SHKRIMET E THEODHOR HAXHIFILIPIT DHE MURTAJA NË ELBASAN
THE WRITINGS OF THEODHOR HAXHIFILIPI AND THE PLAGUE IN ELBASAN

Summary/Abstract: An original alphabet for the Albanian language, used in Elbasan, and its creator, Theodhor Haxhifilipi, captured international attention in the 19th century. Early texts about this phenomenon often relied on oral traditions circulated in Elbasan during that time. One notable segment concerns the burning of Theodhor’s writings during a plague at the end of the 18th century—a central element in the author’s biography that persists to this day. Utilising a perspective known as ‘thick description’ this article examines this plague that struck Elbasan through analyzing archival records, historical studies, and philological evidence. Then by comparing these sources to oral traditions from moments over time, the study maintains to demonstrate that the biography of Theodhor Haxhifilipi emerges as a result of constantly changing ideologically interpolated contributions. Thus, while moving away from these interpellations, on the issue concerning the plague and the burning of Theodhor’s writings in Elbasan after his death, the study identifies some of his surviving writings and proposes the plague of 1798–1800 as the most plausible event corresponding to early oral accounts. Although many questions remain unresolved, ongoing research from diverse perspectives, as undertaken here, can illuminate and further address these issues.

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