The Palace Of Dreams (Vintage Classics) - Softcover

Kadare, Ismail

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099518279 ISBN 13: 9780099518273

Publisher: Vintage Classics, 2008

Synopsis

At the heart of the Sultan's vast but fragile empire stands the mysterious Palace of Dreams: the most secret and powerful Ministry ever invented. Its task is to scour every town, village and hamlet to collect the citizens' dreams, then to sift, sort and classify them, and ultimately to interpret them, in order to identify the "master-dreams" that will provide the clues to the Empire's destinies and those of its Monarch. An entire nation's consciousness is thus tapped into and meticulously laid bare in the form of images and symbols of the dreaming mind. Kadare's Palace of Dreams stands as the symbol of the thought-police who have, through history, been the most effective instruments of oppression at the service of dictators.

About this title

About the Author:

Ismail Kadare, born in 1936 in the mountain town of Gjirokaster, near the Greek border, is Albania's best-known poet and novelist. Since the appearance of The General of the Dead Army in 1965, Kadare has published scores of stories and novels that make up a panorama of Albanian history linked by a constant meditation on the nature and human consequences of dictatorship. "Dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible," he wrote. "The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship." His works brought him into frequent conflict with the authorities from 1945 to 1985. In 1990 he sought political asylum in France, and now divides his time between Paris and Tirana. He is the winner of the first ever Man Booker International Prize.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage Classics
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0099518279
• ISBN 13: 9780099518273
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192