s and other institutions of higher learning (see ch.
5, Social System).

In 1970 there was still evidence that the Communist leaders were not
entirely satisfied with the cultural works produced in the past
twenty-six years. There were also indications that many creative works
were not ideologically pure. Few cultural works produced during the
Communist period are known in the West owing to Albania's virtual
isolation. Evaluation of literature, drama, music, and art can only be
made on the basis of criticism and praise of such works that appear in
the press.

Literature

Albania has a strong tradition of folklore, which had been transmitted
orally for several centuries. At the end of the nineteenth century and
in the early twentieth century, much of this lore was written down in
anthologies and collections. The folklore consists of heroic songs,
lyrics, tales, and proverbs. The predominant themes are the heroic feats
of the mountain tribes in the north against the Slavs across the border,
the important role of the Albanians in the Ottoman Empire, and the
glorious resistance led by the country's national hero, Gjergi
Skanderbeg, against the Turks in the fifteenth century. There are also a
large number of love songs and wedding songs found in the folk
tradition.

An oral tradition was also developed by the Albanians who had left their
homeland in the second half of the fifteenth century, during and
immediately after the wars against the Turks led by Skanderbeg. The
songs and poetry of the Italo-Albanians reflect fifteenth-century
Albanian society. The most important theme is the heroic resistance
against the Turks. There are also lyric songs that portray love for
one's mother and wife. Lyric songs were also developed in the Albanian
settlements in Greece, although less is known about them. There were no
heroic songs from this area until the nineteenth century when the
Albanian communities fought to preserve their independence and Orthodox
Christianity against Muslim incursions.

The first written literature found in Albania dates back to the
fifteenth century. Until the nineteenth century such literature was of a
religious nature. Nationalist literature was not developed until the
nineteenth century and, because of the restrictions imposed by the
Turks, such literature first appeared in the Albanian settlements
abroad. The most outstanding writer of the nineteenth century was Naim
Frasheri, who played an important