User:Sypatremburi/Skifter Këlliçi

Skifter Këlliçi is an Albanian fictional writer, screenwriter, sports journalist, and radio and television host and personality. He started the first radio program that broadcasted live sports events in 1958 on Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, the Rubrika Sportive, a show that still continues, and later did the same in the Albanian television. He has been a successful screenwriter with movies such as Pas gjurmeve

Life
Skifter Këlliçi was born on January 17, 1938 in Tirana, Albania, where he finished his secondary studies in 1955. In 1959, he graduated from the University of Tirana in Albanian Language and Literature, and started working as a journalist and a sports' commentator at the Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, where he had already interned, starting from 1958. He pioneered a very well known radio show, called Rubrika sportive, which would comment on the sports events of the weekend.Later, Këlliçi would start the same show in the Albanian Television, thus becoming the first anchorman of this show, which still continues today in the Albanian television. Upon a long political persecution during the years 1975-1985, Kellici could not conduct the Rubrika sportive show in the Albanian television. He reprised being anchorman in 1985, but was again politically persecuted in 1986, and disappeared from the screens. Along with Anton Mazreku, and Ismet Bellova, Kellici is considered one of the most renowned sports commentators in the Albanian speaking world.

Këlliçi started to also be successful in creative and nonfictional writing, a field in which he published more than 20 books, consisting of short stories, novels, as well as screenplays. Among them are children the novel for children 'Kujtimet e mehalles se vjeter' (Memories from the old quarter), (1967), 'Pas gjurmeve' (After traces), (1972), on the basis of which Kellici also wrote the screenplay of the movie with the same title, which won the Prize of the President of the Italian Republic in the International Festival of the Movie for Children in Giffoni, Italy in 1979, and 'Shperthimi' (The Explosion) (1983), on whose motives he also wrote the screenplay of the movie 'Fushe e blerte, fushe e kuqe' (Green pitch, red pitch)(1985).

Among his novels the most successful ones resulted to be those with historical motives such as 'Atentat ne Paris' (Murder in Paris), 1978 (which was republished with significant changes me 2011), 'Vrasje me duar te bardha (Killing with white hands), 1991, 'Dashuri e gdhendur ne shkemb" (Love sculpted on stone) (2004), where he represents Illyria of year 9 A.D. in its revolt against Roman Empire, led by Tiberius, the son of Octavian, Roman Emperor. According to critics, the book has a well framed Albanian national vision.

In 2010 Kellici published the novel "Shtatori i gjemes se madhe" (The September of the Great Dirge), (2010), dedicated to the tragedy of September 11, at the Twin Towers in New York, which, among the 3,000 victims included three Albanian-Americans, who are personified in the novel, "Poitikanet mekatare fluturojne ne Mars" (Sinning politicians fly to Mars)), (2011), a humouristic novel with characters that are not difficult to spot from the Albanian political scene, where they are shown to be utterly corrupted.

Among his publicistic work, are to be mentioned the book 'Futbolli Shqiptar' (Albanian soccer), (1988), which he co-authored with Belgian journalist, Serge Van Hoof, "Nga 2-3-5, ne 4-4- 2,veshtrim historik mbi evoluimin e sistemeve taktike te futbolit shqiptar, (1930-1987)", (From 2-3-5, to 4-4- 2, historical look on the evolution of tactical systems of the Albanian soccer, (1930-1987))(1987) and 'Historia e Radiotelevizionit Shqiptar,(1930-1990)', (History of the Albanian Radio-Television,(1930-1990)')(2003).

In 1999 Skifter Kellici emigrated to Boston, United States, where he currently resides, and continues to publish in the Albanian press books as a literary critic, linguistic, as well as historical and sports books.

Other Sources

 * 1) Dhurata Hamzai, Shqiptarja.com, 16 mars 2014: 'Atentat ne Paris, atentat kunder mediokritetit te stilit'
 * 2) Klara Kodra, 'Tribuna shwiptare, 15 maj 2011: Patosi tragjiko-heroik i nje romani'