Rita Petro is a renowned Albanian poet, author, and publisher, known for her bold and provocative literary voice. Born in Tirana in 1962, she studied Albanian Language and Literature at the University of Tirana and later specialized in Ancient Philosophy and Culture in Athens. She is the founder and director of ALBAS Publishing House, and co-author of over 45 textbooks. Her poetry collections—including Slandered Verses, Taste of Instinct, The Hole, and Try Not to Love Me—explore themes of identity, desire, and societal norms. Her novel Born Backward has won the European Prize for Literature 2024. Petro’s work, especially the controversial The Hole, has received numerous awards, including the Lumo Skëndo Prize, and has been translated into several languages. She is also a vocal advocate for women’s rights, using both her public platform and literary work to challenge taboos and promote social emancipation.
Winner of European Prize for Literature 2024, Novel, p. 232, Onufri
Lindur së prapthi - Born Backwards
Born Backward is an autofiction novel that follows the journey of a girl growing up in communist Albania, from early childhood to adulthood, as she navigates the contradictions and constraints of a closed an …
Poetry, P. 114, Albas Publishing
Vrima - The Hole
“The Hole” is a bold and allegorical poetic journey that explores the female experience as a path of transformation—one that begins with an exodus from the confines of the flesh and moves through the Forbidd …