15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Historical Allegory of a Country at War with Itself, May 11, 2009
This review is from: The Siege (Hardcover)
The fact that no reviews have yet been posted to Amazon for THE SIEGE more than three months after its hardcover release is testimony to the misfortune that American readers have not yet discovered Ismail Kadare and his remarkable body of work. Mr. Kadare, often rumored (and deservedly so) as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, is an Albanian whose subject matter is, loosely speaking, Albanian history. However, his work merely uses that history to explore universal themes and (more than occasionally) satirize the foibles and ineffectualities of autocrat government. In that respect, Kadare might be seen as a disciple or descendant of Franz Kafka, although Kadare's works are more firmly, if sometimes fabulously, rooted in Balkan, Albanian, and Ottoman history.
Written in 1970 and first published as "The Castle," THE SIEGE tells the story of a fifteenth century invasion of Albania by the Ottoman Turks under the leadership of Ugurlu Tursun Pasha. At the Albanian border, the Pasha is confronted by a citadel that he must take to begin his conquest of this Eastern fringe of Europe. The fortress appears to be protected by George Castrioti, a real historical figure known as Skanderbeg who died in 1468 but is often credited as having stemmed the advance of the Ottoman Turks into Western Europe.
Skanderbeg is an important figure in Kadare's book, but we never see or meet him. Instead, the author has chosen to tell his story almost exclusively from the Turkish side, making the citadel as impenetrable and unknown to the reader as it appears to the Pasha and Skanderbeg as ghostly a force for the reader as the Ottoman army perceives him to be. Kadare delivers events primarily through the viewpoint of one Mevla Celebi, an historian and seemingly witless and ineffectual writer who has accompanied the Pasha in order to chronicle the events of his glorious triumph over the Albanians and their fortress. In most respects, Celebi is as clueless as to the siege events around him as the regular soldiers are, reinforcing the notion (doubtless reminiscent of modern Albania) that history is not about facts but propaganda, creating a suitable reality that will become official history.
Kadare uses lengthy chapters to describe the siege events from the Turks' standpoint, and he intersperses these with very short commentaries from someone on the Albanian side who appears to be a cleric. What makes the author's approach even more interesting is that this story of a military siege is related, from the Turkish side, exclusively through the eyes of non-military figures rather than the captains or generals. Thus, the important players in THE SIEGE are the chronicler Celebi, the unnamed Quartermaster General, the engineer Saruxha, the archtect Giaour, the blind poet Sadedin, the doctor Sirri Selim, and the Pasha's harem women.
As the siege progresses, Kadare's story takes a fascinating turn in which both the invader and the invaded can be seen as representing the same thing: Albania. On the one side, those inside the fortress heroically and cleverly defend their country from the Ottoman intrusion, upholding the honor of Albania. However, on the Turkish side, difficulties in the siege spawn a series of show trials, summary executions, banishments, punishments that are effectively death sentences, and unseemly political jostling for power and influence coupled with efforts at blame avoidance among the Pasha's subordinates. The autocratic (but moderately sympathetic) Pasha might perhaps be seen as Albania's long-time dictator Enver Hoxha. Regardless, Kadare's setup effectively pits Albania at war with itself, using ever more devastating technology (symbolized here by engineer Saruxha's remarkable cannons).
THE SIEGE, as with much of Kadare's writing, offers its worldview in allegorical form, packaged as a fascinating, eminently readable tale of assault on a well-fortified and well-manned castle. As such, it joins an admirable portfolio of Kadare's works now translated into English, including THE SUCCESSOR, THE PYRAMID, THE PALACE OF DREAMS, THE THREE-ARCHED BRIDGE, THE FILE ON H., THE GENERAL OF THE DEAD ARMY, and CHRONICLE IN STONE. Thankfully, these translations insure a rich body of work available in English when that Nobel-winning day finally arrives.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding as Both Historical Fiction and Allegory, October 1, 2009
This review is from: The Siege (Hardcover)
Originally published in Albania in 1970, and then translated into French in the mid-90s, this excellent novel has finally made it into English. It tells the story of a fictional 15th-century siege of an Albanian castle by an Ottoman army. The details of this appear to be largely drawn from accounts of the 1474 siege of Shkoder, as well as the exploits of
Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (aka The Dragon of Albania), who led the resistance to the Ottomans for about twenty years, until his death in 1468.
The siege is mainly told from the Ottoman perspective, as we are taken into the Pasha's tent for discussions of strategy, wander around the camp with the hapless scribe/historian sent to chronicle the impending great victory, and listen to the monologues of the quartermaster who has to keep the siege logistically afloat. There are also occasional brief interludes written from the perspective of the Christian defenders trying to conserve their water until the arrival of the rainy season that would effectively save them.
The mechanics and psychology of the siege are wonderfully brought to life, as the Ottomans struggle to bring their superior manpower and technology to bear in an effective manner. In that sense, it's a gripping, effective, and often bloody, work of historical fiction which will appeal to fans of that genre. At the same time, the story appears to function as allegory for the plight of Soviet-dominated Albania during the Cold War. The Ottoman army -- cowering under an absolute ruler abetted by a pervasive secret police, riven by internal factions (warlords, mystics, technocrats, etc.), and subject to show-trials and cruel and unusual punishments -- bears striking similarities to Albania under the rule of Enver Hoxha. Meanwhile, the castle's desperate defenders take on the role of freedom-loving intelligentsia within that same society. The symbolism is stark, since history tells us that the Ottoman Empire does eventually conquer Albania, and the castle does fall.
The translation is very good, as the camp comes alive on every page, and the battle scenes resound off the page. But it's to Kadare's immense credit that the story remains gripping while conveying its densely layered message. Well worth reading if you have any interest in the Ottoman Empire, Albania, military history, or simply excellent world literature.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Book About Medieval Nation Building, July 3, 2009
This review is from: The Siege (Hardcover)
In the Seige, Kadare writes a disconcertingly modern and exquisitely detailed account of medieval warfare and nation-building. Most of the book focuses on the Ottoman Turks' command as they encircle a medieval Albanian fortress and, over a long and frustrating summer, fail to breach the walls. There are interstitial passages between the chapters giving a glimpse of the thoughts of the Albanians within during the seige. The parallels between medieval and modern nations and conflicts lie constantly under the surface.
This may be the most overtly politicized Kadare that I have read. It was first written in Albania at the height of Hoxsa's regime, and then subsequently rewritten and rereleased in Paris. This translation is of the later French version. Kadare's messages are playfully ambiguous; the entire heroic drama of the Albanian stand plays out in the shadow of what we know to be the ultimate Turkish conquest, and Kadare reminds the reader continually during the book that it is only a question of whether this army or the next brings the fortress down.
A wonderful book, and as good a fictional version of the Ottoman period in the Balkans as
The Bridge on the Drina (Phoenix Fiction Series).
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