Fehim Zavalani

Fehim Zavalani was born in 1859, in Zavalan, a village near Leskovik, in the southern part of Albania, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. He received his first education from a Greek school in Vurban, near Korçë, and then attended the prestigious Zosimea gymnasium in Ioannina, where he learned Greek, Turkish, French, and Italian. He moved to Istanbul in 1854, where he worked as a translator and a teacher. He became acquainted with some of the leading figures of the Albanian National Awakening, such as Hasan Tahsini, Sami Frashëri, Pashko Vasa, and Ferid Pasha Vlora. He also corresponded with other Albanian intellectuals and activists in Egypt, Italy, and Romania. [1](^1^) In 1877, he became a founding member of the Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights, which advocated for the autonomy and unity of the Albanian-inhabited lands within the Ottoman Empire. He also participated in the creation of an Albanian alphabet, based on Latin letters, which was approved by a commission of four members, including himself, in 1879. He was one of the representatives of the Albanian population at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, where he defended the Albanian interests against the claims of Greece, Serbia, and Montenegro. He also wrote a pamphlet, Apologia, in Greek, where he argued for the ancient origin, the distinct identity, and the legitimate rights of the Albanians. [1](^1^) In 1879, he co-founded the Society for the Publication of Albanian Letters, which aimed to publish Albanian books and open Albanian schools. He moved the headquarters of the society from Istanbul to Bucharest, where he established the first Albanian printing house in 1886. He printed and published many works of Albanian literature, history, and culture, including his own epic poem, Histori e Skënderbeut (History of Skanderbeg), dedicated to the national hero of Albania, and his novel, The Last of Beys, which depicted the life and struggles of the Albanian aristocracy in the late Ottoman era. He also edited and contributed to several Albanian periodicals, such as Drita, Dituria, and Liria. [1](^1^) He died in 1935, in Istanbul, where he had returned in 1896. He was buried in the Eyüp Cemetery, near the tomb of his friend and colleague, Sami Frashëri. He is regarded as one of the most important figures of the Albanian National Awakening, and his works are considered as valuable sources for the study of Albanian history and culture. [1](^1^)