The history of the characters of Albanian literature for children

Abstract

The history of Albanian children’s literature has passed through different
literary periods during its development. Initially, religious texts of medieval literature
were used as such literature in schools, but pure children’s fiction was born during
the period of Albanian Romanticism, to continue further through the literary periods of
Critical Realism, Sentimentalism, Symbolism, Social Realism, up to the current of postmodernism.
During its development, we sometimes see this literature with religious ideas,
sometimes with national ideas, sometimes with strong social criticism, sometimes with
efforts to create gender equality, sometimes with left communist ideas. Thus, Albanian
children’s literature changed over time in its goals, changed in its artistic and ideological
commitments: Albanian children’s literature during its development was used not only for
artistic effects, but it was often used by ideologues as a powerful tool for conveying various
political, cultural, ideological, religious, and patriotic ideas to children. So, during
its history, Albanian children’s literature had not only an artistic role but also a social,
economic, and political role. As such, children’s literature has been an inseparable part of
the political and cultural changes in Albania.