Albanian Literature : A Short History The Highland Lute (Lahuta e Malcís): The Albanian National Epic.
Robert Elsie (June 29, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was a Canadian-born German scholar who specialized in
Albanian literature and
folklore.
Elsie was a writer, translator, interpreter, and specialist in Albanian studies,[1] being the author of numerous books and articles that focused on various aspects of Albanian culture and affairs.
As a translator Robert Elsie offered the reader "a selection of songs from the best known cycle of
Albanian epic verse".[3]
Elsie during his lifetime authored many works of scholarship and had no major unpublished work left for completion prior to his death.[2]
Death
On October 2, 2017, Elsie died of
motor neuron disease in
Bonn,
Germany.[4][5][6] His
last words before passing away were "death is so boring. So slow. One only waits for it".[2] At the time of Elsie's death, it was initially reported in the media that he had requested in his will to be buried in Albania,[7][5][8] although it emerged two weeks after those events that Elsie did not specify in his will where to be buried.[2] Instead it was the decision of his life partner, Stephan Trierweiler, that he should be buried in Albania due to the deep love Elsie had for the country.[2]
Elsie's coffin was brought to Albania to
lay in repose at the
National Library in Tirana for people to come and pay their respects.[8] A farewell ceremony paying tribute to Elsie was held in Tirana, bringing together friends, academics and politicians from Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.[2] During his lifetime, Elsie developed a fondness for
Theth, seeing it as an Albanian "
Shangri-La". On October 18, he was buried in the northern village located in the
Albanian Alps.[8][2] A prolific author of scholarly works, Elsie's untimely death within the context of Albanian studies has been seen as a "big blow" for its international promotion.[2]
Publications
Below are a selection of his publications of which he was an author, editor or translator. Elsie published around 60 books in English, Albanian or German.
Robert Elsie, Baron Franz Nopcsa and his contribution to Albanian studies.[9]
Robert Elsie (2001). The Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology and Folk Culture. Hurst & Co Ltd.
ISBN978-1850655701.
Robert Elsie, ed. (2006). Balkan Beauty, Balkan Blood : Modern Albanian Short Stories (Writings from an Unbound Europe). Northwestern University Press.
ISBN0-8101-2336-3.
Robert Elsie (2006). Albanian Literature: A Short History. I. B. Tauris.
ISBN1-84511-031-5.
Robert Elsie and
Janice Mathie-Heck, ed. (2004). Songs of the Frontier Warriors: Kenge Kreshnikesh--Albanian Epic Verse in a Bilingual English-Albanian Edition. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers; Bilingual edition.
ISBN0-86516-412-6.
Visar Zhiti[in Albanian] (2004). The Condemned Apple : Selected Poetry. Translated by Robert Elsie. Green Integer; Bilingual edition.
ISBN1-931243-72-7.
Robert Elsie (2011). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Historical Dictionaries of Europe. Vol. 79. Scarecrow Press.
ISBN978-0-8108-7231-8.
Robert Elsie (2013). Leo Freundlich: Die Albanische Korrespondenz, Agenturmeldungen aus Krisenzeiten. Oldenburg Verlag.
ISBN978-3-486-70716-8.
Robert Elsie (2013). Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. I. B. Tauris.
ISBN978-1-78076-431-3.
Robert Elsie (2013). The Cham Albanians of Greece: A Documentary History. I. B. Tauris.
ISBN978-1-780760-00-1.
Robert Elsie (2013). The Balkans Wars: British Consular reports from Macedonia in the Final Years of the Ottoman Empire. I. B. Tauris.
ISBN978-1-780760-76-6.
Robert Elsie (2015). Gathering Clouds: The Roots of Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo and Macedonia - Early Twentieth-Century Documents. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
ISBN978-1507882085.
Robert Elsie (2015). The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture. I.B.Tauris.
ISBN9780857739322.
Robert Elsie (2016). Early Albanian Bible Translations in Todhri Script. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
ISBN978-1539703334.
Robert Elsie and Bejtullah D. Destani, ed. (2018). Kosovo, A Documentary History: From the Balkan Wars to World War II. I. B. Tauris.
ISBN9781786733542.
Robert Elsie (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: History and Culture of a Dervish Order in the Balkans. Bloomsbury Publishing.
ISBN9781788315715.
Honours
Medal of Gratitude (Albania, 15 May 2013) – decorated by President of Albania
Bujar Nishani. Robert Elsie received the honour for his contributions as a scholar for over 35 years focusing and internationally promoting the "culture, language, literature and history of Albanians" alongside the "positive image of Albania in the world".[10] Offering his gratitude, President Nishani referred to Elsie as "a good Albanian".[10]