The National Center for Books and Reading held an event at the “Sotir Kolea” Center titled “Portrait of a True Intellectual”. The event commemorated the 100th birthday of dissident writer Robert Prifti.

Prifti was a key figure in Albanian literature. He also wrote in Italian but remains less known. He was a polyglot, fluent in eight foreign languages, and a trained chemist.

During over four decades under the dictatorship, Prifti taught science and languages. At the same time, he wrote numerous prose and poetry works in Italian. His family was unaware of these writings.

His works were discovered by chance after his death in October 1993, first by his son Edgari and then by a wider circle of readers. The discovery revealed Prifti as a writer with rare intellectual courage and resilience.

At the event, Professor Viola Isufi and Spartak Topollaj spoke about Prifti’s prose and poetry. Other participants included Professor Artan Fuga, Visar Zhiti, Nevruz Maluka, and Italian scholar Mauro Geraci, who contributed via video messages.

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