12 Facts About Drago Siliqi

Drago Siliqi was an Albanian poet, literary critic, and publisher.

Drago Siliqi published his first collection of poetry, and then pursued university studies at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow.

Drago Siliqi led the company to publish more translations of foreign literary works into Albanian through the hiring of affirmed writers.

Drago Siliqi was born on June 9,1930, in Tirana, Albania, from an Albanian family originally from Shkoder.

Nephew of the Albanian National Awakening activist and poet Risto Siliqi, in 1944 Drago became a scout and then a partisan of the National Liberation Movement.

Drago Siliqi studied literature at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow.

Drago Siliqi encouraged and assisted Ismail Kadare to write The General of the Dead Army.

Several authors and critics have expressed their thoughts that Drago Siliqi's critique was deep, yet he would be always open in discussing his ideas and had a positive attitude on an entire generation of young authors to express themselves in elevated forms of art.

Drago Siliqi was daring enough to express very positive notes on The Highland Lute, an Albanian national epic poem, by Gjergj Fishta, although the work had been banned in Albania at that time, due to anti-Slavic rhetoric.

Drago Siliqi's works were collected and published several times, under the care of his wife, Drita Siliqi.

Drago Siliqi had two daughters with Drita, Darine Siliqi and Laura Siliqi.

Drago Siliqi died on July 13,1963, flying from China to Albania, when Aeroflot Flight 12 crashed in the vicinity of the Siberian city of Irkutsk, Soviet Union.