Gjergj Qiriazi


Gjergj Qiriazi was an Albanian publisher and writer. He was born in Monastir, Ottoman Empire, where he attended the local school. Like his brother Gjerasim, he studied at the American College in Samokov, Bulgaria. He worked for the British and Foreign Bible Society and took over the direction of the first Albanian girls' school in Korçë upon the death of his brother. In 1908 he was the president of the Albanian Bashkimi club in Monastir and later became vice-president. In 1908, he was a delegate at the Congress of Monastir. Qiriazi also worked as an interpreter at the Austro-Hungarian consulate in Bitola. A Turkish language high school for boys was created in 1908 and Qiriazi was appointed as a teacher of the Albanian language. In 1909, the Young Turk government planned to assassinate Qiriazi for his involvement in the Albanian national movement.
Gjergj Qiriazi was one of the founders of the Albanian printing press Bashkimi i Kombit. He helped his brother Gejrasim to publish two volumes of literature, namely Hristomathi a udhëheqës për ç'do shtëpi shqiptari and a co-wrote with him a collection of religious verse Kënkë të shenjtëruara.
Qiriazi also translated John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress as , printed in 1927 by Dhori Koti publishers.