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Lulzim Tafa is a poet, (Rector of AAB University in Pristina, from 2012 to 2020), and university professor. He was born in 1970 in Lipjan, Republic of Kosovo. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pristina, while his doctoral studies in the field of law at the State University of Sarajevo.

Lulzim Tafa has considerable experience as a full professor and visiting professor of criminal subjects in several universities in Kosovo and abroad. During his career, he has held important positions in the entire academic hierarchy, including managerial positions in research centers, faculties, and university services. He is a member of the editorial boards of several local and international scientific journals and a member of the leading councils of several organizations in the field of legal sciences, human rights, criminology, etc.

His exceptional leadership skills have set him apart, as he has effectively positioned the AAB University as the primary educational institution for culture and art in the country. He is the founder of the Center for the Protection of Human Rights at AAB University, as well as the Cultural Center and the Professional Theater “Faruk Begolli”. He has established five international awards in various fields, including the international award for literature and arts “Ali Podrimja”. He is also committed to creating facilities for students with special needs and members of minority communities. He is also the co-founder of the British School of Kosova, which is the largest non-public school in Kosovo, as well as of ATV television, one of the main media houses in the country. In 2014, he was chosen manager of the year in the field of education by Euromenager Magazine and the Union of European Managers.

As a POET, Lulzim Tafa belongs to the era of Poets of the nineties, the time when bloody wars broke out in the Balkans as a result of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, when the people of Kosovo were threatened with ethnic and cultural annihilation. He started writing poetry as a primary school student. He published his first poems in high school magazines, whereas his first book of poems was published when he was a student.

The war and humanitarian disaster of 1999 found him in Kosovo and destroyed his house, library, books, photographs, and over 300 manuscript poems. After the war he continued to deal with human rights and freedoms, promoting peace. He has also lobbied for animal rights. Thanks to his commitments, Kosovo has adopted various laws related to the protection of animal rights.

Although a lawyer by profession, his primary profession and passion in life is literature. He is the author of many books of poetry. His poems have been translated into several languages of the world and included in several anthologies; he has been awarded many literary prizes. His works have so far been translated into English, German, Italian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Turkish, Greek, Romanian, Roma, French, Ukrainian, Azeri, Swedish, Arabic, Macedonian, Russian, Slovenian, Hungarian, etc.

He is one of the most famous Kosovar poets in the world. Well-known publishing houses from all over the world have translated and published his books, while writers and literary critics from the country and the world have appreciated his artistic creativity. The most famous international magazines in the field of literature have written and published Lulzim Tafa’s poetry. He is one of the most famous and translated poets of Albanian literature in the world.

He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, member of the Academy of Arts and Literature in Paris, member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, member of the Bosnian Academy of Sciences and Arts with headquarters in Sarajevo, honorary member of the Council of Albanian Ambassadors, as well as a member of PEN Center Kosovo. He is the winner of many international awards and acknowledgments for literature, such as: “Mihai Eminescu” in Romania, “Nadje Namad” in Lebanon, “Radovan Zogović” in Montenegro, “Pablo Neruda” in Italy, “Alexander the Great” in Greece, “Ramadan Sinani” in Macedonia, etc. He has also been awarded the title “Doctor Honoris Causa” by many international universities. He has also been decorated with the title of ambassador of world peace by the World Peace Committee based in Indonesia. Lulzim Tafa is also renowned for his art in the service of peace and his efforts against war through poetry. He has been honored by cultural and educational institutions in Ukraine. Additionally, in 2022, he was decorated by the Holy Patriarch of Ukraine, Patriarch Filaret, with the ‘Order of Saint Yuri the Victorious.’ In 2023, at the World Congress of Poets, Lulzim Tafa was awarded the title ‘Doctor of Literature’ by the World Academy of Arts and Culture, based in California, United States of America. In 2024, he was decorated by the Senate of the United States of America for his literary activities in the service of peace.

In 2018, the President of the Republic of Kosovo awarded him the Presidential Medal of Merit for his exceptional contributions to the field of literature and art.

Most recently, the French President Emmanuel Macron honored him with the “Officer of Arts and Letters” award, which is the highest award bestowed by the French State for outstanding achievements in the fields of Art and Literature.

He was born on 2nd February 1970 in Lipjan near Prishtina, the capital city of the Republic of Kosova. He completed his primary and secondary education in his birthplace, in Lipjan…
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