Rita Petro

Rita Petro (born 13 March 1962) is an Albanian writer, poet and publisher.

Early life and education Petro was born in Tirana, Albania. She studied Albanian language and literature at the University of Tirana from 1980 to 1984. In 1993, she completed further studies in ancient philosophy and culture at the University of Athens.

Career From 1985 to 2000, Petro worked as an editor at the state publishing house of school books.

In 2000, she co-founded the publishing house Albas, together with Latif Ajrullai.The company operates in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and the Preševo Valley and focuses mainly on educational publications. Shija e instinktit (1998) Këtu poshtë këndohet live (2002) Në intimitet (2006)

Vrima (2014) Lindur së prapthi (2022)

Reception The poetry collection Vrima (2014) received public attention following its publication and was widely discussed in Albanian media. It also generated controversy, largely due to its explicit treatment of the human body and sexuality, which some critics and commentators considered provocative or inappropriate.

Awards Petro has received several literary awards, including:

Onufri Prize (1999) Prize for Poetry Career (2014)

In 2025, she was named Poet Laureate of Albania for the period 2025–2027.

Personal life Petro was in a relationship with publisher Latif Ajrullai, co-founder of the publishing house Albas.

Ajrullai died in November 2020 after contracting COVID-19.