Marie Amelie von Godin

Marie Amelie Julie Anna, Baroness von Godin (March 7, 1882 - 22 February 1956), sometimes written as Maria Amalia, was a Bavarian women's rights activist, translator and Albanologist.

Youth Amalie Marie Godin was brought up in a strict Catholic tradition. She received home schooling and later attended a convent school. She was headstrong and showed little interest in the female virtues, she wanted to study in Zurich, Switzerland, where women were admitted to study at that time. Her parents Julie (née von Eichthal) and Secret Council of Justice Bernhard Karl Gottfried Baron Godin did however not permit that and Marie Amelie lived in retirement at home and began to work as a writer herself. From 1902, she started writing for newspapers Kölnische Volkszeitung and Tägliche Rundschau. - led Godin to follow him and spend half a year in Albania. The two could not marry, however, since they belonged to different religions. Ekrem was a Muslim, she was a Catholic. In his memoirs, Ekrem Bey Vlora hardly writes anything about von Godin but the few mentions are usually preceded by the adjective "dear".

Influenced by several Albanian freedom fighters with whom she came in contact with (during the time of the Albanian National Awakening), Amelie von Godin supported Albanian independence and later informed the public about the poverty and other hardships of the country of Albania. In the spring of 1914, when William of Wied held the office of Prince of Albania in Durrës, she helped in the military hospital of that city as a medic. Since she had an already troubled health in childhood, Godin overstrained herself there so much that she suffered for many years after.

Her impressions of Albania and the country's culture were published by Godin in several books and newspaper articles. Also, several of her novels were set in Albania and were illustrated with her drawings from Albania. In 1930 she published the first part of a German-Albanian dictionary which she was said to have worked on for two decades. In April the same year she visited Franciscan friars in Shkodër. They asked her for a translation of the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, a traditional collection of Common Law, into German. Together with Ekrem Bey Vlora and the Franciscans she worked for several months in Shkodër and from 1938 on she began the systematic translation of the extensive body of law, the Kanun, which had first appeared in 1933 in Albanian, written by Shtjefën Gjeçovi. During those years she published only harmless novels of the home country pastoral novels which were well received by the public. However, Marie Amelie was banned from publishing on Albanian themes: the suspicion was that she supported Albanian resistance fighters and thus she was strictly monitored.

Postwar Germany After the Second World War Godin helped in the reorganization of the Catholic Women's League and in the care of refugees, which was difficult for her due to poor health. She worked as a translator of literature and interpreter. From afar she critically followed the developments in socialist Albania - in particular the persecution of the Catholic clergy.

Godin died aged 76 after a long illness.

Works Vergessen...? Roman aus der jüngsten Geschichte Albaniens (1963) Die drei Kolaj - Gefährliche Wege im aufständischen Albanien (1961) Der Unterlehner und sein Sohn (1957) Der Überfall (1955) Der Schuss im Kampenwald (1955) Die große Angst – Roman mit Zeichnungen Von Johannes Wohlfahrt (1955) Schauspieler (1941) Vom Dorfe geächtet (1940) Gjoka und die Rebellen. Geschichtlicher Roman aus dem Albanien unserer Tage (1939) Der Brennerwirt von Berchtesgaden (1937) Auf Apostelpfaden durch das schöne Albanien (1936) Die Örtlbäuerin (1936) Der tolle Nureddin (1936) Ellen Ammann (1933) Das Opfer (1930) Wörterbuch der albanischen und deutschen Sprache. Teil I. (1930) Wörterbuch der albanischen und deutschen Sprache. Teil II. (1930) Der Heilige Paulus (1927) Die "Bessa" des Jakub Schara (1921) Befreiung. Roman aus dem modernen Albanien (1920) Unser Bruder Kain (1919) Feinde (1917) Aus dem neuen Albanien: politische und kulturhistorische Skizzen (1914) Aus dem Lande der Knechtschaft (1913) Alte Paläste (1910) Benedetta. Roman einer heißen Liebe (1909)

Translations Emile Baumann: Der heilige Paulus (1926) Louis Bertrand: Die heilige Theresia (1928)