The Fall of the Stone City
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Enigmatic and compelling, The Fall of the Stone City shows Ismail Kadare at the height of his powers.
In September 1943, German soldiers advance on the ancient gates of Gjirokastër, Albania. It is the first step in a carefully planned invasion. But once at the mouth of the city, the troops are taken aback by a surprising act of rebellion that leaves the citizens fearful of a bloody counter-attack.
Soon rumours circulate, in cafes, houses and alleyways, that the Nazi Colonel in command of the German Army was once a school acquaintance of a local dignitary, Doctor Gurameto. In the town square, Colonel von Schwabe greets his former classmate warmly; in return, Doctor Gurameto invites him to dinner. The very next day, the Colonel and his army disappear from the city.
The dinner at Gurameto's house changes the course of events in twentieth-century Europe. But as the citizens celebrate their hero, a conspiracy surfaces which leads some to place Gurameto—and the stone city—at the heart of a plot to undermine Socialism.
Ismail Kadare is Albania's best-known poet and novelist. Translations of his novels, which include The Siege, The Successor, Chronicle in Stone and The Accident, have been published in more than forty countries. In 2005 he became the first winner of the Man Booker International Prize.
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‘One of the most important voices in literature today.’ Metro
‘One of the world’s greatest living writers.’ Simon Sebag Montefiore
‘There are very few writers alive today with the depth, power and resonance of this remarkable novelist.’ Herald
‘The Fall of the Stone City is a Kafkaesque nightmare, an incredibly powerful tale of historical drama and human tragedy. Lovers of great literature should feast on a book like this, devouring the story and despairing when there are simply no more pages to turn.’ Weekend Bookworm, ABC Radio Brisbane
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In his latest novel, Kadare (The Ghost Rider) features many of his motifs bloody Balkan histories; bleak totalitarianism lives under silky threads of magical realism that have made him a perpetual shortlister for Noble Prize laureate. This novel, set in the isolated Albanian city of Gjirokast r, covers roughly 10 tumultuous years, encompassing the Italian withdrawal and subsequent German invasion during WWII. Always aware of this historical backdrop, Kadare considers its impact on private lives. The mystery preoccupying both the city and novel centers around events of September 16, 1943, a night when "Big Dr Gurameto" hosted a dinner for Col. Fritz von Schwabe, commander of the first German division to enter Albania and old friend of Gurameto's from their college days. That party, resulting in the unexpected release of hostages held by the Germans, remains shrouded in inscrutability until Gurameto is made to account for his actions when the country's new Communist leaders force a reckoning after the war. The answer doesn't explain the circumstances of September 16 so much as shine a light on the impossibilities of negotiating the relentless press of history. A thoughtful exploration of the colluding forces of fascism and communism and a country caught between them that is at once obscure and enigmatic, lucid and insistent.
