Aleksander Stavre Drenova

Aleksandër Stavre Drenova, best known by his pen name Asdreni, was born on April 11, 1872 in the village of Drenovë, near Korçë. He studied at a Greek school in his village and later at a high school in Gjirokastër. In 1885, he moved to Bucharest, Romania, where he joined other Albanian intellectuals and activists who were working for the independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. He studied political science at the University of Bucharest, but did not finish his degree. He worked as a journalist for various Albanian newspapers and magazines, such as Drita, Liri e Shqipërisë, and Kombi. He also wrote poems, stories, novels, and plays in Albanian and Romanian. He was one of the founders of the Albanian Literary Commission in 1916, which aimed to standardize the Albanian language and orthography. He was also a member of the Albanian parliament from 1921 to 1924, representing the Democratic Party. He died on December 11, 1947 in Bucharest. [1](^1^) [2](^2^) [3](^3^) [4](^4^) Asdreni is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of the 20th century and one of the main figures of the Albanian National Awakening. He wrote poems that expressed his patriotic feelings, his love for nature and his homeland, and his admiration for the national hero Skanderbeg. He also wrote realistic stories and novels that depicted the social and political problems of his time, such as poverty, oppression, corruption, and violence. He used a simple and clear language, enriched with folk elements and metaphors. He was influenced by the European romanticism and realism, as well as by the Albanian oral tradition and folklore. He is the author of the poem Hymni i Flamurit (The Anthem of the Flag), which was later adopted as the national anthem of Albania. He also wrote the first Albanian historical novel, Një breshkë në det (A Turtle in the Sea), which tells the story of the Albanian revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1847. He also translated works from Romanian, French, Italian, and Turkish into Albanian. [1](^1^) [2](^2^) [3](^3^) [4](^4^)