Activities of Fan S. Noli in United States of America

Theofan Stilian Noli better known as Fan Noli (January, 6, 1882 – March, 30, 1965) was an Albanian writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, critic, a great translator and the founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as a prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.

Noli is venerated in a national history of Albania as a champion of a literature, history, theology, diplomacy, journalism, music and national unity. He is also represented in the Albanian literature with numerous translations of world literature masterpieces, and a lot of religion texts and translations. He spend his life moving through a lot of places like Athens , Greece, Alexandria, Egypt, Odessa, Russia, supporting himself as an actor and translator. But America was the place when he spent most of his life, first as a supporter of his country’s nationalistic movement in order to mobilize the Albanian immigrant community, than he served as the priest of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Noli is also known as a great polyglot, he knew 13 foreign languages.

Origin and the first steps of education

Noli was born in Albanian community of Ibrik Teke (Eastern Thrace), in this very village he gained his first educational steps, where he finished the primary school in Greece language than the high school in Andrianopol also in Greece language but it never effected on him to forget Albanian language. In Greece he staid since 1900 until 1903, he was registered in university but for economical reasons he was obligated to leave the studies. In 1904 Noli found a job in Egypt as a teacher of Greece language where he also started his political movements, he also worked there as journalist in the newspaper “Drita”. Motivated by his friends Noli in 1906 leaves Egypt and starts his journey to America.

Noli in United States of America

In 1906 in Boston Albanians patriots were publishing the revolutionary newspaper “Kombi”, since he first arrived he started writing articles for a year, then in 1907 he started his own newspaper “Dielli” directed by Noli himself. At that time, in Boston some Albanians Christians were part of the Geek Orthodox Church, which was vehemently opposed to the Albanian nationalist cause. When a Greek Orthodox priest refused to perform the burial rites for Kristaq Dhishnica a member of Albanian community from Hudson, Massachusetts because of nationalist activity, Noli and a group of Albanian nationalist in New England created the independent Albanian Orthodox Church. Noli, the new church’s first clergyman, was ordained as a priest in 1908 by Russian Orthodox bishop in the United States. Latter in 1923 was consecrated as a bishop for the Church of Albania. After Noli was ordained as a priest he acquired his education at Harvard on the department of Arts. 26 year later , in 1938 , he finished the conservatorium of music in New England. He also specialized for composing. In 1945, 7 years later he specialized for the Middle East and Russian history.

Political activities

He returned to Europe to promote Albanian independence, setting foot in Albania for the first time in 1913. He returned to United States with a new organization “Vatra” serving as head of it. Later in 1921 Noli would entered in the Albanian parliament as a representative of the

liberal Vatra party. He served briefly as foreign minister in the government of Xhafer Ypi. During that time in 1923 he was consecrated as the senior Orthodox bishop of the newly-proclaimed Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. After the death of Avni Rustemi a great Albanian patriot a new revolution started against Ahmed Zogu that forced him to flee to Yugoslavia in March 1924. In the meantime in Albania was formed a new government where people themselves by voting chose Noli as a prime minister (July 17, 1924), we have to mention that for the first time in Albanian history women had the right to vote to, of course by the request of Noli himself. Unfortunately Nolis’s government didn’t last long, loyal groups to Zogu overthrow his government on Christmas Eve that year so he served as a prime minister only 6 months. Two weeks later, Zogu returned to Albania and exiled Noli and he fled to Italy under sentence of death.

He returned back to United States in 1932 while Zogu proclaimed himself as a king. Noli continued his life studding and even teaching Byzantine music which he mastered since kid, as a family tradition.

Toward the end of his life, Noli retired to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he died in 1965. Fan S. Noli is depicted on the obverse of the Albanian 100 lekë banknote issued in 1996.

Noli’s literature

Noli’s literature involves religions texts and books, critics, translations, history books, even some music pieces which are not published.

Some of his books in Albanian are: “Autobiografi”, “Israelitet e Filipinet”, “Albumi”.

Some of the translations: Religions texts which helped him during his predications, the religion books from English: “Eastern Orthodox Prayer Book”, “Eastern Orthodox Pocket Prayer Book”, “Eastern Orthodox Catechism”, “Three Liturgies of the Eastern Orthodox Church”, “Gospel Lectionary of the Eastern Orthodox Church”. Translation from Greece history: “Albania” from Sami Frasheri. History books from English: “50th Anniversary Book” , “George Castrioti Scanderbeg” “Bethoven and the French revolution”. And a lot of translations of world literature especially, from Shakespeare. Noli has also some unpublished music pieces like symphonic poem a part for orchestra, a song for orchestra and tenor etc.

Noli spent his life motivating himself always by his 3 famous heroes, and asking himself what they would do in every kid of difficult situation, I guess the three of them: Jesus, Scanderbeg and Napoleon lidded him greatly to big successes, because after all Noli made history, in religion literature and national history of Albania, he was one of the greatest minds and he will always be.

Agona Chupi