Ismail Kadaré

Author profile

born

in Gjirokastër, Albania

January 28, 1936

gender

male

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

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Ismail Kadare was born in 1936 in Gjirokastër, in the south of Albania. His education included studies at the University of Tirana and then the Gorky Institute for World Literature in Moscow, a training school for writers and critics.

In 1960 Kadare returned to Albania after the country broke ties with the Soviet Union, and he became a journalist and published his first poems.

His first novel, The General of the Dead Army, sprang from a short story, and its success established his name in Albania and enabled Kadare to become a full-time writer.

Kadare's novels draw on Balkan history and legends. They are obliquely ironic as a result of trying to withstand political scrutiny. Among his best known books are Chronicle in Stone (1977), Broken Apr...more

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Ismail Kadaré's Books

Average rating: 3.77 · 5,892 ratings · 633 reviews · 98 distinct works · Similar authors

	Broken April 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 740 ratings — published 1978 — 30 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Palace of Dreams 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 614 ratings — published 1981 — 26 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The General of the Dead Army 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 589 ratings — published 1949 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chronicle in Stone 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 564 ratings — published 1971 — 20 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadaré, John Hodgson (Translator) 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 292 ratings — published 1978 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The File on H by Ismail Kadaré, David Bellos (Translator), Jusuf Vrioni (Translator) 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 297 ratings — published 1981 — 14 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Successor by Ismail Kadaré, David Bellos (Translator) 3.37 of 5 stars 3.37 avg rating — 280 ratings — published 2000 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spring Flowers, Spring Frost 3.28 of 5 stars 3.28 avg rating — 274 ratings — published 2000 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Siege by Ismail Kadaré, David Bellos (Translator) 3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 279 ratings — published 1970 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Doruntine 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 172 ratings — published 1979 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Ismail Kadaré

“It was only a phrase that went from mouth to mouth and was never quite swallowed.”
― Ismail Kadaré, Broken April

28 people liked it

“And everything would be different, different.”
― Ismail Kadaré, Broken April

22 people liked it

“To tell the truth, this was one of the few cases in which she had not told him just what she was thinking. Usually, she let him know whatever thoughts happened to come to her, and indeed he never took it amiss if she let slip a word that might pain him, because when all was said and done that was the price one paid for sincerity.”
― Ismail Kadaré, Broken April

20 people liked it

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