This morning, a tribute was held at the Assembly of Kosovo in honor of the life and work of academician Rexhep Qosja, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89. Acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, wrote in the book of condolences opened for the academician, Rexhep Qosja.
Academician Rexhep Qosja was born in 1936 in Vuthaj, Montenegro. He completed the first four grades of primary school in Vuthaj and his half-matura in Guci. In 1959, he finished the Normal School in Prishtina, and in 1960, he enrolled in the Department of Albanian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Prishtina, graduating in 1964.
In 1967, he was accepted as an assistant at the Albanological Institute of Prishtina, and during 1967/68, he specialized in literary science in third-level studies at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade.
In 1969, he was elected a scientific associate of the Albanological Institute of Prishtina. In 1971, he defended his doctoral thesis on the life and work of Asdreni. After his doctorate, in 1972, he was elected first as a senior associate and then as a scientific advisor at the Albanological Institute, as well as an associate professor and full professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Prishtina.
He was director of the Albanological Institute from 1972 to 1981, head of the Department of Albanian Literature and Language at the Faculty of Philosophy for many years, and during 1974-1975, external editor-in-chief of the literary magazine "Jeta e Re."
He is the author of over thirty books on literary studies and criticism, artistic prose, short stories, novels, and dramas, as well as journalism and polemical writings. He has published numerous reviews, overviews, articles, essays, treatises, and studies in scientific and literary journals, addressing specific issues of Albanian literature and literary creativity in general. Some of his works have been translated into other languages.
For his scientific and literary work, he has been awarded: the Prize of the City of Prishtina in 1968; the Provincial December Prize in 1969; two prizes from the Association of Writers of Kosovo in 1972 and 1974; the Prize of the Socialist Republic of Serbia – "7 July" in 1975; the "Pjetër Bogdani" Award in 2010 for the novel "Bijt e askujt" (Nobody's Sons), etc.
He was also involved in political activities; from 1998 to 2000, he led a political party in Kosovo. In 2000, the President of the Republic of Albania awarded him the "Honor of the Nation" prize. / Top Channel