Synopses & Reviews
China is somehow involved with the increasingly desperate situation in Albania, but no one knows the extent of its secret alliances, political levers, and economic control. Skënder Bermema is sent to China on a fact-finding mission, and is confronted with the reality of Maos China, a nation intent on crushing individuality, independence, and creativity.
The intriguing promise of a mysterious gala concert is where the hand-picked foreign invitees expect to be able to decipher in the colors, figures, and gestures of the Chinese actors a message about Chinas intentions. And no matter what any of them may be expecting, the message is shocking beyond their wildest imaginations.
Review
"One of the most compelling novelists now writing in any language." The Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
Under communism, foreign relations between a smaller country and the huge country that serves as its "host" affect the day-to-day lives of many individuals, especially in the smaller country.
About the Author
Ismail Kadare is the winner of the inaugural Man Booker International Prize, and is acclaimed worldwide as one of the most important writers of our time. Translations of his novels have been published in more than forty countries. He divides his time between Paris, France, and Tirana, Albania.
Barbara Bray has twice won the Scott Moncrief Prize for her translations, as well as the French-American Foundation Prize. She has collaborated with Harold Pinter and Joseph Losey on a film adaptation of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. She passed away in 2010.