Albanian Life

Albanian Life was the journal of the Albania Society of Britain. It was founded by Bill Bland, who also served as the editor of the periodical from its start to end. Bill was an acknowledged expert on Albanian history, culture, arts and language. He wrote the first Albanian-English dictionary. Each issue of Albanian LIfe featured articles on a range of subjects, including Albanian history, art, and culture.

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Albanian Life No 24; No. 1, 1983

"Albania's Struggle for Independence" by Martin Smith; "The Girl from Kosova", a poem by Xhevahir Spahiu; "A Woman's Heart", a short story by Kiqo Blushi; "The Bushat Cooperative Farm" by Steve Day; New Literature Available; Cartoons; Editorial: Approaches to Albania from "East" and "West", "Albanian : An Indo-European Language", by Shaban Demiraj; New Periodicals; "The Storm," a short story by Shefqet Musaraj; Book Review: "Before the Dawn", by Shefqet Musaraj, reviewed by Steve Day; Albanian News.

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Albanian Life No 25; No. 2, 1983

Sport In Albania by Besnik Dizdari, Ismet Bellova and Osman Palushi; The Church of St. Mary at Appolonia by Gjergj Frashsri; New Literature Available; "Three Girls", a poem by Vorea Ujko; Cartoons: "How the World Looks from Tirana"; "The Shadow," a short story by Elena Kadare; Albanian Society Meetings; The Shkodra-Titograd Railway; Correction to text of Prof. Martin Smith's lecture; Spirituality in Albanian Poetry; Corrspondence from Vivien Pixner, Margaret Arkwright; Albanian News (November 1982 - January 1983); Book Reviews: "Portrait of Albania" reviewed by Steve Day, "Albania: A Travel Guide" by Philip Ward, reviewed by Tom Blake; "The Hand of Lenin," a poem by Muharrem Jakupi.

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Albanian Life No 26; No. 3, 1983

Editorial; "Contemporary Albanian Painting", by John Newall; "The Albanian Bear", by Fotaq Lamani; Cartoons; "The Power Industry in Albania", by Agron Quedari; Bibliography Supplement; "Pjetër Budi", by Dilaver Kurti; "Music in Albania", by Dave Smith; Correspondence: Ramsey Margolis; "The Emigrant", a poem by Agim Gjakova; "The Man who left Tips", a short story by Vangjush Saro; Book Reviews: Enver Hoxha's "The Titoites"; Reviewed by Steve Calder; "Penal Law in Albania" (edited by Aranit Ҫpela) Reviewed by W. B. Bland; Albanian Society Activity in South Wales; New Periodicals Available; "Economic Science in Albania", by Priamo Bollano; Albanian News; "Nuclear Free Balkans? Nuclear Free World!" by Steve Day; "The Bazaar of Korea" by Piro Thomo; An Albanian Recipe: Bakllavas, by Kalam Cane.

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Albanian Life No 27; No. 4, 1983

Enver Hoxha's 75th Birthday, "The Current Situation in Kosova" by Norberto Steinmayr; "Shadows," Cartoons by Bardhyl Fico; "Impressions of Albania, by Ted Armstrong"; "Albanian Wines"; "Democracy in Albania," by Brian Anderson and Simon Drake, "How the World Looks from Tirana," Cartoons by Bardhyl Fico; Correspondence: Konrad Hopkins; Albanian Society Meetings; "A Meeting in Tirana," The Albanian Cinema," by Barry Ackroyd; Letters to The Sunday Times; "The Institute of People’s Culture," by Dave Smith; "Campaign for Diplomatic Relations with Albania; "The Labour Code", reviewed by Steve Day; Short Story: "The Application", by Iljaz Kapxhiu; "In my Eyes", a poem by Ali Podrimja; Albanian News; New Literature.

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Albanian Life No 38; No. 1, 1987

Bill Bland: "Human Rights in Albania"; Delegation; Poem: Pjeter Budi: "Cain"; Ramadan Sokoli: "Vivaldi's Opera 'Skanderbeg'"; Holidays in Albania; Short story: Paulin Selimi; "A Letter to John Paul II"; Petrit Kalaja: "Nature Reserves in Albania"; Correspondence; Poem: Ndoc Gjetja: "5,000 Pairs of Shoes"; Albanian News; Reports of Meetings; New Books and Magazines; Dictionary of Albanian Literature; Cartoons from "Ylli"; The photograph on the front cover is of the Children's Park in Tirana.

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Albanian Life No 39; No. 2, 1987

Albania and the United Nations, by Norberto Steinmayr; The Man who Came Home, a short story by Gentiane Naipi; The Epic of the Battle of Kosova: 1389 by Fatos Arapi; Tirana, by Frank Carter; Two Poems: The Return of the Girls, by Besnik Mustafaj and The Telephone, by Dritero Agolli; The Albanians in Calabria by Madame Grandin; The Xhublete, by Andromaqi Gjergji; The Klos-Bulqiza Conveyor by Engjell Hoxha; Albanian News; New Magazines Available; Albanian Society Meetings; Notice of Lecture.

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Albanian Life No 40; No. 3, 1987

"Albania 1987" by Norberto Steinmayr; Albanian Society Meetings; "Grandad's Visit," a poem by Ndoc Papleka; Memorandum on Kosova; "Rose Wilder Lane," by Antonia Young; "Albania in 1930"; "The Ending of the State of War with Greece"; "The End of Childhood," a short story by Elena Kadare; Albanian News; "The Albanian Cinema," by Viktor Gjika; New Magazines Available; "Youth Volunteers in Albania," by David Keating; Radio Tirana; Book Review: "Chronicle in Stone" (Ismail Kadare), reviewed by Laurie Prescott.

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Albanian Life No 41; No. 1, 1988

Speech of Albania's Foreign Minister, Reis Malile, at the meeting of Balkan Foreign Ministers in Belgrade; "Identity", a poem by Moikom Zeqo; "An Unexpected Meeting", a short story by Ludmilla Pajo; "An Impression of Albanian Football in Europe", by William Jamieson; Albanian Society Meetings; "Contemporary Reports of Albania Between the Wars", by John A. Sabine; "The Views of 19th Century British Travellers on the Albanian Language", by Shpetim Mema; New Magazines Available; Conferences on Albania; Albanian News

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Albanian Life No 42; No. 2, 1988

"On Effective Literature" by Ismail Kadare; "Solar Energy in Albania" by Fatos Pecani; Book Reviews - Gwen Robyns: Geraldine of the Albanians; Adi Schnytzer: Stalinist Economic Strategy in Practice: the Case of Albania; New Book - Serge van Hoof: Football in Albania; Short story: "Grandmother's Illness" by Enver Kushi; "A Mediaeval Musician", by Afrim Hoti; "Murder at the OmsK Corral", K. Damo; "Women in Folk Song" by Zihni Sako; "The Views of 19th Century British Travellers on the Albanian Language" by Shpetim Mema; Obituary: Lasgush Poradeci (1899-1987); Poem: "The Lake", by Lasgush Poradeci; Albanian Society Meetings; New Magazines; Albanian News.

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Albanian Life No 43; No. 3, 1988

"First Impressions" by Eve Bland; "The Young Archaeologist," a poem by Moikom Zeqo; "The Situation in Kosava" (Zëri i Popullit); "Albanians Will Not Be Silent " by Sabri Hamiti; "The Bear Cubs," a short story by Roland Gjoza ; "Esperanto" by Miço Samara; "Three Poems" by Bardhyl Londo: "Migjeni," "Lasgush Poradeci," and "Chronicle of a Love"; "The 1957 Foreign Office Documents on Albania" by Norberto Steinmayr; "The Earthquake of 9 January 1988"; "Perestroika" (Zëri i Popullit); "Albanian News"; New Book; Albanian Society Meetings; Notice to Members. The reproduction on the front cover is of a picture of Albania's national hero Gjergj Kastrioti — Skanderbeg, attributed to Christophano De Altissimo.

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Albanian Life No 45; No. 2, 1989

"The Plight of Albanians in Yugoslavia" by Norberto Steinmayr; "Albania v. England" by Bryan Clark; "Albanian Eye-Opener" (from the official programme of the World Cup match); "The Botanical Garden" by Liri Dinga; "Official Visit," a short story by Diana Çuli; "First Glance" by Primrose Peacock; Three Poems by Dritero Agolli; "Chronicle in Milan" by Enzo Puzzovio; Book Reviews - Frances Wilkins: "Let's VIsit Albania," reviewed by Gill Ball; Susan Hyman (Ed.): "Edward Lear in the Levant," reviewed by John L. Broom; William Bland: "Albania," reviewed by Martin R. Smith; New Magazines; Albanian News; Albanian Society Meetings reviewed by John L. Broom

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Albanian Life No 49; March 1990/January 1991

Editorial; "The AGM and Social"; Address by Professor Martin Smith; Political Chronology for 1990 Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Regent Holidays 1991 Programme; News from Kosova; Reviews; Delegation Report by Steve Day; Interview with Hardial Bains; Stamps and Magazines; News from the Branches; Radio Tirana.

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download (5.9 MB)	Albanian Life No 24; No. 1, 1983 "Albania's Struggle for Independence" by Martin Smith; "The Girl from Kosova", a poem by Xhevahir Spahiu; "A Woman's Heart", a short story by Kiqo Blushi; "The Bushat Cooperative Farm" by Steve Day; New Literature Available; Cartoons; Editorial: Approaches to Albania from "East" and "West", "Albanian : An Indo-European Language", by Shaban Demiraj; New Periodicals; "The Storm," a short story by Shefqet Musaraj; Book Review: "Before the Dawn", by Shefqet Musaraj, reviewed by Steve Day; Albanian News.
download (6.5 MB)	Albanian Life No 25; No. 2, 1983 Sport In Albania by Besnik Dizdari, Ismet Bellova and Osman Palushi; The Church of St. Mary at Appolonia by Gjergj Frashsri; New Literature Available; "Three Girls", a poem by Vorea Ujko; Cartoons: "How the World Looks from Tirana"; "The Shadow," a short story by Elena Kadare; Albanian Society Meetings; The Shkodra-Titograd Railway; Correction to text of Prof. Martin Smith's lecture; Spirituality in Albanian Poetry; Corrspondence from Vivien Pixner, Margaret Arkwright; Albanian News (November 1982 - January 1983); Book Reviews: "Portrait of Albania" reviewed by Steve Day, "Albania: A Travel Guide" by Philip Ward, reviewed by Tom Blake; "The Hand of Lenin," a poem by Muharrem Jakupi.
download (5.1 MB)	Albanian Life No 26; No. 3, 1983 Editorial; "Contemporary Albanian Painting", by John Newall; "The Albanian Bear", by Fotaq Lamani; Cartoons; "The Power Industry in Albania", by Agron Quedari; Bibliography Supplement; "Pjetër Budi", by Dilaver Kurti; "Music in Albania", by Dave Smith; Correspondence: Ramsey Margolis; "The Emigrant", a poem by Agim Gjakova; "The Man who left Tips", a short story by Vangjush Saro; Book Reviews: Enver Hoxha's "The Titoites"; Reviewed by Steve Calder; "Penal Law in Albania" (edited by Aranit Ҫpela) Reviewed by W. B. Bland; Albanian Society Activity in South Wales; New Periodicals Available; "Economic Science in Albania", by Priamo Bollano; Albanian News; "Nuclear Free Balkans? Nuclear Free World!" by Steve Day; "The Bazaar of Korea" by Piro Thomo; An Albanian Recipe: Bakllavas, by Kalam Cane.
download (5.6 MB)	Albanian Life No 27; No. 4, 1983 Enver Hoxha's 75th Birthday, "The Current Situation in Kosova" by Norberto Steinmayr; "Shadows," Cartoons by Bardhyl Fico; "Impressions of Albania, by Ted Armstrong"; "Albanian Wines"; "Democracy in Albania," by Brian Anderson and Simon Drake, "How the World Looks from Tirana," Cartoons by Bardhyl Fico; Correspondence: Konrad Hopkins; Albanian Society Meetings; "A Meeting in Tirana," The Albanian Cinema," by Barry Ackroyd; Letters to The Sunday Times; "The Institute of People’s Culture," by Dave Smith; "Campaign for Diplomatic Relations with Albania; "The Labour Code", reviewed by Steve Day; Short Story: "The Application", by Iljaz Kapxhiu; "In my Eyes", a poem by Ali Podrimja; Albanian News; New Literature.
download (4.7 MB)	Albanian Life No 38; No. 1, 1987 Bill Bland: "Human Rights in Albania"; Delegation; Poem: Pjeter Budi: "Cain"; Ramadan Sokoli: "Vivaldi's Opera 'Skanderbeg'"; Holidays in Albania; Short story: Paulin Selimi; "A Letter to John Paul II"; Petrit Kalaja: "Nature Reserves in Albania"; Correspondence; Poem: Ndoc Gjetja: "5,000 Pairs of Shoes"; Albanian News; Reports of Meetings; New Books and Magazines; Dictionary of Albanian Literature; Cartoons from "Ylli"; The photograph on the front cover is of the Children's Park in Tirana.
download (4.9 MB)	Albanian Life No 39; No. 2, 1987 Albania and the United Nations, by Norberto Steinmayr; The Man who Came Home, a short story by Gentiane Naipi; The Epic of the Battle of Kosova: 1389 by Fatos Arapi; Tirana, by Frank Carter; Two Poems: The Return of the Girls, by Besnik Mustafaj and The Telephone, by Dritero Agolli; The Albanians in Calabria by Madame Grandin; The Xhublete, by Andromaqi Gjergji; The Klos-Bulqiza Conveyor by Engjell Hoxha; Albanian News; New Magazines Available; Albanian Society Meetings; Notice of Lecture.
download (4.9 MB)	Albanian Life No 40; No. 3, 1987 "Albania 1987" by Norberto Steinmayr; Albanian Society Meetings; "Grandad's Visit," a poem by Ndoc Papleka; Memorandum on Kosova; "Rose Wilder Lane," by Antonia Young; "Albania in 1930"; "The Ending of the State of War with Greece"; "The End of Childhood," a short story by Elena Kadare; Albanian News; "The Albanian Cinema," by Viktor Gjika; New Magazines Available; "Youth Volunteers in Albania," by David Keating; Radio Tirana; Book Review: "Chronicle in Stone" (Ismail Kadare), reviewed by Laurie Prescott.
download (4.4 MB)	Albanian Life No 41; No. 1, 1988 Speech of Albania's Foreign Minister, Reis Malile, at the meeting of Balkan Foreign Ministers in Belgrade; "Identity", a poem by Moikom Zeqo; "An Unexpected Meeting", a short story by Ludmilla Pajo; "An Impression of Albanian Football in Europe", by William Jamieson; Albanian Society Meetings; "Contemporary Reports of Albania Between the Wars", by John A. Sabine; "The Views of 19th Century British Travellers on the Albanian Language", by Shpetim Mema; New Magazines Available; Conferences on Albania; Albanian News
download (6.2 MB)	Albanian Life No 42; No. 2, 1988 "On Effective Literature" by Ismail Kadare; "Solar Energy in Albania" by Fatos Pecani; Book Reviews - Gwen Robyns: Geraldine of the Albanians; Adi Schnytzer: Stalinist Economic Strategy in Practice: the Case of Albania; New Book - Serge van Hoof: Football in Albania; Short story: "Grandmother's Illness" by Enver Kushi; "A Mediaeval Musician", by Afrim Hoti; "Murder at the OmsK Corral", K. Damo; "Women in Folk Song" by Zihni Sako; "The Views of 19th Century British Travellers on the Albanian Language" by Shpetim Mema; Obituary: Lasgush Poradeci (1899-1987); Poem: "The Lake", by Lasgush Poradeci; Albanian Society Meetings; New Magazines; Albanian News.
download (4.2 MB)	Albanian Life No 43; No. 3, 1988 "First Impressions" by Eve Bland; "The Young Archaeologist," a poem by Moikom Zeqo; "The Situation in Kosava" (Zëri i Popullit); "Albanians Will Not Be Silent " by Sabri Hamiti; "The Bear Cubs," a short story by Roland Gjoza ; "Esperanto" by Miço Samara; "Three Poems" by Bardhyl Londo: "Migjeni," "Lasgush Poradeci," and "Chronicle of a Love"; "The 1957 Foreign Office Documents on Albania" by Norberto Steinmayr; "The Earthquake of 9 January 1988"; "Perestroika" (Zëri i Popullit); "Albanian News"; New Book; Albanian Society Meetings; Notice to Members. The reproduction on the front cover is of a picture of Albania's national hero Gjergj Kastrioti — Skanderbeg, attributed to Christophano De Altissimo.
download (4.9 MB)	Albanian Life No 45; No. 2, 1989 "The Plight of Albanians in Yugoslavia" by Norberto Steinmayr; "Albania v. England" by Bryan Clark; "Albanian Eye-Opener" (from the official programme of the World Cup match); "The Botanical Garden" by Liri Dinga; "Official Visit," a short story by Diana Çuli; "First Glance" by Primrose Peacock; Three Poems by Dritero Agolli; "Chronicle in Milan" by Enzo Puzzovio; Book Reviews - Frances Wilkins: "Let's VIsit Albania," reviewed by Gill Ball; Susan Hyman (Ed.): "Edward Lear in the Levant," reviewed by John L. Broom; William Bland: "Albania," reviewed by Martin R. Smith; New Magazines; Albanian News; Albanian Society Meetings reviewed by John L. Broom
download (4.9 MB)	Albanian Life No 49; March 1990/January 1991 Editorial; "The AGM and Social"; Address by Professor Martin Smith; Political Chronology for 1990 Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Regent Holidays 1991 Programme; News from Kosova; Reviews; Delegation Report by Steve Day; Interview with Hardial Bains; Stamps and Magazines; News from the Branches; Radio Tirana.