Faik Bey Konica (later named Faïk Dominik Konitza, 15 March 1875 – 15 December 1942) was an important person in Albanian language and culture during the early 1900s. As the Albanian minister to Washington, D.C., his literary magazine Albania became the main publication for Albanian writers living outside Albania. Faik Konica wrote few literary works, but he was an important writer of style, critic, public writer, and political leader in Albanian culture.
Biography
Konica was born on March 15, 1875, as the son of Shahin and Lalia Zenelbej in the town of Koniçe (now called Konitsa), which was part of the Janina Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire. This area is now located in northern Greece, near the border with Albania. He had three brothers: Mehmed, Rustem, and Hilmi. After completing elementary school in Turkish in his hometown, he studied at the Xavierian Jesuit College in Shkodër, where he learned about Albania and was introduced to European culture and ideas from the West. He later continued his education at the well-known French-language Imperial Galatasaray High School in Istanbul. During his youth, Konica practiced Albanian and collected a small collection of books written by scholars who studied Albania.
In 1890, at the age of fifteen, he went to France to study and remained there for seven years. He first attended secondary schools in Lisieux (1890) and Carcassonne (1892). He then enrolled at the University of Dijon, where he graduated in 1895 with a degree in Romance languages and philology. After graduation, he moved to Paris for two years, where he studied Medieval French literature, Latin, and Greek at the Collège de France. He later completed his studies at Harvard University in the United States, though little is known about this time in his life. Because of his diverse education, Konica could speak and write fluently in Albanian, Greek, Italian, French, German, English, and Turkish.
In 1895, Konica changed his religion from Islam to Roman Catholicism and renamed himself Dominik, signing his name as Faik Dominik Konica for many years. However, in 1897, he said, "All religions make me vomit," and some sources later described him as an atheist.
Albania (periodical)
In 1896 and 1897, while in Brussels, Konica began publishing a magazine called Albania. The publication ended in 1909 after Konica moved to the United States.
Because the Ottoman Empire banned writing in Albanian, Konica and other Albanian writers used a false name, Trank Spiro Bey, to avoid restrictions. This name was inspired by a Catholic Ottoman figure named Trank Spiro. From 1903 to 1904, Konica lived in London at Oakley Crescent in Islington. There, he continued editing Albania under the name Trank Spiro Beg. The magazine was published in French and Albanian and had been started in Brussels in 1897. Konica wrote strongly critical articles about what he saw as the lack of progress and simple-mindedness among Albanians. He promoted economic growth and unity among Muslim and Christian Albanians, and he opposed violent rebellion. He supported better Ottoman rule through reforms in Albania.
Konica’s deep knowledge of Albanian language and dialects showed in his writing, which was elegant and rich in expression. He also worked to expand Albanian vocabulary by using words from common speech and folklore, helping the language address complex topics better than other Albanian publications of the time. Albania helped spread Albanian culture and the cause of Albanian independence across Europe. It played a major role in improving Southern Albanian prose writing.
The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire once said, “Konica turned a rough language used by sailors into a beautiful, rich, and flexible language.” Konica also published works by other Albanian writers, including Aleksandër Stavre Drenova, Andon Zako Çajupi, Filip Shiroka, Gjergj Fishta, Kostandin Kristoforidhi, and Thimi Mitko. The Austrian-Hungarian diplomat Theodor Anton Ippen also had his writings published in Albania. Konica assured Ippen that he and his friends believed Albania should join Austria in political and military alliances.
In 1906, Konica wrote in Albania that independence for Albania was about “twenty years” away. He urged focus on helping the Albanian people “move toward civilization,” which he believed would lead to freedom. A committee in Paris, led by Dervish Hima, aimed to make Albert Ghica the prince of Albania. The group had close ties with Konica, who supported Austria at the time. Konica believed Italo-Albanians (Arbëreshë), who were Italian citizens, would struggle to support Albanian independence because of their connection to Italy. He refused to work with them. Italo-Albanians criticized Konica’s support for Austria, while Konica argued that Austria encouraged Albanian culture and language in schools, unlike Italy.
The Young Turks (CUP) had a negative view of Albanian leaders like Konica who worked with foreign powers. Konica was known for being easily angered, overly confident in his views, and often involved in arguments. These traits caused disagreements with other Albanian patriots who believed his writing on culture, nationality, and rights was too indirect compared to the magazine Drita. Konica could not attend the Albanian Alphabet Congress of 1908 because he received his invitation too late, which he believed was intentional.
In 1912, Apollinaire published a memoir about Konica in Mercure de France, beginning with, “Of the people I have met and remember most fondly, Faik Bey Konica is one of the most unusual.” He wrote:
“We would have lunch the Albanian way, which meant eating for a very long time. The lunches were so long that I could not visit any museums in London, as we always arrived when the doors were closed. Konica’s careful attention to his articles caused the magazine to be published very late. In 1904, only the issues from 1902 appeared; in 1907, the issues from 1904 came out regularly. The French journal L'Occident was the only one that could match Albania in this regard.”
Political activities and death
Konica organized the Albanian Congress of Trieste, which took place from February 27 to March 6, 1913.
In the fall of 1909, Konica traveled to Boston, where he became the chief editor of Dielli, a newspaper published by the Besa-Besën society. This group was a political and cultural organization for Albanian-American communities. Later, with the founding of Vatra, the Pan-Albanian Federation of America, Konica’s influence within the Albanian community in the United States grew, and he became the general secretary of Vatra. He worked closely with Fan Noli and played a major role in the history of both Vatra and Dielli. In 1911, he published Trumbeta e Krujes (Kruja’s Trumpet), a newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, but it lasted only a short time. On November 17, 1912, Vatra held a large meeting in Boston, and Konica spoke as the main leader, encouraging Albanians in the United States to oppose any division of Albania during the Balkan Wars.
Konica was upset with the Austro-Hungarian government and Ismail Kemal after Kemal supported the creation of the Bank of Albania (Albanian: Banka e Shqiperise), an Austro-Italian bank. Albanians feared this bank would allow large-scale land purchases and control Albania’s future economy. Konica was one of the main organizers of the Albanian Congress of Trieste in 1913. On November 20, 1913, he had a disagreement with Essad Pasha and left Durrës with his colleague Fazil Pasha Toptani.
In 1921, Konica returned to the United States, where he became president of Vatra and wrote articles for Dielli. In 1929, Ahmet Zogu, who had recently become King Zog I of Albania, appointed Konica as Albania’s ambassador to the United States, despite Konica’s low regard for Zogu. Konica held this position until 1939, when Fascist Italy invaded Albania. Konica strongly criticized King Zog’s decision to leave Albania as Italian forces approached.
Konica died in Washington, D.C., on December 15, 1942, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. In 1998, his remains were moved to Tirana and placed in Tirana Park near the Artificial Lake.