In a seamless mosaic of dreams and games, Kadare's young narrator both reflects and distorts events as his ancient, magical home town - and his own innocence and sense of wonder - are lost forever in the madness and brutality of the Second World War. A disturbing mix of tragedy, comedy, politics and[...]

From the moment that Gjorg's brother is killed by a neighbour, his own life is forfeit: for the Kanun, the code of the blood feud that operates in the Albanian mountains, requires Gjorg to kill his brother's murderer and in turn to become an outcast to be hunted down by the new victim's family.[...]

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 a castle wall to prevent it from falling. Some say the bridge is being damaged by l[...]

It's 28 June 1389, the Field of the Blackbirds. A Christian army made up of Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians and Romanians confront an Ottoman army. In ten hours the battle is over, and the Muslims possess the field; an outcome that has haunted the vanquished ever since. 28 June 1989, the Serb Leader Slob[...]

In a medieval Albanian town, two women, mother and daughter, are on their deathbed. Three years have passed since Doruntine married a foreigner and went off with him to his home far to the west in Bohemia. During those years there had been no communication with her. War broke out, and of her nine br[...]

The mysterious Palace of Dreams stands at the heart of a vast but fragile Balkan empire. Inside, workers assiduously sift, sort, classify, and ultimately interpret the dreams of the empire's citizens. The workers search out Master-Dreams that will provide clues to the destiny of the empire and its S[...]

In a small town at the foot of the northern highlands in Albania, a decade after the fall of the Communist regime, the harsh blood-for-blood law of the fearsome "Kanun" mountain folk is emerging from hibernation, like everything else that was forbidden under the fifty years of Communist rule. Myster[...]

Egypt in the twenty-sixth century BC. The young pharaoh Cheops wants to forgo the construction of a pyramid in his honor, but his court sages hasten to persuade him otherwise. The pyramid, they tell him, is not a tomb but a paradox, designed to appease the masses by oppressing them. It is a symbol o[...]

The mysterious palace of dreams stands at the heart of a vast empire. Inside, workers sift, sort, and interpret the dreams the empire's citizens. They search out Master-Dreams that will provide clues to the destiny of the empire and its Sultan.
Mark-Alem, scion of a noble family that has provide[...]

In a seamless mosaic of dreams and games, the author's young narrator both reflects and distorts events as his ancient, magical home town and his own innocence and sense of wonder are lost forever in the madness and brutality of the Second World War. This title covers a mix of tragedy, comedy, polit[...]

Why did the taxi crash on the autobahn in Vienna? Who exactly were Besfort Y and Rovena, the mysterious couple who died after being flung from the back seat? How was Besfort connected to the war in the Balkans? And why was his affair with Rovena clouded in jealousy and mistrust? Who wanted them d[...]

This novel serves as a parable on the conflicts that ravage the Balkan states, with the monk Gjon, 14th-century chronicler, revealing the story behind the building of a bridge.[...]