TIRANA, July 1 /ATA/ The giant of Albanian literature, Ismail Kadare, passed away on Monday.
The prominent Albanian writer, inside and outside Albania, was 88 years old.
Kadare was born on January 28, 1936 in the Palorto neighborhood of Gjirokastra. He found his true vocation for literature at an early age.
In 1963, he published his novel “The General of the Dead Army”, which resonated even beyond the country. The theme of the freedom-loving nature of the Albanians in this work, would be the main theme of the novel “Castle”, published in 1970. In this vein, the author was also inspired to write the novel “Wedding procession turned to ice,” which narrates the 1981 demonstrations of Kosovo Albanians.
Another acclaimed novel was “Chronicle in Stone” (1970). In the string of consecutive publications, the allegorical novel “The Palace of Dreams” (1981), stands out in the entirety of Kadare’s work. In the fall of 1990, Kadare left for France and returned to his homeland after the first democratic developments.
Since 1996, the Albanian writer is an associate member (for life) of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. He has been awarded a number of international prizes (“Man Booker Prize”, “Prince of Asturias”, etc.), as selected among world-renowned writers, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Günter Grass and Milan Kundera. Until now, his works have been translated into about 45 languages of the world.
Kadare has been awarded by President of the Republic of Albania with the “Honor of the Nation” Order, by the French state with the “Cross of the Legion of Honor” and “Officer of the Legion of Honor” orders, and by the King of Spain with the “Prince of Asturias.”
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