Albanian League of Writers and Artists

The Albanian League of Writers and Artists (ALWA) (Albanian: Lidhja e Shkrimtarëve dhe e Artistëve) is an organization of creators, located in Tirana, Albania, which includes writers, composers, and artists and critics of the literary and artistic values.

Foundation

ALWA was crystallized as a union of two organizations: "The Writers League", founded on October 7, 1945, and "The Artists League" founded in 1949. The First Congress was held on 1957, resulting in these two organizations merging in a single institution: The Albanian League of Writers and Artists. Sejfulla Malëshova was appointed its leader and Fan S. Noli its honorary president. Among the most known creators were Lasgush Poradeci, Nonda Bulka, Skënder Luarasi, Dhimitër Shuteriqi, Sterjo Spasse, etc. At the beginning there were by 70 members.

Its statute describes its activities as:

ALWA is a non-government organization, it was created by a group of Albanian writers and artists to propagate literary and artistic creativity of Albanian authors, to evaluate and re-evaluate the best works of the Albanian literature, music, painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary values, and to encourage the creativity of young talents. ALWA protects and stimulates the best tendencies of the developments of literature and art to serve to the society and Albanian nation, under the best models of literary and artistic values of the civilized nations.

Achievements

The League of Writers and Artists has played a role in the development of Albanian literature and art, especially for the selection, publication and propaganda of the works with Albanian nationality content.

Among the membership of the League of Writers and Artists have been dissident-minded authors like Sejfulla Malëshova, the first leader of this organization, like the writer Kasem Trebeshina, who was imprisoned for his creativity, like Pjetër Arbnori (also called Albanian Mandela), who was re-convicted in prison for his literary anticommunist work, as the dissident Bilal Xhaferri who was expelled, exiled in communist gulags and forced to flee to the U.S., as Vilson Blloshmi who was shot and how many others who were persecuted in thousands ways. Some, like the poet Xhevahir Spahiu, Dritëro Agolli or Ismail Kadare, survived.

Some members of ALWA, part of communist censorship with their reviews have affected to ban dissident literature and art and have encouraged prosecution and persecution of dissident authors, but there were periods that they have supported and encouraged young talent. The writer Dritëro Agolli, who has had longer the leader’ duty of this organization, in the 1980s followed a liberal politic to the support and promotion of the new talents. With his initiative and recommendations have been allowed to follow the university studies and have been encouraged to create talents even from the most persecuted and anti-communist classes of Albanian society, like the poets Skënder Buçpapa, Mujo Buçpapa or prosers like Faruk Myrtaj, Shefki Hysa etc.

After 1990 ALWA contributed too much in the appreciation of art, literature and authors aforetime prohibited. However, during the post-communist period as well, with a very problematic democracy and highly politicized, the League of Writers and Artists is imposed an adulatory attitude toward the ruling party, the right one or the left one. The government tried to usurp ALWA and appointed leaders of Albanian creators taking advantage by the economical difficulties that writers, artists and organizations were experiencing.

Finally, after ALWA managed to escape from politics, it was found without economic support and on the verge of bankruptcy. In this difficult situation the state turned to it its back, got the building where its headquarters was but the writers and artists did not abandoned it. Most of them have realized that they must cooperate far from the policy of powers and parties. Writers and artists are those who keep alive ALWA in this difficult period full of crisis. Today, the ALWA has approximately 1300 members. Leading authorities are: National Congress, Chairmanship and Administrative Council. In the organizational structure operate: the section of literature, music, painting, sculpture, and the section of young talents.

Publication

For more than 50 years, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has had its literary and artistic organs: the magazine "Literatura jonë" (English: Our Literature), followed by the monthly magazine "Nëntori" (English: November), later on the weekly "Drita" (English: The light) (1961), the magazine "Les letters Albanaises" (1978) in French, "Bota Letrare" (English: Literary World), and "Revista Letrare" (English: Literary Magazine), as various publications until 1990. Currently the organization of Albanian writers and artists doesn’t publishes any organ due to lack of funds. In 2007, after 62 years of continuous activity, AlWA was displaced from their premises. However, ALWA currently continues its activities despite the economic burdens.

Bibliography

• Academy of Sciences of Albania, Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2nd Edition, (2008), Tirana, ISBN 978-99956-10-28-9
• Robert Elsie, Albanian literature: a short history, I.B.Tauris, (2005), ISBN 978-1845110314.

See also

• Albanian literature
• Albanian culture