The Traitor's Niche: A Novel

By Ismail Kadare and John Hodgson

"Kadare is inevitably linked to Orwell and Kundera, but he is a far deeper ironist than the first, and a better storyteller than the second. He is a compellingly ironic storyteller because he so brilliantly summons details that explode with symbolic reality." —The New Yorker

At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the main square of Constantinople, a niche is carved into ancient stone. Here, the sultan displays the severed heads of his adversaries. People flock to see the latest head and gossip about the state of the empire: the province of Albania is demanding independence again, and the niche awaits a new trophy . . .

Tundj Hata, the imperial courier, is charged with transporting heads to the capital—a task he relishes and performs with fervor. As he travels through obscure and impoverished territories, he makes money from illicit side–shows, offering villagers the spectacle of death. The head of the rebellious Albanian governor would fetch a very high price indeed.

The Traitor's Niche is a surreal tale of tyranny and rebellion, in a land where armies carry scarecrows, state officials ban entire languages, and the act of forgetting is more complicated than remembering.

Long-listed for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize

"The name of the Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare regularly comes up at Nobel Prize time, and he is still a good bet to win it one of these days . . . He is seemingly incapable of writing a book that fails to be interesting." —The New York Times

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781640090453

Ismail Kadare

Ismail Kadare is Albania’s best known novelist, whose name is mentioned annually in discussions of the Nobel Prize. He won the inaugural Man Booker International Prize in 2005; in 2009 he received the Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras, Spain’s most prestigious literary award, and in 2015 he won the Jerusalem Prize. In 2016 he was named a Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur. James Wood has written of his work, "Kadare is inevitably likened to Orwell and Kundera, but he is a far deeper ironist than the first, and a better storyteller than the second. He is a compellingly ironic storyteller because he so brilliantly summons details that explode with symbolic reality." His last book to be published in English, The Traitor’s Niche, was nominated for the Man Booker International.

Reviews for The Traitor's Niche

[janerawoof · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating, mesmerizing surreal novel that held my interest every page. The author has returned to the main theme of most of his oeuvre: struggles of his native Albania against an oppressive power. This time the novel is set in the post-Napoleonic years and those of Greece for her independence--1820s. In this case the novel is an allegory with the Ottoman Empire representing the brutal Albanian dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. It is the story of several men and their fates: Abdulla, the Keeper of the Heads--Dulla was a nickname of Enver Hoxha--; the three Pashas who have run afoul of the government in some way and have been beheaded: Ali, by rebelling; Bugrahan, by losing battles to Ali; Hurshid, who wins the war, but becomes too popular for his own good; and Hata, the courier who delivers each head to the sultan after exhibiting it to villagers along the way. The author describes "Caw-Caw", the complete obliteration of an entire people's culture, customs, and language and of "Psst-Psst", the secret police investigating rumors. All in all, a chilling indictment of tyranny. 4.5/5.Highly recommended and just as current today as when it was first written, in 1984.Highly recommended and just as current today as when it was first written, in 1984.

[starbox_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the niche of a square in Constantinople is displayed an ever-changing series of decapitated heads. Observed by the crowds- a kind of chorus as they discuss current eventss - guarded by a young constable; ministered to by the doctor charged with its preservation; and transported by the Royal Courier, covering huge distances to bring the various heads home...Kadare's story concerns Albanian Ali Pasha, a rebel leader, dismissive of his Turkish overlords and due for removal...and the two ill-fated Turks sent in two separate missions to bring him down. He describes a fictional, comic- yet entirely believable state strategy of returning a renegade nation back to compliance...My second read by Kadare; sobering yet quite brilliant.

[monnibo · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Did Not Finish. I just couldn't get into it, it's a slow-build. Very much in the character's heads than plot based. I wasn't feeling a pull from any of the characters to complete their journey. It was very eloquently written, and for a translation that can be a difficult feat.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another brilliant novel from Albaniann author, Ismail Kadare! In this satire of tyranny, the reader glimpses the absurdities of tyranny via a darkly witty and profound story about perpetual decapitations performed to quell rebellion in the Ottoman Empire, specifically Albania. The reader encounters Abdulla, who guards the Traitor's Niche where the heads are displayed, as well as the Caw Caw, a Directorate charged with the eradication of non-Turkish languages. I laughed out loud, shook my head, and was disturbed at the dark truths underlying this tale. Fabulous read!