Miđeni: Govoreći duh: Tekstualno-(n)etnografski pregled biografskih prikaza etničkog porekla pesnika Miloša Đerđa Nikole
Migjeni: a Talking Spirit: a Textual (N)ethnographic Overview of Biographical Accounts on Ethnic Background of the Poet Millosh Gjergj Nikolla

Summary/Abstract: Migjeni; Albanian literature; Albanian-Slavic relations; identity politics; ethnicity;Millosh Gjergj Nikolla – Migjeni, the acclaimed Albanian poet and short story writer (1911–1938), often referred to in popular discourse as poeti i mjerimit (Alb. for the poet of misery), is celebrated for his innovative impact on Albanian literature, his poetic uniqueness, and his daring exploration of controversial and taboo societal issues in Albania at the time. Raised in an Eastern Orthodox family in the Albanian city of Shkodra (Skadar in Serb.), Migjeni received all his formal education in Serbian (in Shkodra, Bar, and Bitola) and published his poems and short stories in Albanian. This article examines divergent biographical narratives from Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia regarding his ethnic background—something that Migjeni himself, according to the available records, never discussed. The article also provides an overview of current online discourses surrounding Migjeni’s persona, his literary activity, and the post-WWII and contemporary receptions of his legacy in Albania and the region, includingspeculations about his ethnic identity. The conclusion is that these discussions reveal the persistence of an exclusive identity politics in the Slavo-Albanian domain of interaction and offer an insight into certain internal rifts in Albanian society.

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