Faik Konica (also spelled Faik Konitza; 15 March 1875 to 15 December 1942) was an Albanian writer, editor and diplomat. Born in Konitsa (Albanian: Konicë), today in northern Greece, he founded the periodical Albania in Brussels in 1897, later edited the Boston newspaper Dielli and became general secretary (1912) and then president (1921) of the Vatra federation (Robert Elsie). From 1926 until the Italian invasion of April 1939 he headed Albania’s legation in Washington as minister (Elsie; RTSH). He died in Washington, was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, and his remains were brought to Tirana in 1995 (Elsie; Euronews Albania).
The historian of Albanian literature Robert Elsie called him “the first Albanian whom one might consider to have been a real European” and wrote that “the spontaneity and refinement of his prose are universally recognized and admired” (Elsie, introduction; Elsie, 2000). Elsie adds that his sarcastic polemics, irascibility and arrogance “did not always make him a popular figure” (Elsie, 2000).
Konica’s periodical Albania, published in French and Albanian in Brussels (1897 to 1902) and then London (1902 to 1909), is, in Elsie’s words, “widely considered to be the most significant Albanian periodical to have existed up to the Second World War” (Elsie). He was educated in Shkodër, Constantinople (Istanbul) and France, graduated in Romance philology from the University of Dijon in 1895, studied at the Collège de France in Paris, and finished his studies at Harvard, where he earned a Master of Arts (Elsie; RTSH). In the United States he edited Dielli, helped lead Vatra, and represented Albania in Washington from 1926 to 1939.
TLDR:
- Faik Konica (1875 to 1942) was an Albanian intellectual, editor, and diplomat.
- Founded and edited the magazine Albania in Brussels (1897) and London (1902 to 1909).
- Educated in Shkodër, Istanbul, France (University of Dijon, Collège de France) and at Harvard.
- Friend of the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who stayed with him in London in 1903 and 1904.
- Edited the Boston newspaper Dielli; general secretary (1912) and president (1921) of the Vatra federation.
- Albania’s minister in Washington (head of the legation), 1926 to 1939.
- Died in Washington, D.C., on 15 December 1942; buried in Boston, reburied in Tirana in 1995.
Faik Konica Timeline
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1875 | Born on 15 March in Konitsa (Konicë), Ottoman Empire, now in northern Greece | Elsie |
| 1890 | Sent to France at fifteen; spends the next seven years there | Elsie |
| 1895 | Graduates in Romance philology from the University of Dijon, then studies two years at the Collège de France | Elsie |
| 1897 | Founds the periodical Albania in Brussels (September) | Elsie |
| 1899 | Drafts a memorandum on the Albanian national movement for the Austro-Hungarian authorities | Elsie |
| 1902 | Moves to London; publishes Albania there until 1909 | Elsie |
| 1903 to 1904 | Guillaume Apollinaire stays with him in London | Elsie |
| 1909 | Emigrates to the United States; becomes editor of Dielli, founded in Boston by Fan Noli that year | Elsie |
| 1911 | Runs the short-lived Trumbeta e Krujës in St Louis, Missouri (three issues) | Elsie |
| 1912 | General secretary of Vatra; goes to London for Vatra at the Conference of Ambassadors | Elsie |
| 1913 | Speaks at the Albanian Congress of Trieste (March) | Elsie |
| 1915 | Publishes L’Allemagne et l’Albanie (2 November) | Elsie |
| 1921 | Elected president of Vatra; resumes editing Dielli with his column “Shtylla e Konitzës” | Elsie |
| 1924 | Doktor Gjilpëra serialised in Dielli (16 August to 25 December); Nën hien e hurmave published in Boston | Gazeta Dielli; Elsie |
| 1926 | Appointed by Ahmet Zogu to head the Albanian legation in Washington (summer) | Elsie |
| 1929 on | Writes the travel series Shqipëria si m’u duk in Dielli | Elsie |
| 1939 | Post ends with the Italian invasion of Albania (April); letter to The New York Times published 18 June | Elsie |
| 1942 | Dies in Washington on 15 December; buried in Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston | Elsie |
| 1957 | English selection Albania, the Rock Garden of Southeastern Europe and Other Essays published in Boston | Elsie |
| 1995 | Remains brought to Tirana | RTSH; Euronews Albania |
Origins and Education
Faik Konica was born on 15 March 1875 in Konitsa (Albanian: Konicë), then in the Ottoman Empire and today a village in the Pindus mountains of northern Greece, not far from the Albanian border (Elsie). Elsie styles him Faïk bey Konitza, using the Ottoman title bey (Elsie). After elementary schooling in Turkish in his home town, he was sent away to study.
He studied at the Jesuit Saverian College in Shkodër and then at the French-language imperial secondary school at Galata in Constantinople. In 1890, aged fifteen, he went to France, where he spent seven years: he graduated in Romance philology from the University of Dijon in 1895 and then studied medieval French, Latin and Greek at the Collège de France in Paris (Elsie). He completed his education at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Arts (RTSH); little is known about this period. Elsie lists his languages as Albanian, Turkish, Italian, French, German and English.
It was in France, Elsie writes, that he began to take an interest in his native language and his country’s history and literature, and to write articles on Albania for a French newspaper (Elsie).
The Magazine Albania (1897 to 1909)
In September 1897, aged twenty-two, Konica moved to Brussels and founded the periodical Albania. He moved it to London in 1902 and published it there until 1909 (Elsie). Elsie calls it “the most significant Albanian periodical to have existed up to the Second World War” (Elsie).
The periodical appeared in French and Albanian and carried articles on history, language, literature, folklore, archaeology, politics, economics, religion and art. Writers such as Thimi Mitko, Kostandin Kristoforidhi, Andon Zako Çajupi and Gjergj Fishta first became known to a broader public through its pages (Elsie). Konica also wrote about the Albanian language.
In January 1899 he drafted in Brussels a Mémoire sur le mouvement national albanais for the Austro-Hungarian authorities in Vienna, to inform them about the Albanian cause and, Elsie suggests, to seek a subsidy for the journal (Elsie).
London and Guillaume Apollinaire
It was in London that Konica became friends with the French poet and critic Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 to 1918), who stayed at Konica’s home in Chingford in 1903 and 1904 (Elsie). The two contributed to each other’s journals: Konica to Apollinaire’s Le Festin d’Ésope, Apollinaire to Albania. In a column published on 1 May 1912, Apollinaire wrote a portrait of “Faik bég Konitza”, calling him one of the most singular people he had met (konitza.eu).
Boston, Dielli and Vatra
Konica emigrated to the United States in 1909 and became editor of the Boston Albanian-language newspaper Dielli (The Sun), which Fan Noli had founded that year. Dielli became the organ of the Vatra federation, of which Konica became general secretary in 1912 (Elsie). In 1911 he also ran the short-lived fortnightly Trumbeta e Krujës in St Louis, Missouri (Elsie).
In 1912 he travelled to London for Vatra to defend Albania’s interests at the Conference of Ambassadors, which was considering recognition of the new Albanian state (Elsie; RTSH). In March 1913 he spoke at the Albanian Congress of Trieste, and during the First World War he published L’Allemagne et l’Albanie (1915) (Elsie). Read more about his collaborator Fan Noli.
In 1921, back in the United States, he was elected president of Vatra and resumed editing Dielli, where he now had his own column, “Shtylla e Konitzës” (Konica’s Column) (Elsie). For more on the community he wrote for, see our guide to Albanians in Boston.
Albania’s Minister in Washington (1926 to 1939)
In the summer of 1926 Ahmet Zogu (later King Zog) appointed Konica head of the Albanian legation in the United States, with the rank of minister plenipotentiary. He held the post until the Italian invasion of Albania at Easter (April) 1939 (Elsie; Euronews Albania).
He kept writing while in office: from 1929 his travel series Shqipëria si m’u duk (Albania as it appeared to me) ran in Dielli and, in Elsie’s words, contained “much unflattering criticism” (Elsie). After the invasion he spoke out against the occupation; in a letter to The New York Times, signed from the Albanian Legation and published on 18 June 1939, he argued that Italy’s claimed “Personal Union” with Albania was in reality an “Incorporate Union”, “just short of outright annexation” (Elsie, with the letter text).
He died in Washington, D.C., on 15 December 1942, aged 67, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. After the fall of the communist dictatorship his remains were brought to Tirana in 1995 and interred in a park at the edge of the city (Elsie; RTSH).
Style and Reputation
Elsie wrote that “the spontaneity and refinement of his prose are universally recognized and admired”, while noting that his sarcasm did not always make him popular (Elsie). Most of his writing appeared in periodicals; his only book publication in Albanian in his lifetime was a translation (Elsie).
His main works:
| Work | Year and place | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania (periodical) | 1897 to 1909, Brussels and London | French and Albanian journal he founded and edited | Elsie |
| Mémoire sur le mouvement national albanais | 1899, Brussels | Memorandum on the Albanian national movement for Vienna | Elsie |
| L’Allemagne et l’Albanie | 1915 | Treatise on Germany and Albania | Elsie |
| Nën hien e hurmave | 1924, Boston | Translation of tales from the Thousand and One Nights | Elsie |
| Doktor Gjilpëra zbulon rrënjët e dramës së Mamurrasit (Doctor Needle) | 1924, in Dielli | Satirical prose tale, serialised in 21 parts from 16 August to 25 December 1924; published in book form several times after 1992 | Gazeta Dielli; Elsie |
| Shqipëria si m’u duk | From 1929, in Dielli | Travel narrative series about Albania | Elsie |
| Albania, the Rock Garden of Southeastern Europe and Other Essays | 1957, Boston (posthumous) | English selection edited by Qerim M. Panarity, 175 pages | Elsie |
Legacy
After the fall of communism his remains were returned to Albania and his work came back into print: Doktor Gjilpëra alone has been published several times since 1992 (Gazeta Dielli). Albanian media still mark the anniversary of his death in December (Euronews Albania; RTSH), and schools in the Albanian-speaking world carry his name, such as the Faik Konica primary school in Radushë, North Macedonia (school website).
His legacy rests above all on Albania, which introduced writers such as Çajupi and Fishta to a wider public, and on his years of editing and writing for Dielli and Vatra in the United States (Elsie).
Where to See Faik Konica’s Legacy
- Grave in Tirana, Albania: his remains were brought from Boston in 1995 and interred in a park at the edge of the city (Elsie; RTSH). See our Tirana guide.
- Boston: where Dielli was founded in 1909 and where Konica led Vatra; he was first buried in Forest Hills Cemetery (Elsie).
- Konicë / Konitsa, his birthplace, today in northwestern Greece.
- Schools named after him, for example the Faik Konica primary school in Radushë, North Macedonia (school website).
Related Reading
- Fan Noli: The Bishop Who Shaped Albanian America
- Naim Frashëri: Albania’s National Poet
- King Zog of Albania
- When Did Albania Gain Independence?
- Albanians in Boston: Community Guide & Business Directory
- Vatra, Dielli, and the Birth of Albanian American Organizing
- History of Albanians in America: Early Arrivals to Today
- 10 Famous Albanians That Left Their Mark on History
Sources
- Robert Elsie, introduction to Faïk Bey Konitza, “Memoir on the Albanian National Movement” (1899), Texts and Documents of Albanian History
- Robert Elsie, introduction and text of Konitza’s letter to The New York Times, 18 June 1939
- Robert Elsie, “An introduction to Faik Konitza” (2000), republished on konitza.eu
- “Apollinaire et l’Albanie”, konitza.eu
- RTSH, “Faik Konica, an intellectual of European stature” (15 December 2025)
- Euronews Albania, “Remembering Faik Konica, an intellectual of European dimensions” (15 December 2023)
- Gazeta Dielli, “Doktor Gjilpëra, romani i parë realist i letërsisë shqipe”
- Shkolla Fillore “Faik Konica”, Radushë
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Faik Konitza”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Faik Konica?
Faik Konica (15 March 1875 to 15 December 1942) was an Albanian writer, editor and diplomat. He founded the periodical Albania in Brussels in 1897, edited the Boston newspaper Dielli, was president of the Vatra federation from 1921, and headed Albania’s legation in Washington as minister from 1926 to 1939.
Where was Faik Konica from?
He was born on 15 March 1875 in Konitsa (Albanian: Konicë), then in the Ottoman Empire and today a village in northern Greece near the Albanian border. He came from a family of Albanian beys.
What was the magazine Albania?
Albania was a French and Albanian periodical founded and edited by Faik Konica, published in Brussels from 1897 and in London from 1902 to 1909. It covered history, language, literature, folklore, politics and art, and the scholar Robert Elsie described it as the most significant Albanian periodical up to the Second World War.
Was Faik Konica really friends with Guillaume Apollinaire?
Yes. They became friends in London, where Apollinaire stayed with Konica in 1903 and 1904. Each contributed to the other’s journal, and in 1912 Apollinaire published a portrait of Konica, calling him one of the most singular people he had known.
What was Faik Konica’s role in the United States?
He edited the Boston newspaper Dielli from 1909, became general secretary of the Vatra federation in 1912 and its president in 1921, and from 1926 to 1939 headed Albania’s legation in Washington as minister plenipotentiary.
Why did Faik Konica’s diplomatic post end?
His post ended with Italy’s invasion of Albania at Easter (April) 1939. He publicly opposed the occupation, for example in a letter to The New York Times published on 18 June 1939, and he remained in the United States until his death in 1942.
When did Faik Konica die?
He died in Washington, D.C., on 15 December 1942, aged 67. He was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston; in 1995 his remains were brought to Tirana.
How does Faik Konica compare to Fan Noli?
Fan Noli founded Dielli in Boston in 1909 and Konica became its editor the same year; both were leading figures in the Vatra federation, which Konica served as general secretary (1912) and president (1921). Konica later turned to diplomacy, heading Albania’s legation in Washington from 1926 to 1939.
Where is Faik Konica buried?
He was first buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. In 1995, after the fall of the communist regime, his remains were brought to Tirana and interred in a park at the edge of the city.
What did Faik Konica write?
Most of his writing appeared in periodicals: his journal Albania (1897 to 1909) and the Boston newspaper Dielli, where he serialised the satirical tale Doktor Gjilpëra (1924) and the travel series Shqipëria si m’u duk (from 1929). His one book in Albanian during his lifetime was Nën hien e hurmave (Boston, 1924), a translation of tales from the Thousand and One Nights. An English selection, Albania, the Rock Garden of Southeastern Europe and Other Essays, appeared in Boston in 1957.
Did Faik Konica study at Harvard?
Yes. After studying in Shkodër, Istanbul, Dijon and Paris, he finished his education at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Arts. Robert Elsie notes that little is known about this period of his life.
Author: Dardanë Halimi
Dardanë Halimi is a writer and communications professional with an M.A. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication from James Madison University. Her work focuses on storytelling, digital content, higher education, and strategic communication, with experience writing for academic, nonprofit, and marketing organizations in both the United States and Kosovo.
