On July 21, 1888, the publication of the periodical Dituria /The Knowledge/, which had seen the light of publication a year before in Istanbul by Jani Vreto, was closed.

In July 1900, Jani Vreto, patriot and outstanding thinker of the Albanian National Renaissance of the 19-th century passed away in Athens. He was born in January 1820. He headed the “Zosimea” School in Ioannina. In 1854 he settled in Istanbul. Since 1864, he participated together with Ismail Qemali, Hoxha Tahsin, Kostandi Kristoforidhi, Pashko Vasa and others in the first meetings for the assignment of an alphabet of Albanian and for the publication of books in the Albanian language after centuries of prohibition by the Ottoman rule. He was a member of the Central Committee for the protection of the rights of the Albanian nationality. Jani Vreto drafted the Canon of the “Society for the Printing in Albanian Letters “. He also providing ideas on issues as morality, religion, social life and development.

On July 21, 1908, Mithat Frasheri, this time under the nickname Lumo Skëndo, started the publication of the weekly newspaper “Lirija” /The Freedom/ in Thessaloniki, presentday Greece, which lasted until 1910.

In July 1913, the political leader, poet, historian and founder of Albanian Orthodox Church, Fan Noli visited Albania for the first time, after a few months from the declared Independence, where he was warmly welcomed in Vlora and Durrës.

On July 21, 1925, Martin Camaj was born in Temal of Dukagjin. He was a writer and albanologist. In Shkodër, in a college, he received classical education. He emigrated to Belgrade where he studied composition and literary theory. In the summer of 1956 he left Yugoslavia and went to Italy. In Rome, he received his PhD and directed the magazine “Shejzat” /The Signs/ as editor-in-chief, under the supervision of Ernest Koliqi. He left Italy in 1961 and settled in Munich, Germany, where he studied Albanian linguistics. In Munich, he teaches Albanian literature until his death. His works are included in all anthologies and works that talk about Albanian writers. Martin Camaj passed away on March 12, 1992 in Munich.

On July 21, 1930, the scholar and social activist Branko Merxhani started publishing the short-lived monthly magazine entitled Neo-Albanianism, which was based on the new national ideology.

July 1944 marks the last issueing of the Franciscan monthly “Hylli i Dritës” /The Star of Light/, founded by Gjergj Fisha. It was dedicated to literature, politics, folklore and history. It was firts published in October 1913, almost a year after the declaration of independence in Vlora.

/a.p./