When we, the children of Alizot, told the "stories" of God (Alizot) in joyful social settings, we were often asked: - "Did you write them down? No! How sad, they will be lost...! Who should do it?"

And we felt more and more guilty. If it had to be done, we had to do it. But could we write them?! “Not every person who can read and write can write books,” said the Lord, every time he passed through his hands poor books.

When we, the children of God, were talking to each other about this “obligation” – about the Book, we naturally felt ourselves faced with the inability to fulfill it. It was not our job! By God’s “measure,” we were incapable of writing this book.

Would Alizoti, as a bookseller, accept to keep this book written by us in his private library, for example about a similar character? Of course not! If they had forced him to read it, he would have ended up expressing himself as the people of Gjirokastër: “Whatever – whatever …, take it from the trash and throw it in”! But then, who could write to us? The purpose was simple: Homage to Alizoti, as a prominent bookseller, as a well-known and beloved character in Gjirokastër in his time, but also as an extraordinary parent. We gave ourselves courage.

We have some advantages: We are from Gjirokastra, but also contemporaries with our father! Moreover, in many of God's pleasant events, we have been witnesses or "victims". What about literary values?! We will compensate for the literary poverty with the love of a child for a parent. Okay! Then, even when it comes to writing, we are not at all zero. After all, we have gone through the classes of the "Asim Zeneli" high school, with a name at that time, and, moreover, we are students of Agim Shehu, the poet and talented teacher of literature.

Oh,… wait… wait, we almost forgot, we are also Alizot's children, he must have left something for us too. He left no…he left, but he left as a bookseller and not as a writer! Again hesitation! All these factors, which seemed generally positive to us, are not enough to get the courage to write a book.

Debate:

The reader does not owe us to read our writings. Oh, don't cry over the reader, because he is so smart that he will not buy our book, no matter how confused he may be by the countless publications of authors who have not really read any books themselves, but are compensating for it with their endless writings. Aren't we the ones who have said many times; "Oh God, help us, you have forgotten us again! Take away our pen! Don't let us gouge out our eyes!" To write it, or not to write it...?!! We finally decided. We will make a book for our family, for Alizot's grandchildren. We will not sell it in bookstores.

We will distribute it to Alizot's friends, to their families, as a sign of gratitude for the love and respect they have shown to our father. They will forgive us for our lack of literary values. They know that we are not writers. Even God would agree with this finding. His rest would be increased! We decided to write Shpëtimi and have Ibrahim complete it.

Portrait of Alizot

To highlight Alizot's portrait, we have completed this collection with biographical elements, as well as with the assessments written by many authors in their books, such as Dalan Shapllo, Elmaz Puto, Bajo Topulli, Baftjar Dobi, Sevo Tarifa, Vasil Dilo, which we have extracted and placed here, along with God's humor. Heartfelt gratitude to them!

Gentlemen Vasil Kati, Skënder Çiço, Petro Dudi, etc. have also written about Alizoti in their books, to whom we are also grateful. We thank with great respect the people of knowledge and letters; Dritëro Agolli, Muzafer Xhaxhiu, Nasho Jorgaqi, Gaqo Veshi (Hyskë Borobojka), Agim Shehu, Jorgo Bulo, Adem Harxhi, Thanas Dino, Andon Lula, who welcomed the news that Alizoti's children are fulfilling a desire of theirs and that of society, to commemorate Alizoti. With how much love and respect they gave us their impressions of getting to know Alizoti!

We would like to emphasize the special contribution of Prof. Nasho Jorgaq, who has been with us since the moment we asked him for his impressions of meeting Alizoti. He praised us for this initiative, freed us from insecurities, encouraged us, constantly urging us with concern not to procrastinate the work we had started. He read the rough material that we prepared and brought us advice from an old master, before we sent it for editing and publication.

Humorous pieces

We were able to document a very small portion of Alizot's humorous incidents, only those we were present at and some that we heard by chance and fortunately from retellings by others. How true are the things written in these humorous bits?

It must be understood that they are not written by the author, God himself. It never even occurred to him that his hilarious sayings would one day be written. He had a natural sense of humor. With humor he challenged the poverty and stress of the time. He felt richer and calmer. He would have to have a secretary behind him, to write them from morning to night.

And the secretary from behind certainly didn't want to, even if they forced him to. He couldn't stand it. It was a time when people talked to themselves about their many troubles and turned their heads, hoping no one would hear them. Not to mention when you wanted to make a joke! So, these stories are brought from memory after about fifty years, as well as from oral tradition. They are not recordings!

We have taken care to ensure that their retelling is as close to reality as possible in essence, while in form there may certainly be small changes, because even Alizoti himself did not tell the same story the same way twice. He also had the gift of maintaining and even adding a dose of humor. He made the story even more enjoyable at the moment. He never bored you when he told it.

We especially wish that in these memories, no one would be hurt. It was in Alizot's nature not to hurt others. He controlled his humor, to always be as kind as possible. He wanted everyone to laugh. Except for those cases when he used humor to hit a vice. In case anyone feels hurt, of course, we, the children, have unintentionally hurt them. So now we apologize!

Does anyone have anything to add? We would be happy to hear it! But did we manage to bring the portrait of Alizot alive and complete? We do not feel at ease! We know very well that we cannot make the "egg" of our father! As long as we continue to present ourselves as the children of Alizot Emiri, it means that we do not exactly resemble him. We must lower Him, so that We can achieve ...! No! It is impossible!

It would not be modest at all if we said that "we remained like oregano in the oak's butt". This is the only misfortune that our father left us, that we will leave this world as children, "the children of Alizot", but each of us will also have our own individuality, our age.

With respect to the reader,

Children of ALIZOT EMIRIT

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

ALIZOT emiri – was born in Gjirokastra on February 3, 1914, in an indigenous Gjirokastra family. For economic reasons, he dropped out of school and started working at a young age. From 1928 to '36, at the age of 14-22, he worked in Gjirokastra at the Post Office, at the newspaper "Demokratia" and as a bookseller and newspaper seller. In the period 1936-1938, for economic reasons, Alizoti was forced to go to Kuçovë and Tirana, where he worked as a switchboard operator and telegrapher.

In 1939, together with his brother, Mufiti, who was a student at the Lyceum, they opened in Gjirokastra, in a rented space, the bookstore named "Dante Alighieri" (later called "International Library"), which operated until 1947-1958. During this period, they brought literature in Italian and French to the bookstore, because these languages ​​were known by the intelligentsia who had studied in the West, as well as by the student youth who learned them at the Gjirokastra Lyceum.

They established connections with Italian publishing houses, as well as book and newspaper distribution agencies, which periodically supplied the library with the literature requested by readers. They brought periodicals (newspapers and magazines), literary editions of masterpieces of world literature, as well as encyclopedic editions, such as “Larousse”, “Enciclopedia italiana”, etc. to the library.

Later, they connected with the ESI (Edition Social International) of France, through which they ensured the delivery to Gjirokastra of progressive literature in French, such as “Cahier de la Jeunesse”, “Clartè”, etc. Through Uncle Braçe, their father, who worked at the post office, they managed to avoid censorship control of packages with prohibited literature that were brought to them from abroad.

The bookstore also sold gramophone records produced by Italian record companies, where, in addition to the classical repertoire, they also brought parts of the repertoire of Albanian folk songs, sung by Tefta Tashko, as well as polyphonic songs recorded by Neço Muka.

The Emiri brothers' bookstore became a real cultural center, especially for the student youth of Gjirokastra. In this bookstore, passionate discussions of patriotic youth took place. With the occupation of Albania by fascist Italy, the Emiri brothers openly expressed their hatred and protest against that occupation. Mufiti, an excellent third-year student at the University of Medicine in Padua in Italy, interrupted his studies to become active in the Anti-Fascist Movement in Gjirokastra.

The Emiri brothers refused to join fascist organizations, and they also refused to sell the fascist newspaper "Popolo d'Italia" in their bookstore in Gjirokastra. (For this reason, the Consul of Saranda closed their bookstore in Gjirokastra for 6 months). Despite this, the distribution of progressive literature was not stopped. It was distributed illegally by Mufiti to his friends with progressive ideas.

The Emiri brothers participated in anti-fascist protests and demonstrations, and their anti-fascist stance caught the eye of the occupiers. They were arrested as defeatists in March 1942, after the Mashkullora war commemoration ceremony, when the fascist carabinieri found the flag raised, on which was embroidered the cry: “Today in our hearts, tomorrow in the mountains of Albania”! Alizoti was arrested in Gjirokastra, while Mufiti was arrested in Tirana. They were held for two months in prison and sentenced by the fascist military court to one year of probation each, for subversive activities (against the occupation).

On October 4, 1943, Mufiti was killed at the age of 23 by German forces and their collaborators, who fired mortars from the Gjirokastra fortress on the population, who were climbing to the upper neighborhoods for protection. Alizoti actively supported the fight against the invaders, being a liaison for the First Operational Zone, as well as with various financial or material assistance, such as typewriters and writing paper.

After the war, Alizoti, in memory of his murdered brother, provided aid to the city's schools several times, with school supplies and articles, to help poor students. At the beginning of 1946, central government leaders, who recognized Alizoti's special inclinations for trade, proposed that he start working in the state structures of Trade in Tirana, but first he had to become a member of the Communist Party. Alizoti did not accept this condition! He did not want to be included in party structures.

On July 22, 1947, Alizoti was arrested and after about 5 months of investigation, on December 10 of that year, he was sentenced by the Gjirokastra military court. He was accused of agitation and propaganda against the popular government, as well as of participating in a treasonous organization for the violent overthrow of the government. Alizoti was a citizen with a horizon, a man with progressive ideas, of free thought and for the free market. He was characterized by the spirit of protest against injustice, but by no means a man of violence.

Even behind bars, he opposed the injustice of the sentence. After that, by decision of the Presidium of the People's Assembly, the sentence was reduced from 10 to 4 years. After leaving prison, at the end of 1951, Alizoti worked first as a private radio technician, later as a salesman in the state-owned Tregtare enterprise, then opened a private business with a hardware and stationery store. After 1956, when private activities were banned, he worked as a bookseller in Gjirokastër, until he retired in 1973.

On November 12, 1983, he passed away from a serious illness, near his family in Gjirokastra. The people of Gjirokastra honored Alizoti, with an extraordinary participation in the funeral procession to the cemetery. In complete silence! Without words! Without… “Unforgettable memory …”! The “class” war remained over Alizoti’s head, “loyal”, even after his death. His remains rest in the cemetery of the city of Gjirokastra, of that city, where he spent his entire life and where he left a name! If we were to formulate a CV for Alizoti, it would be as follows:

Education and culture

He was educated as an autodidact and cultured through the constant reading of books, as well as frequenting cultural and artistic environments. So, he had the great school of life and books. He had a beautiful and aesthetic writing, a special calligraphy.

CAREERS

In conditions of extreme poverty, in a country with a very low level of development, born and raised in a poor family, without any inheritance of wealth, Alizoti tried for the survival of the family, starting everything almost from scratch. He acquired and practiced several professions:

Mail carrier, bookseller and newspaper seller, switchboard operator, radio technician, photographer, hardware dealer - stationery, fountain pen and lighter repairman, envelope and box maker, but above all "BOOKMAKER". In the multitude of professions practiced by Alizoti, one can read his special effort to face life with dignity in those difficult conditions.

Foreign languages

He had a fairly good command of the Italian language. In Italian, Alizoti had read the masterpieces of Italian and world literature, which had not been translated into Albanian. He knew French, Greek, and German at a communicative level.