Misto Treska
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Misto Treska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 April 1914 |
| Died | 23 June 1993 (aged 79) Tirana, Albania |
| Other names | Mitre S. Toska |
| Occupations | Translator, Diplomat (Ambassador), Writer |
| Known for | Translation of French literature |
Misto Treska (19 April 1914 – 23 June 1993) was an Albanian translator, diplomat (Ambassador), writer and politician of Albania during communist regime. He has translated French authors such as Hugo, Maupassant, Stendhal and Diderot into Albanian. He has served in the Albanian diplomacy, particularly in exchanges of cultural relations of Albania with foreign countries. He has notably been Ambassador in Paris. Treska was also one of the prosecutors of the military trial in which Axis collaborators Lef Nosi, Anton Harapi, Maliq Bushati were sentenced to death.[1]
Misto Treska was born in Treskë, Korçë, on 19 April 1914. He attended the Korçë Lyceum along with other outstanding names like Pandi Geço, Vedat Kokona and Mahir Domi. Since at his early life, he was distinguished for his active help in the cultural and artistic life of the city. Under the pen name Mitre S. Toska,[2] he published regularly articles and translations in "Rilindja" (Eng. Renaissance) and "Bota e Re" (Eng. New World), the socio-political and literary journals of the time, together with the then distinguished writers, like Sterjo Spase, Migjeni, Petro Marko, Nonda Bulka etc.[3] Also, Treska put on stage plays "Den Politiske Kandestøber" (Eng. The Political Tinker or The Pewterer turned Politician) by Ludvig Holberg, "En Folkefiende" (Eng. An Enemy of the People) by Henrik Ibsen, and other plays by Molière, Jean Racine and Victor Eftimiu, playing at the same time as an actor.[4] In later years, he worked for the Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary, entries dedicated to the period of the 1920s and 1930s.
Years of World War II
Misto Treska took part in the first anti-fascist organizations of the city of Korçë. In April 1939, he was arrested for resistance against the Italian occupiers and was transferred into the prisons of Durrës, Zvërnec (in Vlorë), Krujë and from there to Messina, Italy, where he stayed for two years. Upon release from prison, he joined the Albanian Anti-Fascist National Liberation Army, the 20th Brigade, where he was ranked as its Commissar. The lyrics of this brigade would retain his signature. Throughout this period, Treska continued contribution to the country's literary life as a publicist, when his pen against the fascist invaders was felt particularly strong. He attended the Conference of Berati in 1944 and was one of the Albanian delegates to the Peace Conference in 1946. Being a member of the Presidium of the League of Writers and Artists of Albania, he submitted for publication novels of Maxim Gorky, "Malva" and "Birth of a Man", which were received warmly by readers.