Dr. Shefki Hysa, the writer and the well-known publicist, was born in Erseka on July 20, 1957 in an intellectual family. His father, Mazar Hysa, was a teacher with the vlleh at that period and followed their pastoral pilgrimage; passed the summer in “Gramoz” mountains in the district of Kolonja, headquartered Erseka, and passed the winter in Saranda, always concerned for the education of shepherds’ children. All his family lived in Shalės, Konispol.
The mother of Shefki, Bahrieja, at first sight, a thin woman, but extremely smart, who enriched the mind and soul every day with the numerous books that her husband brought her, was a housewife and migrated alongside the householder to take care of their new family. Shefki Hysa belongs to an old patriot tribe settled in Shalės of Konispol about the 18-th century, perhaps in the period of the Muslim influence of this region, since it is considered as one of the first seven founding families of Shalės village, according to the popular memory. As we can see, they were a rich family, dealing with livestock and agriculture, they had many forests, pasture and cropland, and therefore they would be patriots and would protect with blood their home, fatherland – Chameria, from the separator intentions of Greek invasion.
The grandfather of Shefki, the well-known patriot Shefki Hoxha (they were religious from generation to generation and that’s why they also kept the surname “Hoxha”), is known as one of the founders of the first patriots’ clubs of Konispol and Filat, as a donor of the first schools in the Albanian region Chameria (Konispol, Filat and Gumenica), as a financer of the war of Vlora against the Italian invader in 1920 and as a fierce opponent of all powers, as with the Turkish and later with the royal power of Ahmet Zogu.
In the years ’20, Shefki Hoxha was distinguished as a democrat, supporter of Fan S. Noli and his reformist government, despite the fact that his numerous properties that he had put up with efforts and sweat could be affected. This was one of the reasons why he was imprisoned by the king Ahmet Zogu in Lezha prison. Even for this reason the popular poet of the region sang:
“Telegrams come and go, / to raise gendarmes, / a rebellion was spoken for, / Chameria don’t obey the king, / his majesty Ahmet. / In Shalės they took Shefki, / in Konispol, Maze Haminė / and also Xhafo Pandalejmoni”… /
Shefki Hoxha was ill in the prison of Lezha and died in 1936, due to the infirmities of imprisonment.
The father of Shefki Hysa, Mazar, has been persecuted as anti-communist from the dictatorship, although their home in Shalės was the main support of the anti-Nazi fascist war, partisan’s basis. In 1960 Mazar Hysa was fired from education, because of his nationalist brother, Sadedin Hoxha, shot without trial by the Communists on November 13 of 1943 at the Partisan hospital of Theollogos, Saranda district. So, finally their family was involved by the blind mechanism of the war classes, which seriously affected even the dreamer young boy Shefki Hysa, after the death of his father, Mazar, in 1976.
Mazar Hysa, the father of the writer Shefki Hysa, left this world with the bitter taste of this life. He died with pain that he couldn’t fix his son as he had dreamt during the persecution period from the communist regime. However Shefki Hysa, son of Mazar, has managed to survive, thanks to the genes inherited from the grandparents.
Shefki Hysa began the primary and secondary school in the village of Shalės, Konispol.
He started the agriculture high school in 1972 and completed in 1976 at Konispol, in the region of Chameria. (The communist power of that period had obliged him to attend the agricultural school, not the high school, because of his “bad” biography, as a family of rich and anti-communist origin and for the fact of his uncle, Sadedin Hoxha, nationalist, political executed.
After ten years Jack London’s efforts in 1985, the talented boy Shefki Hysa was able to have the right of studying literature at the University of Tirana. Thanks to the insistence of the well-known Albanian writer Dritėro Agolli, who by his position as Chairman of the Albania’s League of Writers and Artists, and in some other cases, as even in the case when the right of publication was denied to the poet Namik Mane, was imposed on the totalitarian power structures to review the biography of the novelist Shefki Hysa, to be given the denied right to study at the University of Tirana.
In 1989 he was graduated for language-literature at the Faculty of History and Philology of the University of Tirana. Meanwhile he continued to write and publish short stories and publicistic.
So finally Shefki Hysa’s talent of a prose writer with a remarkable creative individuality as the critics expressed for his first lyrics, welcomed by the public and literary readers were valued.
“My dear teller, with strange observations and sensitive feelings; a writer always appreciated by me and others,” so expressed Dritėro Agolli, enthusiastic for the literary future of Shefki Hysa and he would never be disappointed.
Over the years, his name came out in newspapers and magazines as a writer with a special individuality, with the creativity that contained to the Albanian national question.
During 1991-1997 Shefki Hysa has worked as a journalist for the newspaper “Chamėria” and as chief editor for newspapers “Kombi” and “Dielli”.
In the meantime he has attended several specializations for journalism, publishing, public and international relation. Since 1997 and on Shefki Hysa has worked in the Administration of the Parliament of Albania.
Meanwhile he has founded and continues to lead the Cultural Community of Chameria (Cultural Association “Bilal Xhaferri”) and the Publishing House “Bilal Xhaferri”.
The writer Shefki Hysa is a secretary of the Albania’s League of Writers and Artists. He is one of the most prolific creators of post-communist period, so, after 1990, when the communist regime in Albania collapsed.
The writer Shefki Hysa has published many books like: “Turtullesha dhe djalli” (The turtledove and the devil), stories (1992), published by “Bilal Xhaferri” Publishing House; “Robėr tė paqes” (Peace Hostages), novel (1994), published by “Bilal Xhaferri” Publishing House; “Parajsa e mallkuar” (The cursed Paradise) novel (1997), published by “Bilal Xhaferri” Publishing House; “Rrėfimet e njė hajduti” (Confessions of a thief), stories (1999), published by “Arbėria” Publishing House; “Aromė Ēamėrie” (Chameria Flavor), stories (2004), published by “Bilal Xhaferri” Publishing House, ISBN 99927-960-1-4; “Mrekullitė e rreme” (False Miracles), stories (2005) publication of the “Bilal Xhaferri” Publishing House, ISBN 99927-960-0-6; “Diplomacia e vetėmohimit” (Diplomacy of self-denial), publicistic (2005) publication of “Kristalina KH” Publishing House, ISBN 976 99956-650-3-6.
The writer Shefki Hysa has often translated and edited other authors’ books.
Amongs others he is editor of the novel “Lavirja e denjė pė respect” (The Prostitute worthy for respect), (1992), of the writer Jean Paul Sartre; editor of the romance “Dashuri fatale” (Fatal Love), (1992), of the writer Alfred de Musset; editor of the romance “Dashuri e pėrgjakur (Pėrtej largėsive)”, (Bloody Love (Beyond distances)), (1992), of the writer Bilal Xhaferri;
editor of the novel “Kreshta e Krujės (Ra Berati)” (The crest of Kruja (Berat ceded)), (1993), of the writer Bilal Xhaferri;
editor of the novel “Kur dynden Vikingėt” (When the Vikings flock), (1993), of the writer Pjetėr Arbnori;
editor of the romance “Bukuroshja me hijen” (The beauty with the shadow), (1994), of the writer Pjetėr Arbnori;
editor of poetry volume “Pjergulla e lotėve” (Pergola of tears), (1995), of the poet Namik Mane;
editor of stories volume “Njė natė e zakonshme” (One ordinary night), (2003), of the author Namik Mane;
editor of the novel “Me putrat tona shėtitėm botėn” (We have traveled the World with our paws), (2007), of the writer Xhulia Xhekaj, etc., etc., literary-publicistic publications and editions of him and other authors.
The writer Shefki Hysa since 1995 continues to publish and edit as chief editor the monthly magazine “Eagle’s Wing”, a political, cultural, literary and social magazine, published first in 1971, in two languages, Albanian and in English, as organ of Chams League in Chicago, the USA.
Its first founder, editor and leader was Bilal Xhaferri, poet, prose-writer and a well-known dissident publicist, who was born on November 2, 1935 at Ninat, of the Konispol region, and after an immense literary-publicist activity, he died in exile (fleeing Albania in 1969 as anti-communist nationalist) on October 14, 1986 in Chicago, in the USA.
“The Eagle’s Wing” magazine was a forum of free democratic thinking basically by anticommunist, anti-dictatorial and anti-enverists inclinations, which tended the union of all Albanian political forces in exile, the unification of thought, programs and their goals for a free Albania Pro-Western.
In the pages of the magazine “Eagle’s wing” handled largely Albanian national issues, especially Chams issues, the problem of Kosova, the remaining territories outside the parent tree, Albania, and also the problems of the Albanian communities everywhere in the world and Diaspora.
The writer Bilal Xhaferri managed to publish 39 editions of this magazine.
Since 1995 and on the “Eagle’s Wing” magazine continues to be published in Tirana, as the official journal of the Cultural Association “Bilal Xhaferri” (The Cultural Community of Chameria) founded and directed by journalist and well-known writer Shefki Hysa, who enabled the return of Bilal Xhaferri bones in Albania and to glorify the extraordinary values of this rare personality, persecuted and thrown into oblivion of the communist dictatorship in Albania. The writer Shefki Hysa, as editor and chief editor of the monthly magazine “Eagle’s wing”, with his contributions and those of his friends, was able to publish more than 80 editions and continues insisting to glorify this pedestal of free thinking, following Bilal Xhaferri’s ideals.
The ideal of the writer Shefki Hysa: Chameria, ethnic Albania, Peace and Prosperity worlwide.
When you closely know him, but also in the eyes of the readers and in the opinion of the Albanian media, the writer Shefki Hysa, this well-known personality of Albanian letters, is never sufficed with the successes and achievements. He, as a marathonomak, always runs in search of innovations and the values of the Albanian society and the entire human society. The writer Shefki Hysa is always tireless, as his quick step with the momentum of a boyish soul. With the encouragement of his rare friend Ibrahim Rugova, Kosova’s president, the writer Shefki Hysa, set one of the most beautiful ideas of Richard Holbrooke, U.S ambassador, the man who gave the troubled Balkans that peaceful shape that has today. So, along with several foreign diplomats, friends of Ambassador Holbrooke, he created the international organization “Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity”, conceived in the form of a peace mission that lobbies for Peace and Prosperity in the Balkans and the World, according to the best model that the American democracy offers for developing countries. The missionary Shefki Hysa, governor of this lobbing organization, with his work once again demonstrated that any of his initiative has as a reward only the success in favor of Peace and Prosperity. It was this new venture that would focus even more the writer Shefki Hysa in the work of the tireless missionary for Peace and Prosperity. As a missionary of peace he began to create many new connections with the intellectual world, inside and outside Albania. Thanks to the continuous work and full of success, his name and biography are included in many prestigious encyclopedia of the world. The writer Shefki Hysa with his work and indomitable will as a leader-missionary, with the skills and the professionalism to cooperate with other personalities like: Dr. Madhu Krishan, founder and chairman of AUGP; Dr. Mohamed Barhoumi, Ambassador of Human Rights Organization; Dr. William Weiss, Ambassador Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Dr. Haissam Bou Said, Ambassador of IHRC; Dr. Muhammad Shahid Amin Khan, Word Chairman of IHRC; Jesus Gary Domingo, Minister and Consul General at Philippine Mission to the UN; Ryszard Cwikla, Chairman of I-SUN-VV; Dr. Haim Reitan, diplomat; Ambassador Jennifer Lim; Ambassador Elisa Peisino; Ambassador Khairudin Shadani; journalist Rodney D. Dir; etc., who lobby for peace in the world, in a short time managed to expand its network of associates and partners in many countries, on several continents.
“Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity” now collaborates with many analogous organizations to the UN, among others with AUGP (Academy of Universal Global Peace), Amnesty International, Human Right Watch, International Service for Human Rights, Human Rights Foundation, Freedom House, People to People International, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Greenpeace, Diplomatic Society of St. Gabriel (Knights of Saint Gabriel), International Alliance of Catholic Knights, International Human Rights Commission, Planet Diplomat, Academy of American Poets, American National Standards Institute etc.
The writer Shefki Hysa is honored by AUGP (Academy of Universal Global Peace) with the title Doctor of International Diplomacy (Honoris Causa) and is part of the directors’ board of this organization. Dr. Shefki Hysa is a model of the virtuous man, willing to sacrifice for Peace and Prosperity. He is a warrior of peace with the full meaning of this word.
Dr. Shefki Hysa has been honored with many prestigious titles during his career. In December 2013, he received the title Arkansas Traveler, Ambassador of Good Will of Arkansas. In December 2014, Dr. Shefki Hysa was appointed Honorary Professor of the American Pontifical Catholic University, Florida, USA. In December 2014, Dr. Hysa received the title Doctor Honoris Causa of International Diplomacy by the American Pontifical Catholic University, Florida, USA. In January 2014, he was appointed Kentucky Colonel by the Governor Steven L. Beshear. In January 2015 , Dr. Shefki Hysa was given the title Honorary Doctor of Human Relations by University Logos, Miami, Florida. In 2016, Dr. Hysa received the Lifetime Achievement Award by President Barack Obama. In
2016, he received the title Doctor of Literature by American “Vox Dei” University, Florida, USA. In January 2017, Dr. Shefki Hysa was appointed Rector International of Honor of University Logos, Miami, Florida.