The Merchant of Souls
A historical and psychological novel
A novel of war, power, and divided identity in the Ottoman world of the Janissaries.
About
Shkëndim Spahiu
Author, researcher, and essayist
I write about history, human nature, power, memory, and the stories that shape the way we understand ourselves. My work moves between literature, history, philosophy, and personal experience.
I was born in 1984 and come from the Kičevo region of North Macedonia. My professional background is in finance, while writing and historical research have become an increasingly important part of my intellectual life.
I have a particular interest in Balkan and Ottoman history, especially the relationships between individuals, families, institutions, power, and social change. Research into my family history led me to Ottoman archival records, historical documents, genealogy, oral history, and stories preserved across generations.
My writing combines research with narrative. I am interested in facts, but also in the people behind those facts: their ambitions, fears, loyalties, compromises, beliefs, failures, and choices.
What I Write About
- History and historical memory
- Human nature and behaviour
- Power and politics
- Philosophy
- Balkan and Ottoman history
- Family history and genealogy
- Literature and storytelling
- Society, culture, and identity
History Is More Than Dates
I do not see history simply as a sequence of dates and events. History is made by people. Behind every empire, war, migration, political decision, or social transformation are individuals making choices under circumstances they often cannot control.
A document can tell us that something happened. A story can help us understand what it meant to the people who lived through it. Good historical writing should attempt to do both.
Why I Write
I write because the past disappears quickly. Within a few generations, names become unfamiliar, stories become incomplete, and experiences that once seemed unforgettable can disappear entirely.
Writing is one way of resisting that disappearance. It can preserve a voice, connect one generation with another, and turn memory into something that can be examined, questioned, and passed forward.
Support the author’s work
If you enjoy Shkëndim’s books and essays, you can support his work by buying him a coffee.
Selected works
Books
Chronicle of the Spahiu Family
Unfading Traces of Centuries: History of a Clan of Knights
A historical family chronicle that places generations of the Spahiu family within the wider history of the Balkans and the Ottoman world.
The Socrates of Cërvica
The book "The Socrates of Cërvica" explores the phenomenon of the lived philosophy of Xha Deralla (1842–1950) from Cërvicë, Kërçovë, placing his 108-year life trajectory in direct dialogue with Socratic irony, Diogenic Cynicism, and the Aristotelian concept of phronesis. Through an in-depth analysis of anecdotes, folk songs, and the traditional oda functioning as a rural agora, this work documents how satire, cunning intelligence (metis), and humor operated as vital protective mechanisms for human dignity and national identity under Ottoman, Serbian, and Yugoslav regimes. This study deconstructs institutional authority, elevating folk wisdom beyond simple folklore into the realm of universal archetypes of existential and ontological resistance.