| Andon Zako �ajupi was born in the village of Sheper in the Upper Zagoria region of southern Albania on March 27, 1866. �ajupi was a son of a rich father, Harito Zako, whose tobacco business was reached outside the borders of Albania to Egypt, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and sometimes in western Europe. �ajupi was a smart and intelligent boy who learned very quickly to spell his first and last name. At the young ages, �ajupi went in the nearest Greek elementary school. In 1882, �ajupi was registered in �Saint Catherine des Lazaristes,� Alexandria, Egypt, where he studied French for five years. �ajupi was a rich student, and his family could support him well. While being in Alexandria, �ajupi was socializing with lawyers of western Europe who were representing their affiliated business in Egypt. The law was an interesting field for �ajupi, and he decided to continue the law school in Switzerland. In 1887, �ajupi arrived in Geneva where at the university of Geneva after five full years was able to be a fully certified lawyer. |
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| Courtesy of Iliriapress |
| Anton Zako �ajupi |
| On October 24, 1892 in Geneva, �ajupi received his law degree. After a short time, �ajupi got employed and he practiced law in Geneva for three more years. While studying law in Switzerland, �ajupi met Eugenia who later became his lady of the life. After marriage, Stefan was born. Eugenia died in 1892, and this tragedy forced �ajupi to leave Switzerland and return to Albania. Shortly in 1894, �ajupi got employed by a German company as a representing lawyer in Cairo, Egypt. |
| As known lawyer in Egypt, �ajupi sided the defense of a French company against the interests of the Egyptian government and the German law firm. This caused �ajupi to terminate his employment with the German law firm and devote all his energy to defend the French company. Unfortunately, �ajupi lost the case. Financially independent, �ajupi fought this professional calamity with an ease. While living to his villa in Heliopolis near Cairo, �ajupi met many Albanian business people. His national thrust for Albanian independence caused him to join the Albanian nationalist movement in Egypt where he played an active role. In 1902, he was an active member of the Albanian Fraternity of Egypt �V�llaz�ria e Egjiptit.� �ajupi helped the Albanian movement for independency not only financially, but also with his knowledge in law. When Albania declared independency, �ajupi organized a party in his home. |
| While participating in various Albanian political community, �ajupi expressed his patriotic values in form of poetry and proses. His poetry has the rhythm of Albanian folk songs of southern Albania or the Tosk poetry. The unequivocal messages and the patriotic inspiration of poems made them extremely popular among Albanian adults and children, and proclaimed �ajupi the most important Albanian poet since Naim Frash�ri. The most significant phase of �ajupi�s literary and nationalist activities was between 1898 and 1912. In 1902, �ajupi in Cairo published the poetry volume �Baba-Tomorri,� or �Father Tomorr� after the Albanian mythology The volume contains nationalist themes, and it is divided into three sections Fatherland, Love, and True and False Tales |
| �ajupi was also a playwrighter and author on Scanderbeu the Albanian uncrowned King entitled �Burr� i dheut� or �The earthly hero� published in 1907. In continuation of this, �ajupi in 1910 wrote comedy �Pas vdekjes� or �After the death.� The most popular comedy of �ajupi which the author did not publish is � Kat�rmbdhjet vje� dh�nd�r�or �A bridegroom at fourteen.� The comedy is consisted of a four-act situation where the author attacked the premature weddings and other old and patriarchal customs where the brides and bridegrooms were chosen by parents. His dramas, and comedy are well-known and have been played many times in Albania and abroad. The poet died at his home in Heliopolis near Cairo on 11 July 1930. His remains were transferred to Albania in 1958. |
| Comedy: After the Death Pas Vdekjes |
| Ma�oku dhe Miu Plak Millonai, i Biri, dhe Nj� Gomar Njeriu dhe Fytyr�e Vet Ujku dhe Qengji Korbi dhe Dhelpra |
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