The traitor's niche
Kadare, Ismail2018
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Set in 1822, during the Ottoman occupation of Albania, this is a story of resistance. The 'Corner of Shame' is in the central square in Constantinople, where the emperor displays the heads of rebels against the state. The governor of Albania is awaiting this fate. A cultivated leader, fervent nationalist, ally of Napoleon and the English, he was also violent, cruel and personally ambitious. Eventually he alienated his people and was captured by the Turkish army and decapitated. This is the story of the journey of his decapitated head as it is transported across the Ottoman empire. The fable takes a fantastical turn: Tundj Hata who is transporting the head organises macabre spectacles in the villages they pass through, and performs the rituals to preserve the trophy head.
Main title:
The traitor's niche / Ismail Kadare ; translated from the Albanian by John Hodgson.
Author:
Kadare, Ismail, authorHodgson, John, 1951-, translator
Imprint:
London : Vintage, 2018.
Collation:
199 pages ; 20 cm.
Series title:
ISBN:
9781784873202 (pbk)
Dewey class:
891.9'913H
Local class:
FICF
Language:
EnglishAlbanian
Added title:
Subject:
BRN:
2154964
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