Skifter Këlliçi

Skifter Këlliçi (born January 17, 1938), is an Albanian fiction writer, screenwriter, sports journalist, and radio & TV personality. He started the first radio program that broadcast live sports events in 1958 on Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, the Rubrika Sportive, a show that continues to this day, and later did the same on the Albanian television. He has been a successful screenwriter with movies such as Pas gjurmëve , winner of the international Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, in 1979. Along with Anton Mazreku, and Ismet Bellova, Këlliçi is considered one of the most renowned sports commentators in the Albanian speaking world.

Këlliçi has also been successful in creative and nonfiction writing, a field in which he has published more than 20 books, consisting of short stories, novels, as well as screenplays. Among them are children's novels like 'Kujtimet e mëhallës së vjetër' , (1967), and 'Pas gjurmëve' , (1972). The later was the basis for Këlliçi's screenplay of the movie with the same title, which won the Prize of the President of the Italian Republic at the International Giffoni Film Festival, Italy in 1979, and 'Shpërthimi' (1983), on whose motives he also wrote the screenplay of the movie 'Fushë e blertë, fushë e kuqe' (1985).

Among his novels the most successful ones have been those with historical motives such as 'Atentat ne Paris' , 1978 (which was republished with significant changes me 2011), 'Vrasës me duar te bardha , 1991, 'Dashuri e gdhendur ne shkemb" (2004), where he represents Illyria of year 9 A.D. in its revolt against Roman Empire, led by Tiberius, the son of Octavian, Roman Emperor. According to critics, the book has a well framed Albanian national vision.

In 2010 Këlliçi published the novel "Shtatori i gjëmës së madhe" , (2010), dedicated to the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City, which, among its 3,000 victims, included three Albanian-Americans, personified in the novel. A year later he published "Politikanët mëkatarë fluturojnë në Mars" ), (2011), a sarcastic novel with characters that are not difficult to spot from the Albanian political scene, where they are shown to be utterly corrupted.

Among his work as a publicist a special mention is deserved by 'Futbolli Shqiptar' , (1988), which he co-authored with Belgian sports journalist, Serge Van Hoof, "Nga 2-3-5, në 4-4-2, vështrim historik mbi evoluimin e sistemeve taktike të futbollit shqiptar, (1930-1987)", (1987) and 'Historia e Radiotelevizionit Shqiptar,(1930-1990)', (2003).

In 1999 Skifter Këlliçi emigrated to Boston, United States, where he currently resides. He has continued to publish in the Albanian press, as well as several fictional and historical books.