Agron Gjekmarkaj

Gjekmarkaj was born in Lezhë, Albania on 21 May 1974. He graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology at the University of Tirana in 1996 with a degree in language and literature. In 2005, he completed his studies in literary theory at the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the Sapienza University of Rome.^[1][2]

After completing his studies, Gjekmarkaj began teaching at the University of Tirana, where he has lectured in the Faculty of History and Philology. He holds the academic title of “Doctor of Sciences.” Alongside his academic work, Gjekmarkaj has been active as a publicist and journalist since the mid-1990s. He served as editor of the cultural magazine Hylli i Dritës and as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Ora e Shqipërisë in 1996. From 2004 onward, he has contributed as a columnist and opinion writer to several Albanian daily newspapers, including Panorama, where he remains a regular editorialist. Between 2000 and 2005, he collaborated with the Albanian-language newspaper Bota Shqiptare in Rome and with Vatican Radio as a consultant and editorial contributor.^[1]

From 2005 to 2007, Gjekmarkaj served as Advisor to the Minister of Culture on cultural policy. Between 2007 and 2008, he headed the Directorate of Arts and Literature at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. He was also a member of the National Literary Awards Jury from 2007 to 2010 and served on the Scientific Council of the National Library of Albania between 2006 and 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he held the position of Assistant to the President of the Republic.^[1]