The famous translator and Hellenist Gjon Shllaku was born in 1923 and started translating from an early age. Thus, when he was only 17 years old, he translated the novel "Ben Hur" by Vallas, taking it as an impetus for the subsequent translations he would make of world masterpieces.
During his life, a life which he completely devoted to translation, he would make the characters of the seven tragedies of Sophocles, the four tragedies of Euripides, the seven tragedies of Shakespeare as well as "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus and " Aeneid" and Virgil's "Georgicas".
Albanian readers, eager for literature that comes out of the framework of "socialist realism", would also give "De reum Natura" by Lucretius, "Metamorphoses" by Ovid, "Martyrs" by Shatobrian, "Sid" by Kornej and in his last years, the French epic, "The Song of Roland".
He would also compile two dictionaries of great importance for all Albanian researchers and philologists, the Old Greek - Albanian with 20 words and the Old Latin - Albanian with 65 words.
But his most important contribution is the translation of one of the world's greatest poets, the greatest Hellenic poet and one of the most influential poets in world literature, Homer. With his translations, he gave poets and great writers, mainly Greek and Latin, the charm of the Albanian language and gave Albania the charm of Greek and Latin verse. For these translations, he would be appreciated by the Greek Government with the "Silver Disc" award, while in Albania with the "Naim Frashëri i Arë" order.
The distinguished Hellenist and the last of the school of classical translators would finally close his eyes in 2003 in Shkodra, leaving a precious gift to the Albanian language. /Hejza
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