Ibrahim Rugova He was born on 2 December

Ibrahim Rugova

He was born on 2 December 1944 in Cerrcë. He was editor of student magazine Bota e re (New World) and Dysuria (Knowledge), literary critic, assistant at the Institute of albanologia Pristina and professor of literature. He entered on the political arena as President of the Association of writers of Kosovo, around which was formed the Albanian movement in Kosovo, and was one of the signatories of the Appeal of 215 Albanian intellectuals, which in 1989 was against the Amendment of the Constitution of Serbia, with which it was eliminated the autonomy of Kosovo.

Rugova led the fight for independence of Kosovo with non-violent methods. He was called “the Gandhi of the Balkans”, but became the subject of harsh criticism and even threats to its security by UÇK.

He was rewarded in 1998 with the Prize of freedom of thought entitled to Andrej Sakharov. He died the night of 21 January 2006 for the consequences of a tumour that was diagnosed in September 2005.

The media have reported on the occasion of death, the insistent voices of his secret conversion to Catholicism, with baptism, by Pope John Paul II, on 24 April 1994. Kosovo has been declared a national mourning for five days.

Books by and about Ibrahim Rugova • Prekje lirike, [Lyrical Touches], essays, Rilindja, Pristina, 1971 • Kah teoria, [Towards Theory], essays, Rilindja, Pristina, 1978 • Bibliografia e kritikës letrare shqiptare 1944 -1974, [Bibliography of Albanian Literary Criticism 1944 -1974], Instituti Albanologjik, Pristina, 1976 (together with Isak Shema) • Kritika letrare (nga De Rada te Migjeni), [Literary Criticism], anthology with commentary, Rilindja, Pristina, 1979 (together with Sabri Hamiti) • Strategjia e kuptimit, [Strategy of Meaning], essays, Rilindja, Pristina, 1980 • Vepra e Bogdanit 1675 -1685, [Bogdani’s Oeuvre 1675 -1685], monograph study, Rilindja, Pristina, 1982 • Kahe dhe premisa të kritikës letrare shqiptare 1504 -1983, [Directions and Premises of Albanian Literary Criticism 1504 -1983], monograph study, Instituti Albanologjik, Pristina, 1986

• Refuzimi estetik', [Aesthetic Rejection], essays, Rilindja, Pristina, 1987 • Pavarësia dhe demokracia, [Independence and Democracy], interviews and other occasional pieces, Fjala, Pristina, 1991 • Çështja e Kosovës, [The Kosovo Issue], (together with Marie. Françoise Allain and Xavier Galmiche), Dukagjini, Peć, 1994, translation of the original La question du Kosovo - entretiens avec Marie-Francoise Allain et Xavier Galmiche, Preface de Ismail Kadare, Paris, 1994 • Irahim Rugova: “La frêle colosse du Kosovo” , Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1999 • Kompleti i veprave të Ibrahim Rugovës në tetë vëllime, [Ibrahim Rugova’s Oeuvre in eight volumes], Faik Konica, Pristina, 2005 • On the first anniversary of Rugova’s death, the Kosovo Presidency published a book entitled President Rugova, with a Preface by President Fatmir Sejdiu (‘The First Statesman of Kosovo’) and a long introduction by Sabri Hamiti (‘Memento for Rugova’). The book collects some of the President’s major speeches/addresses as a leader and statesman.

Honours • • • 1995: Peace Prize of Paul Litzer Foundation, Denmark. 1996: Honorary Doctorate of University of Paris VIII: Vincennes Saint-Denis, France. 1998: Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament. 1999: Peace Prize, City of Münster. 1999: Honorary Citizen of the Cities of Venice, Milan and Brescia (Italy). 2000: Peace Prize of the Democratic Union of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. 2003: Prize European Senator of Honour. 2004: Honorary Doctorate of Tirana University. 2006: Order of the Flag (posthumously), by President of Albania Alfred Moisiu. 2007: Order "Hero of Kosovo" (posthumously), by President of Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu.

Created by Michele Casellato Lisa Conforto Loris Nonnato