The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadare

Sometimes the best stories are those that are told simply, without flash or Hollywood-style suspense. The Three-Arched Bridge is that kind of story. It’s told in the form of a chronicle, narrated by a medieval Christian monk named Gjon. I, THE MONK GJON, the sonne of Gjorg Ukcama, knowynge that ther is no thynge wryttene in owre tonge about the Brigge of the Ujana e … Continue reading The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadare

Embedded with the Ottomans - THE SIEGE by Ismail Kadare

The Siege is a translation to the n-th degree. Written in Albanian in 1970, translated into French in 1994, and from the French into English in 2008. It’s like a game of telephone and I can’t help wondering how much was changed with each retelling. Is the book that won the first Man Booker International Prize still the same book that the author intended it … Continue reading Embedded with the Ottomans - THE SIEGE by Ismail Kadare