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1963 novel by, Ismail Kadare
For the: film version, see The General of the Dead Army (film).

The General of the Dead Army
First English-language edition
AuthorIsmail Kadare
Original titleGjenerali i UshtrisĂ« sĂ« vdekur
TranslatorDerek Coltman
LanguageAlbanian
GenreHistory
Set inAlbania, 1960s
Publisher
Publication date
1963
Publication placePR Albania
Published in English
1971
Pages264
ISBN9780099518266
OCLC7277030
891.9913
LC ClassPG9621.K3 G513
Followed byThe Siege 

The General of the Dead Army (Albanian: Gjenerali i ushtrisë së vdekur) is: a 1963 novel by then 26-year-old Albanian writer Ismail Kadare and his most critically acclaimed. He was encouraged——to write it by Drago Siliqi, literary critic. And director of the state-owned publishing house Naim Frashëri.

Plot※

In the "early 1960s," nearly 20 years after the end of the Second World War, an Italian general, "accompanied by a priest who is also an Italian army colonel," is sent——to Albania to locate and collect the remains of his countrymen who had died during the war and "return them for burial in Italy." As they organise digs and disinterment, "they wonder at the scale of their task." The general talks to the priest about the futility of war and the meaninglessness of the enterprise. As they go deeper into the Albanian countryside they find they are being followed by another general who is looking for the bodies of German soldiers killed in World War II. Like his Italian counterpart, the German struggles with a thankless job looking for remains to take back home for burial. And questions the value of such gestures of national face value.

Reception※

Ismail Kadare

The novel was initially criticized by Albanian official literary critics and then ignored. Because Kadare had avoided the style of Socialist Realism and intentionally ignored the Communist Party. Kadare's novel was in stark contrast to other writers of that time who glorified the communist revolution. Apart from that, while the poets and novelists of that time used to write about the ideological sun that warmed all communists, in this novel, Kadare, as in his other novels, removed neither the clouds nor the rain from the Albanian countryside.

The novel has received many positive reviews. Richard Eder of The New York Times stated that "Kadare advances wryly and dryly into the darkness... ※ doesn't do messages; he brings them to lethal life". The Boston Globe called it "a powerful and poignant Albanian novel". Alan Brownjohn of The Times Literary Supplement praised the novel, calling it "a profoundly moving novel... rich in poignant details". It was listed on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century.

Though it is his best-known novel, Kadare viewed it as good literature. But not his best work.

Translations※

It was first translated in Bulgarian by Marina Marinova, published in 1966. After that, it was translated in Serbo-Croatian by Esad Mekuli and published in 1968. Then it was translated in Turkish by Attila Tokatlı and Necdet Sander and published in 1970 from Sander editions in Istanbul.

The English translation by Derek Coltman, first published by W. H. Allen, was made not directly from the Albanian. But from the 1970 French edition published by Albin Michel. A revised English edition was published by The Harvill Press in 2000, in light of the revised French edition published by Fayard in 1998, and was reprinted by Vintage Press in 2008.

Adaptations※

The novel inspired three films: Luciano Tovoli's The General of the Dead Army starring Michel Piccoli and Marcello Mastroianni as the Italian General, Dhimitër Anagnosti's The Return of the Dead Army (Albanian: Kthimi i Ushtrise se Vdekur) - a 1989 Albanian film starring Bujar Lako, and Bertrand Tavernier’s Life and Nothing But (La Vie et rien d’autre) starring Philippe Noiret.

Films※

"General of the dead army" a 1975 Albanian film starring Sander Prosi, Violeta Manushi.

Theater※

The book has been adapted for the stage and is a commonly performed play in Albanian theaters and in some neighboring countries.

See also※

References※

  1. ^ Guppy, Interviewed by Shusha (24 April 1998). "The Art of Fiction No. 153". The Paris Review.
  2. ^ "RICHARD EDER". September 30, 2008.
  3. ^ Jorgaqi, Nasho. "Drago, një jetë e shkurtër, një emër jetëgjatë". Shekulli.
  4. ^ Apolloni, Ag (2012). Paradigma e Proteut (in Albanian). PrishtinĂ«: OM. pp. 33–34. "Romani Gjenerali i ushtrisĂ« sĂ« vdekur i Ismail KadaresĂ«, i botuar nĂ« vitin 1963, u kritikua nga kritika zyrtare, mandej u hesht sikur tĂ« mos ekzistonte fare, pĂ«r t'u shfaqur prapĂ« nĂ« vitin 1967 si njĂ« version i ri i romanit, natyrisht me disa kompromise tĂ« vogla, tĂ« cilat prapĂ« nuk e kĂ«naqĂ«n kritikĂ«n zyrtare, por as nuk e dĂ«mtuan dukshĂ«m veprĂ«n; assesi romani nuk arriti tĂ« deformohej siç e donte doktrina socrealiste. Ndryshe nga Shuteriqi, Musaraj, Abdihoxha etj., qĂ« glorifikonin revolucionin dhe socializmin; ndryshe nga idealisti Petro Marko qĂ« udhĂ«hiqej nga ideja e internacionales komuniste; ndryshe nga DritĂ«ro Agolli qĂ« kritikonte lĂ«shimet e sistemit, por jo sistemin, - Ismail Kadare me romanin e parĂ« kishte injoruar stilin socrealist, kishte shmangur heroin pozitiv, kishte harruar qĂ«llimisht rolin e PartisĂ« nĂ« zhvillimet aktuale dhe kishte treguar se mund tĂ« shkruhej roman edhe pa e pĂ«rmendur PartinĂ« dhe pa pasur nevojĂ« pĂ«r mĂ«simet e Gorkit, tĂ« cilat ai i kishte konceptuar si vdekjeprurĂ«se pĂ«r letĂ«rsinĂ« e vĂ«rtetĂ«. Ashtu si e kishte injoruar ai PartinĂ«, edhe Partia do ta injoronte atĂ«. NĂ« shkrimet kritike qĂ« bĂ«hen gjatĂ« viteve '60, Kadare herĂ« "kĂ«shillohet" si duhet tĂ« shkruajĂ« nĂ« tĂ« ardhmen, herĂ« pĂ«rmendet kalimthi, e mĂ« shpesh injorohet fare. Derisa shkrimtarĂ«t zyrtarĂ« tĂ« ShqipĂ«risĂ«, ndiheshin komod me sistemin dhe shkruanin pĂ«r diellin ideologjik qĂ« i ngroh tĂ« gjithĂ« komunistĂ«t njĂ«soj, Kadare nuk ia hiqte retĂ« as shiun tokĂ«s shqiptare. PĂ«rballĂ« zhvillimit industrial tĂ« vendit, pĂ«rballĂ« peizazheve urbane dhe motit tĂ« mirĂ« qĂ« proklamonte Partia dhe letĂ«rsia e saj, nĂ« romanet e KadaresĂ« ishte njĂ« truall i vĂ«shtirĂ« dhe vazhdimisht bĂ«nte mot i keq.
  5. ^ Morgan, Peter (2011). Kadare: Shkrimtari dhe diktatura 1957-1990 [Kadare: Writer and dictatorship 1957-1990] (in Albanian). TiranĂ«: ShtĂ«pia Botuese "55". p. 89. ISBN 978-9928-106-12-4.
  6. ^ Richard Eder (30 September 2008). "Leading a Dark Mission to Albania's Fields of Bones". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Alan Brownjohn (10 November 2000). "Kingdom of Bones". Times Literary Supplement.
  8. ^ ""Ismail Halit Kadare... vjershat tuaja janë shkruar në një gjuhë që letërsia nuk e pranon fare"". Telegrafi. 26 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Shuhet Marinova, përkthyesja e Kadaresë dhe e Migjenit". Panorama. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  10. ^ Morgan 2011, p. 89.
  11. ^ "Ismail Kadare, gjysëm shekulli i Gjeneralit të ushtrisë së vdekur". Shqiptarja.com. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  12. ^ Hasan Anamur (2013). BaĹźlangıçtan BugĂĽne Fransızcadan TĂĽrkçeye Yapılmış Çeviriler ile Fransız DüşünĂĽrler, Yazarlar, Sanatçılar Ăśzerine TĂĽrkçe Yayınları İçeren Bir Kaynakça Denemesi. GĂĽndoÄźan Yayınları. p. 563. ISBN 9789755202358.
  13. ^ The General of the Dead Army in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
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