role in the awakening of Albanian
nationalism.

The literature of the early twentieth century also was produced outside
Albania. The writers were instrumental in the development of the
movement for Albanian independence, and their works were increasingly
nationalistic. After independence was achieved in 1912, Albanian writers
were able to return to their country to work. Several volumes of lyric
poetry were produced by such people as P. Vincenc Prennushi, Dom Ndre
Mjeda, and Asdreni. Bishop Fan S. Noli lived in the United States most
of his life but made important contributions to Albanian literature. In
1907 he published a three-act play entitled _Israelites and
Philistines_, and he later translated several world renowned literary
works into Albanian, including Shakespeare's _Macbeth_, _Hamlet_, and
_Othello_; Ibsen's _Inger of Ostrat_; and Cervantes' _Don Quixote_.

In the 1920s and 1930s Albanian literary and philosophic periodicals
appeared both at home and abroad. The journal _Djaleria_ (Youth) was
published in Vienna by Albanian students. It was in this journal that
the poetry of Lasgush Poradeci first appeared, and his works made a
tremendous impact on Albanian youth. Two periodicals appeared in the
1930s, _Illyria_ and _Perpjekia Shqiptare_ (The Albanian Effort), which
reflected the intellectual fervor of the decade. New ideas were spread
throughout the country by students who returned from universities in
Italy, France, and Austria. The depression and Italian penetration of
Albania also incited intellectual ferment.

During World War II the Balli Kombetar (National Front), a democratic
resistance movement, was founded by Midhat Frasheri, a prominent
nationalist writer. The first resistance literature to be openly
published, however, was found in the periodical _Hylli i Drites_ (The
Star of Light), published by the Franciscan Brothers in Shkoder. The
Fascist occupation forced the publication of this review to cease in
1941. Beginning in 1942, clandestine resistance literature began to
increase in volume. It was published by the Balli Kombetar and by the
National Liberation Movement (Communist front organization).

After World War II literature came under the control of the Communist
regime and, consequently, all literary works were made to conform to the
principles of socialist realism. The predominant theme of literary works
in the early postwar period was the War of National Liberation. A few
works also d