Ismail Kadare is perhaps the most famous Albanian author and was recommended to me by an Albanian friend of a friend. Broken April was one of two books he suggested I start with and I'm pretty much always open to a book recommendation.

Written in 1978, Broken April takes place in the 1930s in the remote, mountainous regions of Albania where the people are ruled by the ( )

Kadare looks into the strange world of the High Plateau in the north of Albania, described by one of his characters as the only place which, while being part of a modern European state, has rejected the idea of a modern legal system and adopted a quasi-feudal code, the Kanun, which regulates every aspect of life, but whose most distinctive and destructive component is the blood-feud.

The story, set at some unspecified moment in the 20th century, probably around the 1920s, follows a man called Gjorg, who has just, reluctantly, performed the killing that is required of him by custom. He now has an agreed truce-period of thirty days before the designated member of the dead man's family will be allowed to shoot him in turn. Crossing Gjorg's path during this time are a writer from the big city, honeymooning in the "romantic" mountains with his new wife; an expert on Kanun-law, the judge Ali Binak, who travels the country settling disputes; and the Steward of the Blood, the man who is responsible for collecting the murder-tax that is the main source of income of the ruling prince of the region. Each gives us a slightly different perspective on the craziness of the system where feuds can never end until all the men of one or other of the contending families are wiped out, and on the people who have an interest in keeping this system alive.

Concise, clear-sighted, and very strange. ( )

I suspect I would have liked Ismail Kadare's novel "Broken April" even more if I hadn't (completely coincidentally) recently borrowed the movie "The Forgiveness of Blood" which has a very similar story.

This novel focus on a blood feud between two Albanian families -- they trade killings between the two families to rectify a perceived slight from years and years ago. All of this follows very strictly rules laid out called the Kanun. I can't quite understand why cemeteries filled with young bodies is helping to resolve the situation, but neither can our protagonist Gjorg, who is the lastest in his line to kill and is now waiting to be killed in return.

An interesting story overall. ( )

I have a confession to make about this book, particularly with the way I selected it. I pulled up my Around the World Marathon thread to see how few countries I have managed to tick off. When I did this I remembered picking Argentina last because I felt compelled to tick another country off the list. This time I decided "why not pick the first country on the list I haven't completed yet?" I have read Afghanistan so the next country is Albania. Now, it turns out that finding books translated into English from Albanian and readily available proved harder than I thought it would. Finally I settled on a Kindle download of Broken April by Ismail Kadare.A few other option did present themselves but this was a combination of not being too long and also not being published before the 1900's that made this book the winner.

The story revolves around a code called Kanun which basically says that if a member of your family is murdered, after a brief truce you are allowed and duty bound to avenge the death by taking a life of a person from the family of the murderer. The killings must be done in adherence with the Kanun and a truce of 30 days is observed in the period immediately after the murder. Certain areas are considered sanctuaries in which killing cannot take place, these are special roads and stone towers which contain many men hiding out because they are hunted men.

If this all sounds a bit macabre, it is. However, despite this, the code makes a certain sense even though it has lead to blood being spilled on a regular and destroying entire families. The main character Gjorg has attempted once already to avenge the death of his brother but he only succeeded in injuring the man. This injury incurs a fine which has almost bankrupted his family. This coupled with the shame of not having yet killed his brothers murderer means that he has to complete this grisly task as soon as possible. Gjorg completes this mission and enters his 30 day period of truce and we follow him as he meditates on what he has done.

At the same time a couple on their honeymoon is traveling from the city into the mountainous area and they come across the varying aspects of the Kanun code being carried out. The couple often discuss the rules of the code and what it must be like to live following this code. Being from the city they seem very interested and almost respectful of the rules even if they result in continuous bloodshed. There is a vast contrast between their heavily decorated opulent carriage and the mountain men of the region. Although the are involved in certain aspects of the Kanun being carried out they remain outsiders looking in. The wife feels drawn to Gjorg despite only having seen him in passing, Gjorg also finds himself drawn to her and spends his truce trying to find her.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as must as I did and it isn't something that I would have probably would have read without doing the challenge. If you are doing to challenge and are struggling with Albania then seek this one out. The writing is deliciously dark and the atmosphere reminded me of Snow by Orhan Pamuk. ( )

I shkruar më 1978 dhe i botuar fillimisht më 1980 në një përmbledhje tregimesh e novelash, të titulluar "Gjakftohtësia", "Prilli i thyer" e pa dritën e botimit si libër më vete shumë vite më pas, pas rënies së komunizmit. I vetmi roman në qendër të të cilit shtjellohen ngjarje që lidhen me kodin zakonor shqiptar, një nga shenjat identifikuese më të moçme e të dallueshme të kombit, kjo vepër është një ndër më të njohurat e Kadaresë në planin botëror. "Prilli i thyer" është ekranizuar për film artistik tri herë. Versioni i parë ka qenë shqiptar, i dyti francez dhe i treti brazilian. Duke lexuar "Prillin e thyer" kuptohet lehtësisht përse dhe me çfarë force Ismail Kadare është pasionuar për tragjedinë dhe për dy përfaqësuesit më të shquar të saj, Shekspirin dhe Eskilin. "Miku, besa dhe gjakmarrja janë rrotat e mekanizmit të tragjedisë antike, dhe të futesh në mekanizmin e tyre është të shikosh mundësinë e tragjedisë". Në rrafshnaltën ku udhëtojnë Besian Vorpsi dhe gruaja e tij kjo mundësi është një realitet shumëshekullor. Kadare e ka vendosur kuadrin e romanit të tij në krahinën e Mirditës, një rrafshnaltë e izoluar nga pjesa tjetër e vendit, pa rrugë të denja për këtë emër, dhe bastion katolik e tradicionalist. Këtu, në këtë atelie të tragjedisë shkrimtari ka përqendruar karakteristikat e kanunit (domethënë canon, e drejta zakonore) të shumë krahinave të veriut e të lindjes, të marra nga përshtypjet e mbledhura gjatë qëndrimit të tij në veri, në fund të viteve '70. Kështu, personazhi i Ali Binakut është huajtur nga realiteti: Binak Aliu, që është emri i tij i vërtetë, ishte një nga figurat e shquara të Verilindjes së Shqipërisë në fund të shekullit XIX. Meqenëse ne kemi të bëjmë me një kanun të ngjeshur, të pasuruar, tragjedia ka të gjitha mjetet e mundshme për t'u shprehur. Romani ilustron nenet më të shquara zakonore të këtij kanuni të tmerrshëm.