He was born in Rehova, Albania on November 24, 1924. Peter Prifiti is an eminent intellectual among the Albanian-American scholars in America. Educated in the United States, thanks to the understanding and support of his father (owner of a restaurant in Philadelphia, in partnership with others), he first attended and completed high school after arriving in America in 1940. Thereafter he enrolled at penn state College, in College Park, Pennsylvania, where he won a "Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts and Literature." In 1947 he became an American Citizen. Eager to expand his knowledge of world culture and philosophy, he attended the "University of Pennsylvania" where he won a "Master of Arts degree in Philosophy" (1955). The title of his M.A. thesis was, the "political Philosophy of David Hume."
In 1958 the Pan Albanian Federation of America--Vatra, in Boston, offered him a post as co-editor of its newspaper Dielli, and secretary of the organization, then under the Honorary Presidency of Bishop Fan Noli. The two years he spent with Vatra, were a valuable experience, giving him a better understanding of the Albanian community and its problems.
During 1961-76, he worked in Cambridge, Mass., at M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), at the time a notable center for international studies. The fruit of this period was the book, "Socialist Albania since 1944" (1978), an objective chronicle of developments in the country in that time frame. The work was well received in academic circles, as shown by letters form readers received by the author, as well as by the reviews that were published about the book.
In 1976, the Department of Linguistics of the University of California in San Diego, initiated a project for studies on the Albanian language, and invited Peter Prifti to join the project as a consultant. The project itself was a short duration (1976-79), but it succeeded nevertheless in producing three works for the study of the Albanian language, either in a classroom setting, or as "self-study" materials. These are: Standard Albanian, Spoken Albanian and Readings in Albanian. Prifti figures as co-author in all three of the works.
The situation of the Albanian population in the province of Kosova, became a cause for concern for the author as early as 1968, when a strong movement was under way to make Kosova a Republic. The movement was harshly suppressed by the Yugoslav authorities. Prifiti wrote on all developments in the region during the next 30 years, in defense of the rights and demands of Albanians. The net result of that effort is the book, Confrontation in Kosova, which was published in 1999.
Two other volumes of collected writings deal with the politics, history and culture of Albania. In addition, the volumes contain memorial tributes, essays, literary critiques and book reviews, which he had published over the years in professional journals and various magazines and newspapers. The volumes are titled: Remote Albania-the politics of isolation, and Land of Albanians-A Crossroads of Pride and Pain
Peter Prifti has devoted himself to Albanian studies in a consistent effort to enlighten readers about his native land and the nature of Albanian society. Throughout his career as a writer, he has sought to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy, taking care in the meantime not to become embroiled in Albanian partisan politics. He stands as a fine example of the intellectual who is conscious and concerned about his country of origin, even while living and working far form its borders.
Arrangements under the direction of Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary, San Diego, CA.
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