A fascinating meditation on Soviet Russia, authoritarianism, power structures and a period of great writers. Translated from Albanian by John Hodgson.
Ismail Kadare conjures up a surreal tale of tyranny and rebellion, in a Kafkaesque land where languages are banned and memories extinguished. Translated by John Hodgson.
At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the main square of Constantinople, a niche is carved into ancient stone. Here, crowds flock to see the severed heads of the sultan’s adversaries. Tundj Hata is charged with transporting heads to the capital, a task he relishes, and one that makes him money from illicit sideshows of death. Gossip is growing about the province of Albania’s demands for independence. The rebellious governor’s head would fetch a high price. And the niche awaits a new trophy…
Ismail Kadare
About the Author
Ismail Kadare, born in 1936 in Albania, was the country’s best-known poet and novelist
John Hodgson
About the Translator
John Hodgson, who was born in 1951, taught at the Universities of Pristina and Tirana after studying English literature at Cambridge and Newcastle.Other nominated books by Ismail Kadare
Other nominated books by John Hodgson
A fascinating meditation on Soviet Russia, authoritarianism, power structures and a period of great writers. Translated from Albanian by John Hodgson.
