Renowned Albanian author Ismail Kadare passed away on Monday at the age of 88 after being rushed to a hospital in Tirana. Kadare had long been considered a possible contender for the Nobel Literature Prize, and his death has caused great sadness throughout the world of literature.
Kadare gained international recognition with the publication of his novel “The General of the Dead Army” in 1963, during a time when Albania was still under communist rule. Despite facing persecution and censorship under dictator Enver Hoxha, Kadare continued to write and publish his work, eventually leaving Albania in 1990 to move to France.
In Paris, Kadare resided for many years before returning to Tirana last year, where he continued to write and publish his extensive body of work. His novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, essays, and story collections have been translated into 45 languages and have won him numerous international awards throughout his career.
Albanian President Bajram Begaj expressed his condolences on the loss of this literary giant, calling him “a genius of letters and a spiritual emancipator.” The Balkans also lost a poet of its myths with Kadare’s passing, while the world lost one of its most renowned representatives of modern literature.