Renowned Albanian writer Ismail Kadere passes away at age 88

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Renowned Albanian writer Ismail Kadere passed away in the capital Tirana, public broadcaster RTSH reported on Monday. He was 88.

Born on Jan. 28, 1936, in the Albanian kingdom’s southern city of Gjirokaster, Kadere was a prolific novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright and staunch opponent of totalitarianism, particularly of Albania’s harsh communist regime, which lasted from 1946 to 1991.

Having been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 15 times, Kadere was best known for his works The General of the Dead Army, The Siege, The Palace of Dreams, The Great Winter, and Chronicle of Stone, among others.

Kadere, whose works were translated into some 45 languages, was the best-known global representative of Albanian literature.