Ismail Kadare
(1936-)

 

 

Ismail Kadare (1936- ) Albanian writer, frequently mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, a leading figure of Albanian cultural life from the 1960s. During the terror of the Hoxha regime, Kadare attacked totalitarianism and the doctrines of Socialist Realism with subtle allegories - although as a committed Marxist he officially supported the liberation of Albania from its 'backward past'.

He was born in Gjirokastra, in southern Albania - the home town of Enver Hoxha. His father worked in the civil service. Ismail grew up during the years of World War II, witnessing the occupation of his home country by Italian, German and Greek soldiery. He attended primary and secondary schools in Gjirokastra, and went on to study languages and literature at the Faculty of History and Philology of the University of Tirana. In 1956 Kadare received a teacher's diploma. He also studied at the Gorki Institute of World Literature in Moscow.

In 1961 Albania broke with the 'revisionist' Soviet Union, and finally with all other socialist countries, including China. From the resulting cultural isolation arose a new generation of writers, among them Kadare, Fatos Arapi, and Dritëro Agolli, who was for many years head of the Albanian Union of Writers, although his work was occasionally felt to be out of touch with the party line. It was as a poet that Kadare first came into prominence in Albania.

Novels

His first novel, Gjenerali i ushtrisë së vdekur (1963, The General of the Dead Army), is a study of post-war Albania and begins in a pouring rain. It is perhaps still among Kadare's best-known works abroad. The general of the title is on a mission to Albania, years after the occupation and war, to repatriate the remains of his fellow soldiers, who had died in the country during World War II. "I have a whole army of dead men under my command," he realizes bitterly. Before completing his work, the general suffers a nervous breakdown. This book has been widely translated.

Nëntori i një kryeqyteti (November in the Capital) is a description: the liberation of Tirana, capital of Albania, from German forces at the end of World War II.

Dasma (1968, The Wedding) was well received in Albania. The heroine of the novel, a young peasant girl, is rescued from a traditional arranged marriage by factory work. She meets and marries a man she loves, thus breaking the traditions. Kadare served as a delegate to the People's Assembly in 1970, and he was given freedom to travel and to publish abroad.

Kështjella (1970, The Castle), a story of some Albanians' struggle against the Ottoman Turks.

Kronikë në gur (1971, Chronicle in Stone). Events in the Albanian town of Gjirokastra during World War II, as it is occupied by Fascists, Nazis and Greek partisans. Possibly Kadare's best book.

Ura me tri harqe (1978, The Three-Arched The Bridge), a chronicle of the events surrounding the construction of a bridge across a river in medieval times. After offending the authorities with a politically satirical poem in 1975, he was forbidden to publish for three years.

Prilli i thyer(1978, Broken April ). A highly-atmospheric tale of a traditional blood-feud in the highlands of northern Albania.

Kush e solli Doruntinën (Doruntine) A medieval legend.

Piramida (1991,The Pyramid). An account of the totalitarian mechanism of myth creation.

Nata me hënë (Night of the Moon). Chastity under Socialism.

Hija (1994, The Shadow). The baleful shadow of totalitarianism over intellectuals.

Nënpunësi i pallatit të ëndrrave (1981, The Palace of Dreams) was a political allegory of totalitarianism, set in an unnamed Ottoman capital. The central character is a young man, Mark-Alem, whose job is to select, sort, and interpret the dreams of the imperial populace in order to discover the "master-dream" that will predict the overthrow of the rulers.

Një dosje për Homerin (The "H" File). Description: The academic & life adventures of two Irish-Americans who come to Albania to study the epic tradition..

In October 1991, a few months before the collapse of the communist regime, Kadare emigrated to Paris where he has lived with his family ever since.

His last novel, Koncerti (The Concert), was declared the best novel of the year 1991 by the French literary magazine Lire. The background of the book is Albania's break with China. In exile Kadare has expressed his disappointment and bitterness.

He is much more popular in France than anywhere else. Publishers in Britain and America have regrettably relied on poor translations from French translations. In the last few years he has been nominated several times (by French critics) for the Nobel Prize. The following is a list of his works published all over the world.

 

Poetry

Poezi të Zgjedhura (Selected poetry) Poésies1958-1988 (in French).

 

Literary studies and essays

Eskili, ky Humbës i madh (Aeschylus, the great loser). A literary study of Aeschylus.

Ardhja e Migjenit në letërsine shqipe (The Arrival of Migjeni in Albanian Literature). A literary study of Migjeni, Albanian poet of 1930s.

Pranvera shqiptare (Albanian Spring). Memoir of the movement for democracy in Albania.

Ftesë në studio (Studio Invitation). A very selective autobiography.

Pesha e kryqit (Le Poids de la Croix ). Essay on world-wide legends of power.

Visage des Balkans (The Face of the Balkans). A commentary on Albanian photos from 1858 to 1930.

 

Literary works

Vepra letrare (Literary works) 12 vol.

Oeuvres, vol 1 and 2

 

About Kadare and Albanian Literature

Eric Faye: ISMAIL KADARE, Promèthe porte-feu

Ismail Kadare: Entretiens avec Eris Faye

Anne-Marie Mitchel: Ismail Kadare, le rhapsode albanais

Fabienne Terpan: Ismail Kadare

Maurice Druon: Ismail Kadare, gardien de mémoire

 

With thanks to :
http://www.booksfactory.com/writers/kadare.htm
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kadare.htm