Cezar Kurti
Encyclopedia
Çezar Kurti is an Albania
n translator, known for his many contributions to Albanian literature.
He was born in Kavaja, Albania, in 1935. After completing his studies in Russian language
and literature, Mr. Kurti worked as an editor/translator for the Albanian Telegraphic Agency. He was appointed professor of Russian at the University of Tirana
and became Chairman of the Russian Department there. In 1976, charged with disseminating anticommunist propaganda, professor Kurti was dismissed from the University and was sent to the copper mines of Cubernesh, in Mirdita. From 1976, when he published his Albanian translation of John Galsworthy
's The Forsyte Salvation, until 1985, professor Kurti was not allowed to publish his work. With the help of his friends, he published his Albanian translation of Aeschylus
's Prometheus Bound
and Antoine de Saint Exupéry's Wind, Sand and Stars
. In 1989, he edited Tolstoy
's War and Peace
. In 1992 he co-authored the English-Albanian Polytechnical Vocabulary. In 1993 he published a translation of Shakespeare's sonnets into Albanian and in 1994, F. Dostoyevsky
's Records from the House of the Dead
. His verse translation of Dante
's Inferno has been published only in excerpts. In 1998 he has also published Bashkebisedues Shqip anglisht (Albanian–English Conversations).
Professor Kurti has focused on translating works by poets and writers such as Aeschylus, Dante, Dostoyevsky, Chalamov, and Havel
to underscore his opposition to the violence exercised against human rights in his country and to contribute to the establishment of democratic thinking in Albania.
Today, professor Kurti resides in New York City in which he continues to write and translate works into Albanian. His book Learn Albanian has sold in record amounts. His books are used in several American and UK universities.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n translator, known for his many contributions to Albanian literature.
He was born in Kavaja, Albania, in 1935. After completing his studies in Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and literature, Mr. Kurti worked as an editor/translator for the Albanian Telegraphic Agency. He was appointed professor of Russian at the University of Tirana
University of Tirana
The University of Tirana is a public university located in Tirana, Albania.-History:UT was founded in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through the merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947...
and became Chairman of the Russian Department there. In 1976, charged with disseminating anticommunist propaganda, professor Kurti was dismissed from the University and was sent to the copper mines of Cubernesh, in Mirdita. From 1976, when he published his Albanian translation of John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
's The Forsyte Salvation, until 1985, professor Kurti was not allowed to publish his work. With the help of his friends, he published his Albanian translation of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
's Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound is an Ancient Greek tragedy. In Antiquity, this drama was attributed to Aeschylus, but is now considered by some scholars to be the work of another hand, perhaps one as late as ca. 415 BC. Despite these doubts of authorship, the play's designation as Aeschylean has remained...
and Antoine de Saint Exupéry's Wind, Sand and Stars
Wind, Sand and Stars
Wind, Sand and Stars is a memoir by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939. It was translated from the French by Lewis Galantière, and published in the US in November 1945....
. In 1989, he edited Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
's War and Peace
War and Peace
War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
. In 1992 he co-authored the English-Albanian Polytechnical Vocabulary. In 1993 he published a translation of Shakespeare's sonnets into Albanian and in 1994, F. Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
's Records from the House of the Dead
The House of the Dead (novel)
The House of the Dead is a novel published in 1861 in the journal Vremya by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which portrays the life of convicts in a Siberian prison camp...
. His verse translation of Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Inferno has been published only in excerpts. In 1998 he has also published Bashkebisedues Shqip anglisht (Albanian–English Conversations).
Professor Kurti has focused on translating works by poets and writers such as Aeschylus, Dante, Dostoyevsky, Chalamov, and Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
to underscore his opposition to the violence exercised against human rights in his country and to contribute to the establishment of democratic thinking in Albania.
Today, professor Kurti resides in New York City in which he continues to write and translate works into Albanian. His book Learn Albanian has sold in record amounts. His books are used in several American and UK universities.