On April 16, 1895 , in the Arbënesh village near Zadar (Croatia), Josif Rela (1895-1966), playwright and poet, was born. He attended the normal school and worked as a teacher. He started his literary activity in the 20s; wrote dramas, comedies and poems with patriotic and social issues. Josif Rela sang about the Arbëresh language and customs, called to preserve the traditions of the ancestors, expressed dissatisfaction with the reality of the time. His most notable work is the drama “Nita” with the subject of the migration of Arbëresh people from Albania in the 18th century. In the melodrama “Martesa” (“The Marriage”) the life of Arbëresh residents is reflected with characteristic scenes. The literary creativity of Josif Rela was published mainly in the press of Kosova. In 1968, two volumes of his writings were published in Prishtina. In 1979, the drama “Nita” was published in Tirana. Some of his dramatic works have been staged in Kosova. (In the photo: Josif Rela)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2229.
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