Fan Noli

Theofan Stilian Noli
Noli in c. 1924
13th Prime Minister of Albania
In office
16 June 1924 – 23 December 1924
Preceded byIlias Vrioni
Succeeded byIlias Vrioni
Albanian Orthodox Bishop of Korça and Metropolitan of Durrës
In office
21 November 1923 – unknown
Personal details
Born(1882-01-06)6 January 1882
İbriktepe, Vilayet of Adrianople, Ottoman Empire
Died13 March 1965(1965-03-13) (aged 83)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Political partyAlbanian Peoples Party Democratic People’s Party of Albania
Alma materHarvard,[1] Boston University
OccupationWriter, Bishop, Translator, Composer, Politician
ProfessionPriest and Politician
Signature

Theofan Stilian Noli, known as Fan Noli (6 January 1882 – 13 March 1965), was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, Archbishop, Metropolitan and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America who served as Prime Minister and regent of Albania in 1924 during the June Revolution.[2]

Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature, history, theology, diplomacy, journalism, music, national unity and ecumenism. He played an important role in the consolidation of Albanian as the national language of Albania with numerous translations of world literature masterpieces.[3] He also wrote extensively in English: as a scholar and author of a series of publications on Skanderbeg, Shakespeare, Beethoven, religious texts and translations.[3] He produced a translation of the New Testament in English, The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the approved Greek text of the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Greece, published in 1961.

Noli earned degrees at Harvard[1] (1912), the New England Conservatory of Music (1938), and finally his Ph.D. from Boston University (1945).[4][5] He was ordained a priest in 1908, establishing thereby the Albanian Church and elevating the Albanian language to ecclesiastic use. He briefly resided in Albania after the 1912 declaration of independence. After World War I, Noli led the diplomatic efforts for the reunification of Albania and received the support of US President Woodrow Wilson. Later he pursued a diplomatic-political career in Albania, successfully leading the Albanian bid for membership in the League of Nations.

A respected figure who remained critical of corruption and injustice in the Albanian government, Fan Noli was asked to lead the 1924 June Revolution. He then served as prime minister until his revolutionary government was overthrown by Ahmet Zogu. He was exiled to Italy and permanently settled in the United States in the 1930s, acquiring US citizenship and agreeing to end his political involvement. He spent the rest of his life as an academician, religious leader, and writer.

  1. ^ a b Thernstrom 1980, p. 26.
  2. ^ Brisku, Adrian (2020). "Renegotiating the Empire, Forging the Nation-State: The Albanian Case through the Political Economic Thought of Ismail Qemali, Fan Noli, and Luigj Gurakuqi, c. 1890–1920s". Nationalities Papers. 48 (1): 158–174. doi:10.1017/nps.2018.52. ISSN 0090-5992. S2CID 211344809.
  3. ^ a b Spahiu & Mjeku 2009.
  4. ^ p. 175. William Paul. 2003. English Language Bible Translators. Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland and Co.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Skendi162 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).