o in ”'
HIS MOST CONTROVERSIAL
WORK HAD TO BE SMUGGLED
OUT OF ALBANIA
Having secured the first Man Booker International Prize, radical Albanian author ISMAIL KADARE enthrals Allan Radcliffe and a new generation of readers.
ost of us would struggle to get out of the starting blocks in a competitive game of ‘Name Five Famous Albanians‘. In a country better known for a century of warfare and political upheaval. an exiled writer. Istnail Kadare. is currently the only literary figure to hail from that slice of the Adriatic coast to enjoy international renown. The poet and novelist‘s cache was significantly advanced earlier this year when he scooped the inaugural Man Booker International
Prize for his startling body of work. beating off
competition from such literary heavyweights as Margaret Atwood. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Muriel Spark in the process.
Currently very much in the international spotlight. Kadare‘s career has been dramatically transformed since the mid-80s when his most controversial work — which was highly critical of his country‘s brutal
communist regime — had to be smuggled out of
Albania and hoarded by his French publisher Iiditions Fayard. Prior to that. political allegories such as The Palace of Dreams. which focuses on ()ttoman totalitarianism. had barely squeaked past the censors in his native land while chiming a note of dissent with his discontented readers.
In the light of his Booker glory. publishers are queuing tip to re-release translations of Kadare‘s‘ classic works with Canongate securing the rights to his most recent novel. The .S'tu'r'msor is a thinly veiled fictionalisation of the events of a cold December night in 1981 when Mehmet Shehu. the designated
heir to Albania‘s radical communist tyrant Enver
Hoxha. died of a gunshot wound. While the Albanian media reported his death as suicide following a nervous breakdown. speculation has never ceased
28 1115 LIST 5—19 Jan 2006
over whether Shehu was actually murdered by government agents for being critical of lloxha‘s determined isolationism from the West.
Kadare's novel is on one level a locked-room mystery. the author leading tis through the investigations of various interested parties into what actually happened in Shehu‘s bedroom. from the conjecture of foreign intelligence agencies through the fears and confttsion of the politicians inner circle. In the linal chapter we are given a startling insight into Shehu‘s own recollections from beyond the grave. Kadare‘s intriguing depiction of his family life has been bolstered by interviews with Shehu‘s youngest son who was arrested. while his daughter is twice thwarted in love at her father’s insistence for fear of damaging his political ambitions.
As an introduction to Kadare‘s oeuvre. 'I‘lit' .S'ut'r‘r'ssur is a challenging read. As the book opens with a laser-sharp guided tour of Albania‘s history. mythology and erratic relations with the wider world. readers are made to wait for the human story at the heart of the novel. This is ironic from an author who was the first to directly appeal to the hearts of young Albanian readers. Also frustrating is the translation. which contains some eccentric word order. rambling sentences and stilted dialogue.
On balance. though. Is'adare‘s’ novel remains a rich exploration of the ways in which ambitious politicians subsume their humanity for the sake of their careers. mingling history. politics and imagination to provide a rare insight into the ruthlessness and oppression of communist Albania.
The Successor is published by Canongate on Thu 12 Jan.
5‘: lsmail Kadare The best
writer in the world ever (according to the Man Booker folk) shows us what he’s made of with The Successor. See preview. Canongate.
4‘- Rick Moody When you hear the phrase ‘TV satire' you're more likely to think about daytime drivel or rank reality but in Moody's eyes. this means having a pop at those US drama shows we have grown to love. See review. Faber.
I-it Kate Pullinger Ali Smith, Patricia Duncker and our humble reviewer are keen as mustard on A Little Stranger, a gripping expose by Pullinger (pictured) of the problems of nuclear families in this day and age. See review. Serpent's Tail. ‘i~'i Norah and William Montgomerie Subtitled ‘The Well at the World's End and Other Stories'. this updated version of The Folk Tales of Scotland from the mid-SOs is a treat to while away the late wintry nights. See review. Mercat Press.
Roanne Bell and Mark Sinclair Offering a highly intelligent view of international comics people, Bell and Sinclair give us Pictures and Words: New Comic Art and Narrative Illustration. See review. Laurence King.
:11 A Series of Burns Celebrations Many aspects of the Scottish Bard's work are examined in some events to hail the guy and his genius. Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Sat 74 Jan. :3: Big Word New Year Slam If you have a rhyme or two to share with fellow slammers. Your opportunity may be about to knock. The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Thu 79 Jan.