian communities were nearby. He could take the bus and trains to Boston.

Konica and Noli

In 1937, Faik Konica had not seen Fan Noli for a long time. In fact, a chronology of their movements shows that Konica and Noli did not have many occasions to meet in life. The history of direct relations between them began in 1909, when Konica first arrived in Boston from Europe. A few years later, in 1912, “Vatra” sent him and Noli to Europe. But, due to work, the friends could not stay together. Noli returned to Boston in 1915 and after four years, he left for Europe again. Konica returned from Europe to Boston in 1921, while Noli was no longer there. They had exchanged and during that time communicated by letters.

Until the end of 1924, there were only words of mutual adoration between the two. In the Tirana Parliament, Noli had been the great defender of Faik, who had plenty of enemies. In Boston, Konica rewarded him with writings in sun, where Noli appeared in the colors of a hero, who represented the "Heartland" where the most difficult battle for the fate of the new state was taking place, in Albania. Later, Zog's return to power caused relations to break down. Harsh exchanges began between Konica and Noli, which continued for almost a decade. Although the controversy was resolved in 1934, the sedra did not allow the old friends to meet.

On November 28, 1937, the Albanian community of Boston celebrated Flag Day with a significant event. At the mass that Noli celebrated that Sunday at the Church of St. George, Konica had also come. After the mass, the Bishop presided over the “celebration of freedom,” as it was called by the Albanians, in the church hall, and the two had a warm conversation. The people around were excited. The older generation of “fathers” watched history unfold before their eyes, while the younger ones, those who had not lived through the time when Konica and Noli fought for the new state, had difficulty understanding the symbolism of this meeting. Both had matured from the war and had learned to look beyond politics. From the interview that Konica gave a few weeks later to the editor-in-chief of Sun., Nelo Drizari, it could be understood that a new friendship full of feelings of respect had begun between the two men.

Many are surprised by the incredible phenomenon, when even in the years 1940-'44, students in Albania continued to learn about the life and work of Faik Konica, through books. In the life of the world, Ray of light, Albanian writers, The Albanian world … Also, as often happened, while in 1955 in Pristina the complete works of Konica were published, in Albania during the entire years of the dictatorship, any of his writings were banned. In those conditions, when Konica's writings were not known either by pupils or by students, it was noticeable that professors with leftist convictions exceeded every goal. In their efforts to invalidate everything, they used foreign terms for aesthetic thought, far from the truth, even contemptuous, such as these: “reactionary”, “bourgeois-clerical”, “mystical-religious”, “formalist”, “unscrupulous”, “brutal”, “aggressive”, etc.

But, at the time when the communist system collapsed, the professors, after persistently distorting Noli's life and work, began to publish Konica's works for their own interests, since according to them they were no longer such, neither "reactionary" nor "formalist", but "great"! And, due to incompetence and haste, one of them (prof. N.) circulated with great fanfare a worthless document, the "Testament" written, allegedly by Konica, with a prayer for the repose of his body in his homeland. Nik Kreshpani in the newspaper sun, October 20, 1965, sheds light on this issue raised by Noli in a meeting with several envoys from Tirana around 1945:

"They replied: 'Very well; we can bury Konica in Albania, but first we must bring him before the people's court.' Noli, incensed, said to them: 'We hear every day that you have tried your living opponents, but it never occurred to us that you would be so brave as to put the dead on trial!'"

So, even the "letters" on this issue, supposedly sent "with consideration" to the dictator, and even surprisingly published in 1996, by these kinds of professors, are unbelievable and worthless.

Genuine scholars of history unite in one opinion: Faik Konica, this genius of Albanianism, is the most powerful link between the Albanian Renaissance and the great historical developments and the victory of National Independence, a great master of the Albanian language and a personality of culture and literature.

Only after the 1992 triumph of the Democrats in Albania was Faik Konica honored by them with the high title, Honor of the Nation, and according to an early wish, expressed to Noli, he now rests in the native land that he loved so much, in the hills of Tirana next to Sami, Abdyl and Naim Frashëri. /Memorie.al/