The owl and the pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely pussy! O pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are, you are!
What a beautiful pussy you are!”
Now, now, get that mind out the gutter, he is not talking about that kind of pussy. These are some famous words by Edward Lear (1812-1888) , my great, great, great Uncle. Lear was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author, and poet, who is known most famously for his literary nonsense poems such as the above, as well as his limericks- a literary form that he popularised. To us Brits, Lear is known as a bit of a character- he was extremely fond of alcohol, lead a life of unbridled hedonism and to confuse people, he would introduce himself as “Mr Abebika Kratoponoko Prizzikalo Kettefello Ablegorabalus Ableborinto Phashyph” or even, “Chakonoton the Cozovex Dossi Fossi Sini Tomentilla Coronilla Polentilla Battledore & Shuttlecock Derry down Derry Dumps”
When he wasn’t baffling those he encountered, he spent many years of his life travelling to countries such as Greece, Egypt, Italy, and Ceylon. He also spent time on the island of Malta and he created many watercolour paintings of the islands. He then travelled to Albania in the Autumn of 1848 on an unplanned journey through the outer limits of the Ottoman Empire.
He started his journey in Thessalonika before arriving in Monastir (Bitola) on September 20th, accompanied by an Albanian companion, Giorgio. From there he travelled through Ohrid, Struga, Elbasan, Tirana, Kruja, Lezha, until they arrived in Shkodra on the 2nd of October. After spending a few days there, he returned to Tirana before heading south to Kavaja, Berat, Adenica, Appllonia, Vlora, Tepelena, Gjirokastra, arriving in Janina on the 5th of November. Along the way, he sketched and painted and took extensive notes detailing the ups and downs of his journey and the delights that he encountered along the way. The following is an excerpt from his book, “Journals of a Landscape Painter in Albania” which was published in 1851.
“Wavy lines of olive – dark clumps of plane, and spirally cypresses marked the place of Tyrana when the valley had fully expanded into a pianura, and the usual supply of white minarets lit up the beautiful tract of foliage with the wonted deceptive fascination of these towns. As I advanced to the suburbs, I observed two or three mosques most highly ornamented, and from a brilliancy of colour and elegance of form, by far the most attractive of any public building I had yet beheld in these wild places; but though it was getting dark when I entered the town (whose streets, broader than those of Elbassán, were only raftered and matted half way across), it was at once easy to perceive that Tyrana was as wretched and disgusting as its fellow city, save only that it excelled in religious architecture and spacious market places.”
And,
“The immediate neighbourhood of Tyrana is delightful. Once outside the town and you enjoy the most charming scenes of quiet, among splendid planes, and the clearest of streams. The afternoon was fully occupied in drawing on the road from Elbassan, whence the view of the town is beautiful. The long line of peasants returning to their homes from the bazaar, enabled me to sketch many of their dresses in passing; most of the women wore snuff-coloured or dark vests trimmed with pink or red, their petticoats white, with an embroidered apron of chocolate or scarlet; others affected white capotes; but all bore their husband’s or male relative’s heavy black or purple capote, bordered with broad pink or orange, across their shoulders. Of those whose faces were visible – for a great part wore muslin wrappers – (no sign hereabouts of the wearer being Mohammedan, for both Moslem and Christian females are thus bewrapped) – -some few were very pretty, but the greater number had toil and careworn faces. There were many dervishes, also, wearing high, white felt, steeple-crowned hats, with black shawls round them.”
The images that he painted of Albania and its towns and cities represent some of the best visual representations of life in mid-nineteenth century Albania. After Edward’s adventures in Albania, he travelled to Corfu, before dying in San Remo, Italy.
I find something curious in the fact that I lived in Malta for 10 years and saw its beauty in the same way in which he did and enjoyed painting and writing about it. It also makes me smile that I too, came to Albania on an unplanned journey and became so enamoured with this place, that I decided to make it home. Whilst we are 150 years apart, I guess some things just run in the family.
“To the unlearned tourist, indeed, Albania is a puzzle of the highest order”. Edward Lear
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