Ismail Kadare

The Ottoman Army—the most powerful the world had known at that time—lays siege to a Christian fortress in the mountains of Albania. Above the colourful host looms the great dark wall of the citadel that must be overcome. Told partly through the personal narrative of one of the defenders, and partly through the eyes of the Ottoman chronicler Mevla Celebi,...

The new novel from the first winner of the International Man Booker, inspired by three minutes in June 1934 when Joseph Stalin allegedly called Boris Pasternak. A fascinating meditation on Soviet Russia, authoritarianism, power structures, and a period of great writers. LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2024 'Comrade Stalin wishes to speak with you.' A fascinating exploration of the...

On the autobahn in Vienna, a taxi leaves the carriageway and strikes the crash barrier, flinging its male and female passengers out of its back doors as it spins through the air. The driver cannot explain why he lost control; only saying that the mysterious couple in the back seat seemed to be about to kiss... Set against the tumultuous...

The man who is next in line to be the leader of Albania is found shot dead in his bed. Was it suicide or was it murder? Ismail Kadare, one of Europe's finest writers, reshapes recent Balkan history in this wry and witty political parable, his first English offering in some years. The Successor is translated from the French of...

In September 1943, German soldiers advance on the ancient gates of Gjirokaster, Albania. It is the first step in a carefully planned invasion. But once at the mouth of the city, the troops are taken aback by a surprising act of rebellion that leaves the citizens fearful of a bloody counter-attack. Soon rumours circulate, in cafes, houses and alleyways, that...

From 'a novelist of dazzling mastery' (Independent) and the winner of the first ever Man Booker International Prize, The Doll is a novel about creative origin and aspiration, inspired by the author's own mother and his childhood in Albania. Young Ismail's world centres around his mother. Naive and fragile as a paper doll, she is an unlikely presence in her...

The Three-Arched Bridge is a hard-hitting parable about the conflicts that have ravaged the Balkan states, by Albania's most influential novelist. When the construction of a bridge built to link the Balkans to Europe is repeatedly and mysteriously sabotaged, an old ballad starts making the rounds at local taverns. The bards sing of a legend - a woman immured in...