In the village of Macchia Albanese in the province of Cosenza (Calabri), Michele Marchiano was born, Arbëresh historian of literature, folklorist and translator. He was born in a family with cultural traditions. He gave the greatest help in the field of the history of literature. In the work “Le colonie albanesi d’Italia e la loro letteratura”, Rome, 1913 (“The Albanian colonies of Italy and their literature”), Michele Marchiano pointed out the original features of Albanian literature from its beginnings and discovered some individualities creative. His study ” L’Albania e l’opera di Girolamo De Rada” , Trani, 1902 (“Albania and the work of Jeronim de Rada”) is the first complete monograph on Jeronim de Rada, where Michele Marchiano discovered the importance of the poetry of Jeronim de Rada, the deep patriotic spirit and its aesthetic values. Michele Marchiano collected and published many Albanian folk songs in the works: “La rondinella, Carme nuziale albanese, inedito “, Foxha, 1906 (“The Swallow – Unpublished Arbëresh wedding song”), ” Canti popolari albanesi delle colonie d’Italia” , Foxha , 1908, (“Arbëresh folk song of the colonies of Italy”); ” Canti popolari albanesi della Capitanata e del Molise” , Martina-Franka, 1912 ” Arbëresh songs of the Capitanata and Molise”). He also published the first collection of Arbëresh folklore discovered by him (Kieut’s Manuscript), as well as the work “Poesie sacre albanesi “, Naples, 1908 (“Arbëresh religious poems”). He passed away in 1921. (In the photo: Michele Marchiano)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1631.
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