Society for the Publication of Albanian Letters

Society for the Publication of Albanian Letters (Albanian: Shoqëri e të Shtypuri Shkronja Shqip) was a patriotic organization of Albanian intellectuals, promoting publications in Albanian language, especially school texts, which were extremely important for the younger generation's education.[1][2] It was founded on 12 October 1879 in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire.

Society for the Publication of Albanian Letters
Shoqëri e të Shtypuri Shkronja Shqip
FormationOctober 12, 1879 (1879-10-12)
PurposePatriotic, Intellectual
HeadquartersIstanbul
Key people
Sami Frashëri, Jani Vreto, Vaso Pasha, Ibrahim Temo, Spiro Dine

History

The society was founded by elite members of the Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights, led by Sami Frashëri, Abdyl Frashëri, and other Rilindas as Jani Vreto, Pandeli Sotiri, Koto Hoxhi, Vaso Pasha, etc. Its members represented all Albanian territories and all religions.[3] Not much is known on the discussions that took place during the seances, due to lack of Procès-verbals or specific memoirs on this event. All is known is that Hasan Tahsini proposed his own alphabet, a sui generis one derived out of geometrical lines and even printed later in few pages, while the final alphabet was accepted that of Sami Frashëri based on Latin script with some enrichment.[4] The pamphlet "Etudes sur l’Albanie et les Albanais", originally written in French and published in Istanbul in 1879 was one of the initial publications. Following the re-publication in French in Paris, the pamphlet was also published in English in London and in German in Berlin thanks to the Ottoman consul in Paris. The volume was later on translated into Albanian, Ottoman Turkish and Greek and finally into Arabic (1884) and Italian (1916).[5]
In the summer of 1881, Jani Vreto opened in Bucharest the Romanian branch of the society.[1] The Egyptian branch was founded by Spiro Dine from the town of Vithkuq near Korçë, in Shibin Al Kawm, during 1881 as well.[6]
After its activities were banned, the society transferred in Bucharest were many publications in Albanian language were to follow in so called Instambul Alphabet (see Albanian Alphabet). It was there where the textbooks of Sami Frashëri, like Abetarja e Shkronjëtoreja - Grammatical Work, 1886, and Abetare e gjuhësë shqip, 1886, etc. would come to life.[2]
The society gave huge contribute to education in Albanian back in the days, and emphasized the need for a unified Albanian alphabet.

"All enlightened and civilized nations, are enlightened and civilized from the writings of their own languages. And every nation, which does not write its own language, and does not have writings of its own language, stays in darkness and barbarian. Even Albanians, while not writing their own language and not having an alphabet of their own languages, stay like that, and the presupposition and hope from three thousand years so far (as far as history is known) to be enlightened and civilized by using the languages and writings of their neighbors, proved to be useless...Without having, neither wanting, anyone better than the others between us, that will come after us, we pray the God of Life, to bless our existence, the Society for the Publication of Albanian Writings."

— Society for the Publication of Albanian Writings - Extract from the statute

Founders
Facsimile of the Statute with the founders' names

The list of founders as appears in the statute printed in A. Zelici's print shop:[7][8]

Istanbul Alphabet
Istanbul Alphabet

The society came out with the so-called Istanbul Alphabet (Albanian: Alfabeti i Stambollit), or "Frashëri" Alphabet in reference to Sami Frashëri, which was widely used by most of the Albanians for almost 30 years.[10] It was one of the three candidate alphabets at the Congress of Monastir in 1908. The standard Albanian alphabet was based on it, with few modifications injected from the Bashkimi Alphabet of Gjergj Fishta's Union Society, reaching the form it still preserves today.[11]

See also

References
  1. Robert Elsie (2010-03-19). Historical Dictionary of Albania (2 ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0810861886.
  2. Elsie, Robert (2005-12-22). Albanian Literature: A Short History. I. B. Tauris. pp. 69, 70, 71, 76, 81, 95, 98–99, 101–102, 118, 153. ISBN 978-1845110314. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  3. George Gawrych (2006-12-26). The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913. I. B. Tauris. p. 59. ISBN 978-1845112875. The founders comprised 10 Muslims, 4 Catholics, and 14 Orthodox...
  4. Shqipenia me 1937 (PDF) (in Albanian), I, Komisioni i Kremtimeve te 25-vjetorit te Vete-qeverrimit, 1937, pp. 176–177, archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-25
  5. Uğur Bahadır Bayraktar (2011), Mythifying the Albanians : A Historiographical Discussion on Vasa Efendi's "Albania and the Albanians", 9, Balkanologie, retrieved 2013-09-12
  6. Robert Elsie (March 19, 2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania (2 ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0810861886.
  7. "Alfabetare e gluhësë shqip" [Primer of Albanian language]. The European Library. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  8. "KANONIZMA E SHOQËRISË SË TË SHTYPURIT TË SHKRONJAVET SHQIP NË STAMBOLL - 1879" [Statute of the Society for the Publication of Albanian Writings] (in Albanian). Pashtriku.org. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  9. "Si e mbrojtën çështjen shqiptare klerikët katolikë në Konferencën e Paqes" [Katër katolikët Vasa, Bonati, Xhuxha] (in Albanian). Panorama.
  10. Instituti i Historisë (Akademia e Shkencave e RPS të Shqipërisë). Instituti Gjuhësisë dhe i Letersisë.; Universiteti Shtetëror i Tiranës. Instituti i Historisë dhe i Gjuhësisë. (2004), Studia Albanica (in French), 37, Tirana: Académie des sciences de la République Populaire d'Albanie, Institut d'histoire, Institut de linguistique et littérature, p. 20, ISSN 0585-5047, OCLC 466875837CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Robert Elsie (2010), Historical Dictionary of Albania, Historical Dictionaries of Europe, 75 (2 ed.), Scarecrow Press, Inc., p. 89, ISBN 978-0-8108-6188-6, The three main alphabets under discussion were the Istanbul alphabet devised by Sami bey Frashëri, the Bashkimi alphabet supported by Gjergj Fishta and his Bashkimi literary society of Shkodra, and the Agimi alphabet of the Agimi literary society, represented by Ndre Mjeda. A committee of 11 delegates headed by Fishta was elected, and, after three days of deliberations, they resolved to support two alphabets: a modified form of Sami Frashëri’s Istanbul alphabet, which was most widely used at the time, and a new Latin alphabet almost identical to the Bashkimi in order to facilitate printing abroad.
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