Stephanie Jane reviewed The Traitor's Niche by Ismail Kadare
Brilliant historical fiction
5 stars
Apparently banned in Albania shortly after its original publication because Enver Hoxha, the country's ruler at that time, didn't approve of Ismail Kadare's depiction of Ottoman authoritarianism - Hoxha himself, of course, led a similarly strict regime - The Traitor's Niche is set some 150 years previously in 1822, during the Ottoman Empire's rule over Albania, and recounts the quashing of an attempted Albanian rebellion.
Kadare tells most of his story from inside the minds of a series of men involved in various ways in maintaining the Empire's power. It's an inspired device which allowed me to understand not only what the Empire wanted to achieve, but also the effects of its callous, arbitrary violence on its citizens. From Abdulla, the lowly guard who stands watch over each decapitated head as they are displayed in the Niche, to Tundj Hata, a courier charged with the decapitations themselves and racing those …
Apparently banned in Albania shortly after its original publication because Enver Hoxha, the country's ruler at that time, didn't approve of Ismail Kadare's depiction of Ottoman authoritarianism - Hoxha himself, of course, led a similarly strict regime - The Traitor's Niche is set some 150 years previously in 1822, during the Ottoman Empire's rule over Albania, and recounts the quashing of an attempted Albanian rebellion.
Kadare tells most of his story from inside the minds of a series of men involved in various ways in maintaining the Empire's power. It's an inspired device which allowed me to understand not only what the Empire wanted to achieve, but also the effects of its callous, arbitrary violence on its citizens. From Abdulla, the lowly guard who stands watch over each decapitated head as they are displayed in the Niche, to Tundj Hata, a courier charged with the decapitations themselves and racing those heads back to Istanbul, to Ali Pasha who did very well out of being the Empire's man in Albania but who now finds his personal power grab, dressed up as his people's rebellion, to be disappointingly unsupported by that populace, each character is brilliantly depicted. I loved the historical details and the sense Kadare imparts of the sheer scale of the Empire. Ideas such as unfavoured regions being punished by their inhabitants only being allowed to wear dull grey clothes, or having their chimneys destroyed so their homes are perpetually smoky gave the novel a surreal vibe.
It did take me a little effort to get used to the narrative following the action, rather than remaining with a single character, however ultimately this did work well and allowed for rewarding perspective shifts, giving me a rounded view overall. I was impressed by Ismail Kadare's writing and surprised that someone of this calibre isn't already widely recognised. I hadn't heard his name prior to specifically searching out Albanian authors for my WorldReads project, but am happy to know that there is already at least one more Kadare novel translated into English.
