Jusuf Vrioni, translator of Albanian literature into French, was born in Corfu, Greece. He spent his youth in Paris, where his father, Iliaz Vrioni, was ambassador of the Albanian state. He graduated in jurisprudence and political science (1938). In the summer of 1943, he returned to Albania. In 1947 he was arrested and suffered a long political imprisonment. After his release from prison (1959) , he worked on translations from Albanian into French. He became known for his masterful translations, mainly of the work of Ismail Kadare in the French language. In 1997 he was appointed Ambassador of Albania to UNESCO and in 1998, he published in France his autobiography in French “Mondes effacés – Souvenirs d’un Européen” (“Extinct worlds – memories of a European”).He was decorated with the Order “Grand Master of Labor” and by the French state with the orders: Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (“Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters”), and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur ( “Knight of the Legion of Honor”). (In the photo: Jusuf Vrioni)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2922-2923.
Photo: © Albanian Telegraphic Agency
Graphic processing: AHCF
