The reflection of arbëresh literature in the magazine “Philological Studies”

Abstract

When the magazine “Philological Studies” started its life (a continuator of high level of the Bulletin of University’s Social Sciences) the Albanian literary science was struggling through its adolescence. It grew up and became mature together with the science whose spokesman it was. This magazine came into being at a certain historical period, the one of the so-called socialism which involves 30 years of its life, but it also involves the period after the 90s, the contemporary period of ideological ices’ melting. This magazine was also a literary and linguistic tribune. It gave a special place to an important branch of the Albanian literature which developed in Diaspora from a part of the nation, transplanted in foreign soil, which kept the sap of tradition and folksongs. This part of the nation would promote them to the level of a literature which developed parallel to the literature unveiled in the fatherland of their ancestors. “Philological Studies” played the role of the discoverer and evaluator of this literature presenting it to the Albanians on homeland and trying to identify its place on the map of the whole Albanian literature. It completed this mission in the form of articles, studies and recessions as well as by publication of unknown literary materials. Thus, in the pages of this magazine, for a period of half a century we are faced with assessments regarding the message and form of certain Arbëresh writers, be they renowned, middling, or minor, assessments which are given for the first time and reassessments, first time presentations of unknown authors to the Albanian public, presentation of new scientific theses dealing with Arbëresh literature, efforts to solve crucial general matters of this literature or of the activity of certain authors. In the pages of the magazine “Philological Studies” we observe a variety of researches, new and old, related to the Arbëresh literature of Italy, a variety of Arbëresh authors studied and appreciated, some out of which great creators, middling and minor. In the second historical period gone through by this magazine which continues even now the fictive unity of the only accepted method of study was overcome, that is the sociological Marxist one and a variety of study methods was also applied, among which the formalist and structuralist as well as the comparative one.