Ismail Kadare

[Stewart]

Ismail Kadare writer. He was born in (born January 28, 1936) is a world-renowned Albanian author, born in Gjirokast?r, Albania in 1936. He first studied at the Faculty of History and Philology at the University of Tirana and later at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. In the 1960s, his works reflected the Albanian literature of Socialist Realism and post-communist Albania.

In 1990, immediately before the fall of communism in Albania, Kadare sought asylum in France. During the ordeal, he stated that "dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible... The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship."

In 1992, he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca; in 2005, he won the inaugural Booker International Prize. He has divided his time between France and Albania since 1990.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Qyteti Pa Reklama (1959) [Eng: The City Without Advertisements]
Shekulli Im (1961) [Eng: My Century]
Gjenerali i Ushtris? s? Vdekur (1963) [Eng: The General of the Dead Army]
P?rse Mendohen K?to Male (1964) [Eng: Why These Mountains Brood]
Dasma (1968) [Eng: The Wedding]
K?shtjella (1970) [Eng: The Castle]
Kronik? n? gur (1971) [Eng: Chronicle in Stone]
Dimri i Madh (1977) [Eng: The Great Winter]
Ura Me Tri Harqe (1978) [Eng: The Three-Arched Bridge]
Prilli i Thyer (1980) [Eng: Broken April]
Gjakftoht?sia (1980)
Pallati i ?ndrrave (1981) [Eng: The Palace of Dreams]
Dosja H (1981) [Eng: The File on H]
Vepra Letrare (1981-1989) [Eng: Literary Works]
Koncert n? Fund t? Dimrit (1988) [Eng: The Concert at the End of the Winter]
P?rbind?shi (1991) [Eng: The Monster]
Nga nj? dhjetor n? tjetrin (1991) [Eng: From one December to another]
Piramida (1992) [Eng: The Pyramid]
Albanie (1995)
Dialog me Alain Bosquet (1996) [Eng: A dialogue with Alain Bosquet]
Spiritus (Spiritus, 1996)
Koh? Barbare (Nga Shqip?ria n? Kosov?) (1996) [Eng: Barbarian times(From Albania to Kosovo)]
The Angels' Cousin, essays (Kush?riri i engj?jve, 1997)
Po?mes (1997)
Froides Fleurs D'Avril (2000) [Eng: Spring Flower, Spring Frost]
Three Elegies for Kosovo (2000)
Ra ky mort e u pam (2000)
Jeta, loja dhe vdekja e Lul Mazrekut (2002) [Eng: The Life, Game and Death of Lul Mazreku]
Pasardh?si (2003) [Eng: The Successor]
Ca pika shiu ran? mbi qelq (2003) [Eng: Some rain-drops fell on the glass, poetry]
Identiteti european i shqiptar?ve (2006) [Eng: The European identity of Albanians]
Eskili, ky humbes i madh
Agamemnon's Daughter (2007)
The Heir (2007)

RELATED THREADS

Agamemnon's Daughter (http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18)
The Successor (http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/european-literature/2586-ismail-kadare-successor.html)


RELATED LINKS

Ismail Kadare on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_Kadare)
The Englishing Of Ismail Kadare: Notes of a retranslator (http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol6/issue2/bellos.htm)
Interview with Ismail Kadare (June 2005) (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/6/EA0110B5-D81C-45BE-8F4A-E38CAA8240B6.html)

[Colette Jones]

I read The Successor last year and remember liking it quite a lot, but not much else comes back to me.

[Stewart]

I read The Successor last year and remember liking it quite a lot, but not much else comes back to me.
I found that happened with Kadare's Spring Flowers, Spring Frost. But I read it a couple of years ago and was bewildered by it. The Successor, incidentally, is a sequel of sorts to Agamemnon's Daughter (or is it the other way around?), if you are looking for more Kadare to read.

[Colette Jones]

Ismail Kadare at Southbank Centre (London) 3rd June (http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/literature-spoken-word/productions/ismail-kadare-39625).

[Stewart]

David Bellos, the translator of many Ismail Kadare novels (from French, rather than Albanian), speaks in Paper Tiger (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/arts/papertiger/may08/davidbellosreplies.htm), the Telegraph's book blog. He says about Kadare translations: they are available in 40 languages, but in only three of these (French, Dutch, German) directly from the Albanian.

[Colette Jones]

Kronik? n? gur (1971) [Eng: Chronicle in Stone]

Picked this one up in the Hay Bookends shop for ?1.

[Stewart]

He says about Kadare translations: they are available in 40 languages, but in only three of these (French, Dutch, German) directly from the Albanian.
Well that just seems incorrect as I recently spotted a Kadare translation in English coming via the original Albanian. I can't remember the title, which doesn't help much, but it was there in Borders.

[Heteronym]

I've been considering reading Kadare for some time now. Could anyone recommend me a first book to start?

[Stewart]

I've heard Broken April may be the one to start with.

[Satch Dobrey]

I would suggest <The General of the Dead Army> or <Chronicle in Stone> as a starting point in reading Kadare.

[Mirabell]

why? any particular reason why these two?

[nnyhav]

Barry Baldwin 26.9.08 on dissidence and dissonance:
Call Me Ismail: Kadare's Capers Essay ReadySteadyBook - a literary site (http://www.readysteadybook.com/Article.aspx?page=onkadare)

[saliotthomas]

I read The Pyramid this and could not get in if i may say.
I think it was supposed to be funny in it's absurdity, like the stories of stones and the amount of dead they brought,the nagging betwin priest,the spell..but it just kept falling from my hands.
I really wanted to like it but couldn't.
I was told The General of the Dead Army is much better.I'll try it.

[Satch Dobrey]

I chose "The General of the Dead Army" and "Chronicle in Stone" because they are set during and after the 2nd WW - a time we all know about and they are fairly straightforward. They both will give the reader a good feel for Albania and good background for reading some of his other works. There should be nothing in these novels that would make the book slip from the reader's lap.

[Satch Dobrey]

I just wrote a long rebuttal to the Barry Baldwin article but for some reason I was logged out and my rebuttal did not post. I don't feel like re-doing it but suffice it to say that the Baldwin article is balderdash.

Alia contradicted himself, not Kadare. Stephen Schwartz is a far right wing hack in the mold of John Birch and Joe McCarthy.

Literary allusion is not plagiarism. It is a common post-modern literary handshake.

I could go on and on but I guess there is a time out mechanism so I won't dare but if anyone is interested in this topic they should read <Albanian Spring> to get Kadare's side of the story.

[Stewart]

...for some reason I was logged out and my rebuttal did not post.
Sorry to hear that. If you don't use the 'Remember Me?' option then the forum logs you out after a set time. I can't think what it is offhand, but I think it may be up to an hour. Ample time, for most posts, but sometimes the long ones, unless 'remembered' may get lost.

[Heteronym]

I must say after reading Barry Baldwin's article I started having second thoughts about Kadare :eek:

[nnyhav]

NB: Linking doesn't imply endorsement of views expressed therein (I'll make explicit if so); I've seen other discussion around this issue, so considered it to be of interest. Kadare's is a curious case since his status under the regime may alter the context of his work (though not its quality), and because of the intermediation of other languages in getting Englished (where quality might be compromised). Bellos (on the other side of the issue, and for whom I have respect and gratitude for his work on Perec) gestures at the former in addressing the latter:

My own impression is that Kadare has long understood the constraints of writing "double" -- for his Albanian readers, on the one hand, and for a world audience, on the other. He doesn't think that anything he writes in prose is "untranslatable" -- on the contrary, he thinks that what he has to say will come through in pretty much any language. He could hardly be more different in his attitude to linguistic particularity than (for example) Milan Kundera, who insists that even his original punctuation in Czech be reproduced without alteration in English translation.


The Englishing of Ismail Kadare: Notes of a retranslator by David Bellos - the complete review Quarterly (http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol6/issue2/bellos.htm)

[Mirabell]

The Balwin article's arguments appear to be tenuous at best. The plagiarism point is laughable but it displays Balwin's kind of thinking. He comes up with the attack first and looks for arguments/proof later. That works better sometimes and worse at others. All of it is disgusting, though.

[Satch Dobrey]

Don't hesitate to read Kadare. Read <General of the Dead Army> and if you don't like it move on to someone else. Kadare and his wife lived in a 2 room apartment. Hardly what you would call a lavish lifestyle. His appointment to the General Assembly was transparent. He was a symbol that Hoxha tried to use from time to time to show his support of the Arts but Kadare's position was always tenuous. If he would have refused the position he would have had his head cut off. He fought the regime with literature, with books that had double meanings. His legacy is the literature of Albania. Many expected him to be like Vaclav Havel but he is a writer not a politician. He never wanted to be a Havel. If you read his books you can easily see the absurdity of the criticism against him. Some writers were jealous of his international reputation and take snippets from his work out of context and try to use it against him. Don't be fooled. Read the works. He did not write socialist realism. Far from it, but he was able to disguise certain themes by making parables against totalitarianism and the Ottoman Empire, the German invasion, the Italian invasion---pro-Albanian, pro-resistance.

See the Books section in today's New York Times (Oct. 1st) - there is a review of a new translation of <The General of the Dead Army>.

[kadare]

New book by Kadare is avaiable in Albanian (E PENGUARA - Requiem per Linda B.)

I hope that this year Darka e gabuar (2008 alb.) ( french : "Le diner de trop") is going to be translated in english

Its a faboulous book. Kadare himself said that this is one of his best works ;)

[kadare]

Why didn't anyone mention that Kadare won the Prince of asturias award for Literature 2009.

[peter_d]

Don't worry. Daniel Del Real mentioned it in a seperate thread on the Prince of Asturias price 2009 in the 'News section'.

[Stiffelio]

David Bellos, the translator of many Ismail Kadare novels (from French, rather than Albanian), speaks in Paper Tiger (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/arts/papertiger/may08/davidbellosreplies.htm), the Telegraph's book blog. He says about Kadare translations: they are available in 40 languages, but in only three of these (French, Dutch, German) directly from the Albanian.

I'm afraid this is not correct. Almost the entire oeuvre of Kadare has been translated into Spanish, directly from Albanian, by Ram?n S?nchez Lizarralde.

[Stiffelio]

I have just completed a Kadar? introductory mini-fest and I must say I am most pleased with what I have read so far. I read four books, three of which have not yet been commented here and two of them are not even found in English translation. I think the effect of reading Kadar? is cumulative. I would not dare say that any of the books I read so far qualifies as a true masterpiece, yet all of them are excellent and thought provoking. Kadar? obsessively writes about certain themes directly related or covertly referring to Albania's convoluted history. Some historic episodes are recurrent throughout his work and the same myths and legends are referred to in book after book. That is why reading just one book probably is not enough to fully appreciate his scope and range. Kadar? uses allegory and parable to conceal real events behind fantasy. This is explained by the fact that, until he obtained asylum in France in 1990, he lived under a very oppressive communist regime and he had to find a delicate balance in what he wrote so that he could be published. Many of his books were nevertheless banned or censured, and only since the early nineties has his complete oeuvre been re-edited (in Albanian and French) by Fayard in Paris. Kadar? writes in an easy, fluid prose style, somewhat detached and darkly humorous. I read these books in Spanish, thanks to the wonderful translation, direct from the Albanian, by Ram?n S?nchez Lizarralde.

Cr?nica de la Ciudad de Piedra (Chronicle in Stone) (1970)

This is an autobiographical account of life in a small, stone-walled, ancient village (Gjrokast?r, Kadar??s birthplace) in southern Albania during WWII, as told by a young boy. Set in the middle of the battleground, the village is successively invaded by the Italian army, the Greek, helped by British RAF bombings, and later on the Nazis, who have also to fight against the incipient communist partisans (one of whom, incidentally, is Albania?s future dictator Enver Hoxha). As the boy describes these goings-on he doesn?t understand the tragic events that unfold and views them as something normal, as a part of growing up in a family surrounded by a colorful yet obscure set of characters deeply attached to old traditions and superstition. The first person narration (uncommon in Kadar?) brilliantly describes, with a sense of detachment but with a dark humor close to satire, the gatherings of gossipy and superstitious old ladies, the confusion of soldiers and villagers running up and down the steep, winding stone alleys, the boy?s initial attraction to the opposite sex, his initiation into literature by reading Jung and Macbeth, his romantic fixation with an old airplane, his being proud that his family?s cellar is chosen an a bomb shelter, the townsfolk temporary evacuation to the mountains, and many other vividly told episodes. Despite the tragic precipitation of events, the boy never loses his innocence and sense of wonder. But Kadar??s mastery makes the reader feel deeply for these people and for the boy who doesn?t realize what the future will offer him. All this is meshed up with brief, factual chronicles of life in town which serve the purpose of chapter breakers. This is a powerful early novel that I?m sure will rank highly among Kadar??s work and deserves to be read. ****0+

El Palacio de los Sue?os (The Palace of the Dreams) (1976-81)

This is one of Kadar??s best known novels and is considered by some critics as being his best. The novel is written as an allegory for a totalitarian regime, where the overly powerful authorities aim to control absolutely everything pertaining to the people under their rule, including their sub-conscience, i.e. through their dreams. The novel is set in the first half of the nineteenth century in the capital of the Ottoman Empire (although there are more than clear references to twentieth-century Tirana). The anti-hero, named Mark-Alem, belongs to the ancient Qyprilli family, aristocrats of Albanian origin, who over the centuries have served in key posts at the Empire?s headquarters, but who have always been fierce rivals of the current Sultanate. The most prominent member of the Qyprillis is Mark-Alem?s uncle, the current Vizier of the Sultan (a sort of secretary of state). Through his uncle, the indecisive young protagonist, begins to work in the Palace of Dreams and speedily, albeit reluctantly, climbs his way up the hierarchy of this bureaucratic entity, passing through the departments of ?collection?, ?selection? and finally ?interpretation? where, after much sifting through dreams coming from all corners of the empire, the ?Master Dreams? are chosen. The ?Master Dreams? are those which are deemed to predict any dire event against the stability of the Empire and are therefore presented to the Sovereign for prompt action against the would-be perpetrator. Many times, however, a dream is made up as an excuse for action against the Sultan?s enemies. It soon becomes evident that the Vizier had introduced Mark-Alem to the Palace of Dreams as insurance to protect his family. But this ploy backfires when Mark-Alem fails to decipher a crucial dream that may be linked to his family. I?ll tell no more about the plot to avoid spoilers. I?ll just say that the last third of the book reads like a nail-biting thriller. This is brilliantly accomplished by Kadar?. He first creates a hallucinatory atmosphere describing Mark-Alem?s perambulations along the dark, labyrinthine corridors of the Palace or his interactions with his family members and other obscure characters he meets at work. Kadar? creates a nerve-racking anguish, both in the protagonist and in the reader, at times harking back to Kafka?s ?The Trial? or ?The Castle? or Borges? own labyrinths. On the other hand, Kadar??s whole metaphoric concept could be seen as Orwellian in nature. But enough of similes! Kadar? has written an excellent and unique novel, almost perfectly structured. The prose is crystalline and easy flowing, a bit cold and detached, I would add. But I guess that was his main purpose, to coldly denounce the existence of a totalitarian dictatorship in his own country. The book was banned when first published, before coming to light again in 1988 in a ?revised? form. The current ?Fayard? version, however, has been set back to reflect the original intentions of the author. I should add that, as in most of his work, Kadar? makes use of the rich Albanian ?mythology? in this novel, made up of traditional epics and ballads referring to places, historical figures and events, which also appear in the dreams and ultimately contribute to enrich the story (stories such as ?the three arched bridge? and ?the snowed-in nuptial cortege?, for instance, not only appear repetitively in other novels but Kadar? actually wrote two novels with those titles). ****0+

El Nicho de la Verg?enza (The Niche of Shame) (1974-76) (This novel has not yet been translated into English)

As in The Palace of Dreams, in this dark, powerful novel Kadar? deftly utilizes a historical fantasy as a metaphor for the dictatorial repression taking place in Albania at the time of writing. The story is set in the Ottoman Empire in 1822, at the time of a famous rebellion by a powerful Albanian pasha, Ali Baja of Tepelena, against the ruling Sultan. The novel begins at the central square in the Empire?s capital, in which one of the walls harbors the ?niche of shame?, a place where the chopped heads of enemies to the Sultanate (real or imagined!) are exposed to the crowd of onlookers, with the obvious purpose of intimidating them against any idea of misbehavior or thoughts of freedom. The narrator of this section is the guardian of the niche, who informs us that the current head belongs to the Turkish general who failed to bring Ali?s head back to the capital. In further chapters the story moves from the Empire?s capital to Albania, the rebellious region in the confines of the Empire and to the regions in between, with the points of view switching to the rebel Baja Ali (an 80 year old stalwart who in his hey days negotiated with Napoleon and met Byron on his way to Greece), to his wife, to the army general who ultimately beheads him and to Tunx Hata, the courier in charge of carrying the heads to the capital (who often makes additional money by mounting theatrical shows in which he exhibits the heads to villagers along the route). Kadar? tells this story with his usual dark irony and elaborates on the different levels of power play within the Empire. As usual with Kadar?, many of the themes and myths recurring in his other novels are evoked here. It is clear that many of his novels are linked to each other in some way or other, each sustaining the next and thus shoring up Kadar??s oeuvre as a whole. One of such themes, treated here in detail, is that of the ?de-nationalization? of a country under the rule of a bigger power. Here Albania is punished for its rebellion with the imposition of the ?cra-cra? rule, the process whereby the people are legally stripped of their traditions, their language, their cultural identity and ultimately their memory. Kadar? makes this metaphor quite obvious to reflect the oppressive press censorship prevailing in Hoxha?s Albania (some characters in the novel are clear substitutes for real people). This novel was completed about the same time when he began writing The Palace of Dreams, and the Palace is mentioned quite a few times in this novel, not least when trying to pick suitable heads to be exposed in the niche of shame with the help of some premonitory dream. The two novels would be best appreciated if read together. ****0

El A?o Negro (The Black Year) (1985) (This novel has not yet been translated into English)

This is a short novella, barely 140 pages long, a tragicomic evocation of a confusingly dark period in the history of Albania. It was written in 1985, the year of dictator Enver Hoxha?s death. We are in 1913, when Albania was obtaining its independence from the Ottoman Empire but undergoing a painful rebirth as a nation. The country is under the rule of the Dutch army and a German prince has been appointed as the future monarch. But the region is also claimed by French, Austrian, and Serbian forces plus an array of partisan groups from different ethnic and religious origins. Meanwhile the sky is circumnavigated by a comet, which serves as metaphoric speculation for the future of the country. The structure of the novel is episodic. It follows the path of a group of Albanese partisans who summon villagers around them to form an informal army under the leadership of a romantic, long-haired bandolier named Shestan Verdha. In the confusing situation created by the many parties involved, these brave soldiers frankly don?t know where to go and who to fight against; all they are certain of is their deep love for their homeland. The middle section of the novel is fed by Kadar? with several subplots, giving voice to other characters such as the unfaithful queen gone paranoid, the Austrian and Italian consuls, a Jewish courtesan who flirts with both of them, Kus Babaj, the homosexual leader of the muslim ?esadist? faction. This is a rich cauldron for the grotesque and Kadar? takes advantage of it, skipping from chapter to chapter with caustic force while including some comic relief. In a hilarious passage, the muslim chief writes a letter to the contender to the throne, offering his complete submission only if the Prince would accept to undergo circumcision. This is a very entertaining novel that I wholeheartedly recommend. ****0


I have another batch of novels by Kadar? waiting on my shelves but I have decided to take a rest for the time being and move on to other things. They say that too much of a good thing is not such a good thing.

[Daniel del Real]

I think the effect of reading Kadar? is cumulative. I would not dare say that any of the books I read so far qualifies as a true masterpiece, yet all of them are excellent and thought provoking.

Totally agree, I've read four Kadare's and haven't found a truly masterpiece but very good novels all of them, not a single bad one. Once you keep on reading him you appreciate his works as a large saga about Alabania.

[DB Cooper]

Never read any Kadare, but today I looked at some of his books online and they sound fascinating. He has a pretty extensive oeuvre, so I would love some suggestions as to what is a great book to start with. Kadare fans chime in! From what I checked out The Palace of Dreams and The Three-Arched Bridge look the most interesting.

[kadare]

I would suggest you The siege ,this is a book everybody who reads Kadare for the first time should start with cause it's easier to understand , the three arched bride is nice too but if you really want to understand Kadare than you should start from his earlier works.

[peter_d]

Never read any Kadare, but today I looked at some of his books online and they sound fascinating. He has a pretty extensive oeuvre, so I would love some suggestions as to what is a great book to start with. Kadare fans chime in! From what I checked out The Palace of Dreams and The Three-Arched Bridge look the most interesting.

For me Kadare is the typical author you like more each time you read one of his books. The Siege would be a good start indeed. But also the file on H. would be ok to begin with. The file on H. is a compelling story about two academic researchers who plan to investigate the tradition of oral epic poetry in the mountainous areas of Northern Albania. In this region historical epics are composed and performed by minstrels as popular entertainment. After a while however strange things start to happen and they come to understand that the tradition is much more than 'just a tradition'. Very much recommended.

It's a shame that viti i mbrapsht? has not been translated in English, it's one of my favorites. I am so lucky that it's available in Dutch tranlsation (as Het Donkere Jaar meaning The Dark Year).

I wouldn't start with the Palace of Dreams. Although it might be among his best, it's not the most easy one to read. I came to appreciate it very much after I re-read it. The atmosphere in this book and also the style, has resemblences with the works of Franz Kafka. Recommended as well, but not as the one to start with.

I hope you will share your experiences with whatever Kadare book you are going to read here, DB Cooper.


I would suggest you The siege ,this is a book everybody who reads Kadare for the first time should start with cause it's easier to understand , the three arched bride is nice too but if you really want to understand Kadare than you should start from his earlier works.

kadare, so nice to see you back out here! Hope you'll share you're knowledge and opinion on Ismail Kadare's work more regularly on this forum.

[kadare]

It's a shame that viti i mbrapsht? has not been translated in English, it's one of my favorites. I am so lucky that it's available in Dutch tranlsation (as Het Donkere Jaar meaning The Dark Year).

When I read Viti i mbrapsht? for the first time I didn't like it , but I liked the writing style. I think the movie is 100 times beter than the original novel.

[Zoti]

When I read Viti i mbrapsht? for the first time I didn't like it , but I liked the writing style. I think the movie is 100 times beter than the original novel.

Do you have any idea if "Qorrfermani" or "Perbindeshi" are translated into English?

[littératuresansfrontières]

I am new here and it is my first post. I read my first and only novel by Kadare six years ago: The concert (Le concert, I read it in French) and I remember finding it very good. The posts here make want to read more of his novels. I will check The siege as it is suggested.

[kadare]

Do you have any idea if "Qorrfermani" or "Perbindeshi" are translated into English?

yes , "qorrfermani" is transled into english and it's called "The blinding order" (Agamemnon's daughter: a novella and ... - Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=kHC0z2yD464C&printsec=frontcover&dq=agamemnon's+daughter&hl=en&ei=WTW8TPuqO4eMswbI__HDDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false))
However Perbindeshi hasn't yet been translated into English

[DB Cooper]

Never read any Kadare, but today I looked at some of his books online and they sound fascinating. He has a pretty extensive oeuvre, so I would love some suggestions as to what is a great book to start with. Kadare fans chime in! From what I checked out The Palace of Dreams and The Three-Arched Bridge look the most interesting.

I posted this almost exactly a year ago. Today I made the plunge with my first Kadare, The Siege.

[Rumpelstilzchen]

Just to mention this also in the main Kadare thread. As Stewart pointed out above most of the English versions of his books are secondary translations from the French. For me this is unacceptable. See here for a discussion about this:
http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol4/issue4/doubletX.htm#kadare
where you can find a link to notes on this topic written by the (re)translator himself:
http://www.complete-review.com/quarterly/vol6/issue2/bellos.htm

[Daniel del Real]

Kadare's Spanish translator, Ramón Sánchez Lizarralde passed away last Sunday at the age of 60. He was one of the most recognized translators from Albanian not only in Spanish language (there was no doubt he was the best) but one of the best to translate Kadare's works in any language. Kadare commented that he considered him a real friend and one of the best two or three translators to Albanian language in the world. Here is the article in Spanish:

http://www.informador.com.mx/cultura/2011/306438/6/ismail-kadare-consternado-por-la-muerte-de-ramon-sanchez-lizarralde.htm

Now the question is, are there any other decent Albanian translators into Spanish? This for sure will affect the way we Spanish readers get in touch with Kadare's ouvre, as we were really privileged to have Sanchez Lizarralde's splendid translators coming directly from the Albanian.

[Stiffelio]

Kadare's Spanish translator, Ramón Sánchez Lizarralde passed away last Sunday at the age of 60. He was one of the most recognized translators from Albanian not only in Spanish language (there was no doubt he was the best) but one of the best to translate Kadare's works in any language. Kadare commented that he considered him a real friend and one of the best two or three translators to Albanian language in the world. Here is the article in Spanish:

http://www.informador.com.mx/cultura/2011/306438/6/ismail-kadare-consternado-por-la-muerte-de-ramon-sanchez-lizarralde.htm

Now the question is, are there any other decent Albanian translators into Spanish? This for sure will affect the way we Spanish readers get in touch with Kadare's ouvre, as we were really privileged to have Sanchez Lizarralde's splendid translators coming directly from the Albanian.


This is very sad news. I didn't know he was ill. He not only was a great translator but a dedicated scholar on Albanian literature in general and Kadaré's work in particular. As you and the article both mention, it is going to be very difficult to find a good direct translator from Albanian to Spanish; we'll have to go via French or Italian.

[Daniel del Real]

This is very sad news. I didn't know he was ill. He not only was a great translator but a dedicated scholar on Albanian literature in general and Kadaré's work in particular. As you and the article both mention, it is going to be very difficult to find a good direct translator from Albanian to Spanish; we'll have to go via French or Italian.

I still haven't found the cause of his decease, there aren't many notes about it and the ones I've found don't mention it. He was not that old so I wander what could have happened.

[Daniel del Real]

Reading the cultural supplement by El País, Babelia, I realized there is a new Kadare translation on a novel titled Noviembre de una Capital. This novel was written in the mid 70's, and it's the first time is being brought to Spanish readers. Now, I'm confused by different reasons:
1.- The novel is published by Galaxia Gutenberg and not by Alianza, which I knew had the rights of every single work by Kadare.
2.- At the beggining of the article, they mention this novel is translated via French translation, but in the foot note the translator is Ramón Sánchez Lizarralde. One of the two lines must be wrong, because if Lizarralde was the translator I'm sure he did it directly from Albanian

Here's the article from Babelia

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/portada/Noviembre/capital/elpepuculbab/20110716elpbabpor_24/Tes

[Stiffelio]

Reading the cultural supplement by El País, Babelia, I realized there is a new Kadare translation on a novel titled Noviembre de una Capital. This novel was written in the mid 70's, and it's the first time is being brought to Spanish readers. Now, I'm confused by different reasons:
1.- The novel is published by Galaxia Gutenberg and not by Alianza, which I knew had the rights of every single work by Kadare.
2.- At the beggining of the article, they mention this novel is translated via French translation, but in the foot note the translator is Ramón Sánchez Lizarralde. One of the two lines must be wrong, because if Lizarralde was the translator I'm sure he did it directly from Albanian

Here's the article from Babelia

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/portada/Noviembre/capital/elpepuculbab/20110716elpbabpor_24/Tes

I'll try to help you delucidate the mystery surrounding the Spanish edition of Noviembre de una Capital.

1. Not every one of Kadaré's books' Spanish edition rights are owned by Alianza. Many, in fact, were published by different independent houses until Alianza must have struck a deal with Fayard from France, who I believe own Kadaré's universal rights as from 1990. Some non-fiction books such as Esquilo and Diario de Kosovo are still published by Siruela. When I first became interested in Kadaré a couple of years ago I went on a frustrating hunt for his books in Buenos Aires book stores. One of the very books available was precisely Noviembre de una Capital, in a hard cover edition published (I've just google-checked) by Metáfora Ediciones. I didn't buy it because it was exorbitantly expensive, so instead I ended up buying other books of his. Below is a link to the Kadaré's page within the Alianza catalogue.

http://www.alianzaeditorial.es/cgi-bin/main.pl

2. In the wonderful introduction by Sánchez Lizarralde to Kadaré's El Palacio de los Sueños (Editorial Cátedra 1999) he includes a detailed bibliography, listed in the order in which the books were published officially by Fayard in France. When he lists Noviembre de una Capital (Nentori i Nje Kryeqyteti, Tirana 1975 rev 1989), he states that up to then there was no Spanish edition. So his translation was obviously done later than 1999. The El País article leads to confusion as to how it was translated. My deduction is that Sánchez Lizarralde translated it directly from the Albanian but he was based on the revised original performed by Kadaré in conjunction with Fayard, which has been the procedure followed with every one of his books after 1990.

Having read the review and the editorial description of Noviembre de una Capital, I realize that the narrated events follow up those depicted in the wonderful Crónica de la Ciudad de Piedra, told from the point of view of a Kadaré-alter ego child.

[Daniel del Real]

You really helped to solve the mistery Stiffelio, thanks. That's what I thought, the book translated from the Albanian under Fayard 1990 procedure, that is almost a rule for all the Sanchez Lizarralde translations.
I also realized that Alianza has the rights for El General del Ejército Muerto. I read that book from my college library and it was an edition by Anaya I think. It is the first time I see it edited by Alianza. It must be a question of time so we can find it in a pocket edition and not the expensive big format.

[Stiffelio]

You really helped to solve the mistery Stiffelio, thanks. That's what I thought, the book translated from the Albanian under Fayard 1990 procedure, that is almost a rule for all the Sanchez Lizarralde translations.
I also realized that Alianza has the rights for El General del Ejército Muerto. I read that book from my college library and it was an edition by Anaya I think. It is the first time I see it edited by Alianza. It must be a question of time so we can find it in a pocket edition and not the expensive big format.

I think Alianza bought the "fondo editorial" from Anaya, Muchnik, Cátedra and many other independent publishers who went out of business.