by Edlira DHIMA
University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali”
Faculty of Human Sciences
Department of Albanian Language – Literature, Vlora, Albania
E-mail: edlira.dhima@univlora.edu.al
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-4766-8896
Abstract: Koçi Petriti entered Albanian poetry at the beginning of the 1960s, precisely with the wave of poets of those years who changed the fate of our literature as a whole: in Albania, Kosovo and in the diaspora, even though communication among them did not exist. He created his own poetic individuality, unlike anyone else’s, with foundations built upon the Albanian poetic tradition. He emerges as a poet of culture, who knows well, above all, life, history, folklore and mythology. His poetry stands out for its rich and suggestive figurative language, which aims to become the bearer of ideas and the ideational-emotional content of the poem, rather than merely its ornamentation. The author of four poetry collections, among which the last two stand out for their values The Signature of My People and Embers Through the Centuries, Koçi Petriti has demonstrated that he is a talented and cultivated poet and that he did not embark on the difficult path of poetry by chance. Often conceived in the spirit of folk poetry and organized açording to the principles of its poetics, which he does not imitate but assimilates, Koçi Petriti’s poetry communicates with all levels of readers. with a measured language and clarity in argumentation, he became a cornerstone in literary scholarship. “Great” matters such as politics and heroism were not for him. And this choice saved him not only as a person, but also as a poet. His only pact was with the reader, who loved and read him as a worthy suçessor to Lasgush Poradeci.
Keywords: Poetry, typification, individuality, poets, lyrical hero, time, verse, history.
Introduction
Although very young in age, he began to write with a burning desire for fresh, new, and rich poetry, also influenced by the overall social development. At a time when literature was forced to conform to the frameworks of socialist realism and Albanian writers were compelled to write within rigid molds and make a pact with the devil at the expense of creativity in order to survive, Koçi Petriti found his own path, to which he remained faithful until the end. This choice saved him not only as a person, but also as a poet.