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من أعاد دورونتين؟
تتزوج دورونتين بشاب من بلاد نائية، عكس الاعراف ورغم إرادة الأهل، بإستثناء اخيها قسطنطين الذي أقسم بشرفيه "البيسا" أن يعيد دورونتين إلى والدتها كلما حنَّت إليها. ويشاء القدر أن يُقتل أخوة دورونتين التسعة إثر معركة خاضوها ضد الغزاة. ويطوي الردى قسطنطين صاحب القسم.
وبعد ثلاث سنوات على زفاف دورونتين تعود ذات ليلة إلى بيت أهلها برفقة فارس قالت إنه أخوها قسطنطين!
أيكون الفارس الذي أعادها هو قسطنطين نفسه المزحزح قبره والقائم إلى قسمه، أم تراه زنديقاً يقصد زرع الشقاق والبلبلة في صفوف المؤمنين؟
"من أعاد دورونتين" هي بهذا المعنى رواية الأسئلة، ومغزل الروايات التي تحبك بخيط سري واحد هو الأسطورة.
وبعد ثلاث سنوات على زفاف دورونتين تعود ذات ليلة إلى بيت أهلها برفقة فارس قالت إنه أخوها قسطنطين!
أيكون الفارس الذي أعادها هو قسطنطين نفسه المزحزح قبره والقائم إلى قسمه، أم تراه زنديقاً يقصد زرع الشقاق والبلبلة في صفوف المؤمنين؟
"من أعاد دورونتين" هي بهذا المعنى رواية الأسئلة، ومغزل الروايات التي تحبك بخيط سري واحد هو الأسطورة.
166 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
63 people are currently reading
1988 people want to read
About the author
Ismail Kadare
271 books1,730 followersIsmail Kadare (also spelled Kadaré) was an Albanian novelist and poet. He has been a leading literary figure in Albania since the 1960s. He focused on short stories until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army. In 1996 he became a lifetime member of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences of France. In 1992, he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca; in 2005, he won the inaugural Man Booker International Prize, in 2009 the Prince of Asturias Award of Arts, and in 2015 the Jerusalem Prize. He has divided his time between Albania and France since 1990. Kadare has been mentioned as a possible recipient for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. His works have been published in about 30 languages.
Ismail Kadare was born in 1936 in Gjirokastër, in the south of Albania. His education included studies at the University of Tirana and then the Gorky Institute for World Literature in Moscow, a training school for writers and critics.
In 1960 Kadare returned to Albania after the country broke ties with the Soviet Union, and he became a journalist and published his first poems.
His first novel, The General of the Dead Army, sprang from a short story, and its success established his name in Albania and enabled Kadare to become a full-time writer.
Kadare's novels draw on Balkan history and legends. They are obliquely ironic as a result of trying to withstand political scrutiny. Among his best known books are Chronicle in Stone (1977), Broken April (1978), and The Concert (1988), considered the best novel of the year 1991 by the French literary magazine Lire.
In 1990, Kadare claimed political asylum in France, issuing statements in favour of democratisation. During the ordeal, he stated that "dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible. The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship."
Ismail Kadare was born in 1936 in Gjirokastër, in the south of Albania. His education included studies at the University of Tirana and then the Gorky Institute for World Literature in Moscow, a training school for writers and critics.
In 1960 Kadare returned to Albania after the country broke ties with the Soviet Union, and he became a journalist and published his first poems.
His first novel, The General of the Dead Army, sprang from a short story, and its success established his name in Albania and enabled Kadare to become a full-time writer.
Kadare's novels draw on Balkan history and legends. They are obliquely ironic as a result of trying to withstand political scrutiny. Among his best known books are Chronicle in Stone (1977), Broken April (1978), and The Concert (1988), considered the best novel of the year 1991 by the French literary magazine Lire.
In 1990, Kadare claimed political asylum in France, issuing statements in favour of democratisation. During the ordeal, he stated that "dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible. The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship."
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July 14, 2022
الكاتب الألباني اسماعيل كاداريه مهتم بالتراث والأدب الشعبي
هنا يعتمد على أسطورة ألبانية مشهورة ومن خلالها يحكي عن الواقع
قصة الشاب الذي يقوم من قبره للوفاء بعهد تعهد به لأمه قبل موته
تعود دورونتين إلى أمها في بلدة ألبانية صغيرة ويدور سؤال بين أهل البلدة
من الذي أعاد دورونتين من بيت زوجها البعيد إلى البلدة
يستمر البحث وتتدخل الكنيسة وتزداد الأقاويل والحكايات
والكل يجيب عن السؤال بحسب القناعات والمصالح المختلفة
وفي النهاية تظل القوانين الأخلاقية والانسانية التي تحكم البشر
أكثر أهمية من معرفة من أعاد دورونتين
رواية لطيفة مكتوبة بأسلوب بسيط ومشوق
هنا يعتمد على أسطورة ألبانية مشهورة ومن خلالها يحكي عن الواقع
قصة الشاب الذي يقوم من قبره للوفاء بعهد تعهد به لأمه قبل موته
تعود دورونتين إلى أمها في بلدة ألبانية صغيرة ويدور سؤال بين أهل البلدة
من الذي أعاد دورونتين من بيت زوجها البعيد إلى البلدة
يستمر البحث وتتدخل الكنيسة وتزداد الأقاويل والحكايات
والكل يجيب عن السؤال بحسب القناعات والمصالح المختلفة
وفي النهاية تظل القوانين الأخلاقية والانسانية التي تحكم البشر
أكثر أهمية من معرفة من أعاد دورونتين
رواية لطيفة مكتوبة بأسلوب بسيط ومشوق
July 20, 2020
تسألها أمها : " من أعادك يا دورونتين؟ "
ترد الأبنة قائلة : " إنهُ أخي قسطنطين !! "
- قسطنطين؟! ولكنه مات منذ ثلاث سنوات مع جميع إخوته....
هكذا ضجت البلدة بالشائعات والأقاويل وصارت عودة دورونتين جزءاً لا يتجزأ من حديث أهالي البلدة الطيبين، عادت دورونتين وجلبت معها أكبر لغز من يمكن أن تتحلمه تلك البلدة، بل والأمارة كلها.. عادت لتجلب الشقاء والحيرة والهذيان لأمها، مع إرث أخيها المتوفى منذ ثلاث سنوات الذي توفي مع جميع إخوانه ، دورونتين التي تدعي أنها سافرت مع أخيها لعدة ليالي، بعد العهد والقسم الذي أقره قسطنطين في حياته بأن يعيد أخته إلى البلدة كلما أشتاقت لأمها، وها هي تقف لتواجه أمها وأهالي البلدة بأن أخاها قد قام من الأموات وأبتعث من جديد من أجل تلك الـ " إلسا " أو العهد والقسم الذي وضعه على نفسه قبل مماته بإعادة أخته للوطن .. شائعات لا تتوقف وشهادات من أهل البلدة وقبر قسطنطين المنبوش كل ذلك وضع شخصاً مثل " ستريس " في حالة لا يُحسد عليها في رحلة بحثه عن الحقيقة الغائبة وراء عودة دورونتين وقصة أخيها القائم من بين الأموات...
حكاية مشوقة ذات طابع أسطوري تتولد أجواء أوروبا القرون الوسطى مشبعة بالخرافات والتقاليد المحلية ومستلهة الأيقونات المسيحية في صنع حكاية ممتزجة بين الواقع والخيال وفائضة بالغموض والدهشة.. قصة رائعة يحكيها لنا كاداريه بلغة سهلة وأسلوب شيق وظريف ورسم لمغامرة دفينة تجبر القارئ على التعلق بكل تفاصيلها حتى النهاية.. عمل أدبي رائع يستحق القراءة....
February 15, 2021
3/3.5 stars. The Ghost Rider is a retelling of the dark Kostandin and Doruntine ballad, an ancient Albanian tale : in this legend, Doruntine's brother, Kostandin, raises from the dead in order to bring her back to her mother, as his oath - his besa - demanded him. Due to the animated state it creates in the little town - and the fact that neither Doruntine nor her mother are responding anymore, Captain Stresi is asked to investigate the case.
Pleased Anna - The Ghost Rider was undoubtedly enthralling, drawing me in its haunting and out of the world mystery from page one.
Skeptical Anna - The repetitions, though. What's up with them? Is it some kind of translation fail... or something?
Pleased Anna - It's your fault, though.
Skeptical Anna - My fault? Oh, right. Listen up, friends : when English is not your first language and you're reading a translated novel, be sure to check how the translation business took place. Indeed I realized that The Ghost Rider wasn't directly translated from Albanian to English, but that the English version was merely a translation from the... French version, as most of Ismail Kadare's works. Indeed his long-standing collaborator, Jusuf Vrioni, translated most of his work into French, the English translators merely translating the French versions. Does nobody speak Albanian in the US? That's some lazy work, in my opinion. Anyway - I'll be sure to read the French versions next time, because it shows - I felt as if the translator lacked the ability to expend the vocabulary used, making it way too easy for repetitions to overflow.
Pleased Anna - Enough of these complaints, I was compelled all the same! All of these repetitions didn't diminish my enjoyment, and never broke the spell the dark atmosphere put on me. From the start I wanted to know : as many characters through the novel, I've repeatedly asked myself who brought Doruntine back from Bohemia : was it really her dead brother, raising from the dead to respect his besa? Was it some impostor whose intentions were unclear? Was it a straight-on hoax? Until the end I couldn't say.
Skeptical Anna - But you must admit that the plot was sometimes all over the place -
Pleased Anna - I knooooow! I should have been annoyed by the way the story changed its course all the time but actually, I really liked that? The Ghost Rider repeatedly surprised me, lost me, confused me with all the tiny clues the author put everywhere.... and abandoned quickly.
Skeptical Anna - Hmm, "abandoned", that's right. Can't it be lazy writing? Some of the clues were never explained nor taken into account in the end, and I kinda want to call bullshit on them? Like, really? You're gonna make me believe something and then get out by side-stepping the question? I'm not sure I like that.
Pleased Anna - Alright, fair enough. Perhaps the reason is simpler than that, though : indeed The Ghost Rider uses Albanian traditions I knew nothing about, as the kanun (oral traditional laws) and the besa (a person's most sacred oath), and I felt like I had not the knowledge baggage necessary to analyze and understand everything. I saw reviews urging readers to start with Broken April in which the author explains what kanun is, and I wish I'd followed that advice. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that I wasn't able to enjoy The Ghost Rider, because I did, but I felt what I often feel with classics written about societies I do not know : I couldn't take the most out of my read. Yet what I did gathered is that we can't analyze his 1970s works without taking into account the paranoid Stalinist regime in which Ismail Kadare lived at the time. As stated in the Introduction, the current edition contains historical and political references that weren't there at first, because dangerous under the Hoxha regime.
Skeptical Anna - The MC! Talk about the MC!
Pleased Anna - Hmm, yes, captain Stresi, yes. What can I say, hmm, he was very driven and
Skeptical Anna - a jerk
Pleased Anna - Hmm yes you could say that, yes. Willing to keep his feet firmly on the ground, he let nothing going in his way and
Skeptical Anna - he tortured people
Pleased Anna - Yes, about that. I did feel uncomfortable with his interrogation techniques - especially because they came from nowhere - and I can't say Captain Stresi made any effort to be likeable,
Skeptical Anna - because he was a bully
Pleased Anna - Sometimes, yes he was. Yet it never read as if I was supposed to care for him whatsoever : what mattered was the mystery, but I would have wanted for his behavior to be called out and challenged.
Skeptical Anna - like when he called women sluts and a disabled boy an idiot
Pleased Anna - PRECISELY. That was so useless in my opinion, even for a novel written in 1979. Yet in my opinion Stres isn't the main character in this novel. Kostandin is, his ideas and resistance are. As often happens, The Ghost Rider may have a stronger political meaning that it first appears. This quote below made me shiver -
"What face should [the Albanian] show to the world? Shall he disfigure himself, changing his features to suit the masks of the age, seeking thus to assure his survival, or shall he keep his countenance inchanged ... (...) Albania aims to keep its eternal image. That's the main thing, to my mind. She will keep her face not by retreting from the world like a wild animal at bay, but by joining the world."
Skeptical Anna - So. Are we recommending this or not?
*running sounds*
Skeptical Anna - Alright. Do what you want.
PS. I rarely take editing into account, BUT I would strongly recommend you to read the paperback version and not the ebook which is AWFULLY edited.
*World map credit*
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September 14, 2025
تسألها أمها : " من أعادك يا دورونتين؟ "
ترد الأبنة قائلة : " إنهُ أخي قسطنطين !! "
قسطنطين؟! ولكنه مات منذ ثلاث سنوات مع جميع إخوته.
من أعاد دورونتين؟ لا يوجد إجابة لهذا السؤال
لكن سيبقى لكل منا إجابته الخاصة
هل هو قسطنطين الذي قام من قبره كالمسيح فوفى بالبيسا وبوعده لأمه أم أنه جاء شبحا ولكنه أدى دينه فى النهاية ، أم أن دورونتين اختلقت هذه الحكاية ولكنها في نهاية المطاف أدت البيسا الخاصة بقسطنطين؟
لا أحد يعلم.
ولكن فى النهاية لا تمتلك إلا الإعجاب والمتعة و المزيد من الأسئلة
ترد الأبنة قائلة : " إنهُ أخي قسطنطين !! "
قسطنطين؟! ولكنه مات منذ ثلاث سنوات مع جميع إخوته.
من أعاد دورونتين؟ لا يوجد إجابة لهذا السؤال
لكن سيبقى لكل منا إجابته الخاصة
هل هو قسطنطين الذي قام من قبره كالمسيح فوفى بالبيسا وبوعده لأمه أم أنه جاء شبحا ولكنه أدى دينه فى النهاية ، أم أن دورونتين اختلقت هذه الحكاية ولكنها في نهاية المطاف أدت البيسا الخاصة بقسطنطين؟
لا أحد يعلم.
ولكن فى النهاية لا تمتلك إلا الإعجاب والمتعة و المزيد من الأسئلة
December 18, 2020
Ghosts of the Tale
I have always had a fascination for stories built on myths, legends or folkloric tales, for they tend to give another dimension to the nations subconscious that I’ve always believed populated by the latter. And I find it extremely interesting to see how these stories feed at the same time on the old and new, on the local and universal, on the real and the imaginary, how they can gain and lose specific meanings in time without losing beauty and depth.
And here it is, Ismail Kadare’s novel, The Ghost Rider, a strange tale (known apparently by all Albanian people), based on an ancestral belief – besa – a sacred promise that must be fulfilled no matter what. The narrative, whose general lines the author respects, is simple enough – a brother rises from his grave to keep the promise he made to his mother when he was alive and bring his sister back from a faraway land where she had gone to live with her husband. Simple is also, apparently, its message – the power of a word of honour that exceeds even death. Obviously there are other messages too, about love and grief, family and solitude, estrangement and renunciation...
Kadare's mastery in manipulating the tale lies in the fact that he keeps all these messages and adds others, incorporating both politic and aesthetic concepts within myth, without transforming it in a mere allegory. Therefore, the novel can be read in many ways, and each reading key is as true and as insightful as the others.
First, there is a fascination for the story per se, that desire to fill in the blanks, to hunt for details, like the true nature of the relationship between brother and sister, between life and death, between sacred and profane. So, even though this first reading is the most literal, it is not less beautiful: it is the completion of the story, a rewriting that adds missing data, skilfully restoring the slate tablets with information about journey, characters, reactions and so on:
In a trembling voice, one of the mourners sang of Doruntine’s marriage and of her departure for a distant land. A second, her voice more tremulous still, lamented the nine boys who, so soon after the wedding, had fallen in battle against the plague-ridden army. The third took up the theme and sang of the grief of the mother left alone.
Like in a detective story, the whys and hows are one by one answered, even though the answers are never definitive, since there is always some fact or person that contradicts one information or another. Nevertheless, the characters gain depth and personality, and a life of their own that the scheme of the original myth couldn’t provide.
Then there is a second reading, which removes the story from illo tempore to anchor it in a specific time: the present of the author. Thus it becomes the story of a sombre period, an allegory of the communist oppression. In this key of reading, what is the Church but the Comunist Party, and what is Kostandin but the national hero whom not even death can prevent to bring back freedom – Doruntine? And even though she dies away, her story is enough to keep up hope, encouraging people to remember it, to respect it, if only by mourning it. So, even this apparently more prosaic reading reveals more than a political event, rising over transience to point out the right to fight against tyranny that kills the spirit. Moreover, it helps to draw the portrait of a quiet people that kept its beliefs and traditions even under duress, with a passive resistance that fooled for a while the Power. In this respect, Stres, the brave detective caught between the two worlds, emphasizes the importance of hanging on the true image of oneself, the more it seems dangerous, the more it seems improbable:
“The question is this: in these new conditions of the worsening of the general atmosphere in the world, in this time of crime and hateful treachery that could be called unbelief, who should the Albanian be? What face shall he show the world? Shall he espouse evil or stand against it? Shall he disfigure himself, changing his features to suit the masks of the age, seeking thus to assure his survival, or shall he keep his countenance unchanged… I am a servant of the state and have little interest in the personal aspects of Kostandin’s journey, if in fact there are any. Each of us, commoners and lords alike, be we Caesar or Christ, is the shroud of unfathomable mysteries. But, functionary that I am, I have spoken of the general point, the one that concerns Albania. Albania’s time of trial is near, the hour of choice between these two faces. And if the people of Albania, deep within themselves, have begun to fashion institutions as sublime as the besa, that shows us that Albania is making the right choice. Albania aims to keep its eternal image.”
Finally, a third reading (among many others, but I stop right here) returns the story to its true land, the imaginary. It is the story of literature, of the make-belief, the same story The Buried Giant tells, of how reality slips imperceptibly into myth. Like in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel (I wrote about it here ), here again is presented that decantation of reality only literature can create:
“A legend is being born right before our eyes,” Stres said, handing him the sheaf of reports with their underlined passages. “Just look at this. Until two days ago, the songs gave little detail, but since last night, and especially today, they have taken shape as a well-defined fable.”
This is the story that reveals the complexity of the main character, Stres, playing a triple part: he is the author who not only reinterprets the tale many times but rewrites it, retells it and invests it with new meanings; he is the main character converted from a mere unbeliever to a keeper of legends, who protects not only the people but the story itself from being destroyed; he is also the reader, who choses to take it in as he sees fit.
“Each of us has a part in that journey, for it is here among us that Kostandin’s besa germinated, and that is what brought Doruntine back. Therefore, to be more exact I would have to say that it was all of us – you, me, our dead lying there in the graveyard close by the church – who, through Kostandin, brought Doruntine back.”
Overall, a great novel, written by an extremely interesting writer I (shame on me) knew nothing about until several months ago, when my friend Ema encouraged me to read him. I pass on this wonderful discovery and for whoever in need of more insightful reviews than mine about this book I would recommend at least two: one in Romanian, on Ema’s blog , and one in English, on a Scottish writer's blog, Jim Murdoch.
June 7, 2013
The Ghost Rider was initially published in English under the title Doruntine and it is another case of translation from French, not from the original Albanian. This situation puzzles me and has turned many people off from reading Ismail Kadaré's The Palace of Dreams, which I find a really good novel (but then, I've read the Romanian translation). Is there a serious deficit of translators from Albanian into English? It seems that Kadare’s works were regularly translated into French by his long-standing collaborator, Jusuf Vrioni, and the English editions have the latter's translations as a starting point. Weird.
Anyway, this edition of The Ghost Rider benefited from revisions made by Kadaré himself, so let's hope it is very close to the original work. I find Kadaré's voice to be quite appealing, bringing an interesting insight into a world that I know very little of. Let's be frank, how many of us know where Albania is located and what it looks like?
At first, the novel seems to be a sort of Gothic detective novel, but as the action unfolds, we understand that the implications run deeper, weaving myth and reality in a gripping tale that also speaks of the Albanian people and their heritage. Kadaré took as a starting point a well-known Albanian ballad, Kostandin and Doruntine, and recreated the story from the beginning, endowed it with a religious and historical background, enlarging its dimension.
At some unspecified time and place in Medieval Albania, Captain Stresi hears of the mysterious return of Doruntine, the only daughter of the noble Vranaj family; now she and her mother lay on their deathbeds, having experienced a terrible shock. Doruntine had married three years ago with a man from a distant land, but her brother Kostandin had promised to bring her home whenever their mother missed her. Only that soon after the wedding, Kostandin died along with his other eight brothers, and his sister presumably hadn't found out about the tragedy. Doruntine was back now in her mother's house, claiming that it was Kostandin who had brought her home on horseback.
Captain Stresi begins an investigation to find out the truth about the mysterious rider, while the rumor of Kostandin's resurrection spreads among people, reaching beyond the Albanian borders. They believe the brother has raised from the dead to keep his promise, his besa. We bare witness to the birth of the legend: beside the coffins, the mourners utter verses which recount the events. The ballad gradually takes shape from their mouths, each mourner adding a part of the story, elaborating the poem, which grows and spreads and can no longer be stopped.
The rumored resurrection of Kostandin brings a religious dimension to the story, as it shakes the foundations of the Orthodox Church. The supernatural happening upsets the Byzantine officials, as only Jesus Christ was capable of coming back from the grave, and any other tale of this kind is considered a heresy.
Religion had an important role in those times - Albania was torn between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, each trying to impose its influence. The Church of Rome was believed to exploit the heresy, helping it spread, using it against the Holy Byzantine Church, which at that time prevailed in Albania.
As the story unfolds, we come to know some interesting aspects of the Albanian heritage: the Kanun, for example, was a set of traditional Albanian laws (mainly oral) that often transcended the institutionalized law. Kostandin was a fervent supporter of Kanun and of its subsidiary besa - a person's most sacred oath, a promise that can never be broken, even beyond death. Used from early times, the Kanun was first codified in the 15th century and was used until the 20th century, banned under the communist regime and then revived after its fall in the early 1990s.
There is an interesting discussion on Kanun, which consists of some immaterial and invisible rules that brig forth a new order, replacing the existing institutions. The new rules would be far from idyllic, but they would lie within man, not in the form of remorse or some similar sentiment, but as a well-defined ideal, a faith, an order understood and accepted by everyone. In this new world, the besa would have a central role.
I also found interesting the clash of opinions over local versus far-off marriage. Doruntine's wedding was the first of its kind, as no woman had married before with a man from so distant a country. The supporters of local marriages believed that this kept the clan free from turmoil and especially from suspect foreign blood, while the opponents feared the results of inbreeding and invoked the ancient kanun, the customary law that prohibited marriage within the four-hundredth degree of relatedness.
Captain Stresi has kept himself impartial to religion and tradition, but at the end of the investigation he will get to a new understanding of things, coming to terms with the Albanian traditions.
The English translation of the Kostandin and Doruntine ballad (which is sung even today at Albanian weddings) can be read here, although I am positive that it sounds different in Albanian (which brings me to the question, how does Albanian sound like? Just to make an idea, here is the theatrical play based on Kadaré's novel).
Anyway, this edition of The Ghost Rider benefited from revisions made by Kadaré himself, so let's hope it is very close to the original work. I find Kadaré's voice to be quite appealing, bringing an interesting insight into a world that I know very little of. Let's be frank, how many of us know where Albania is located and what it looks like?
At first, the novel seems to be a sort of Gothic detective novel, but as the action unfolds, we understand that the implications run deeper, weaving myth and reality in a gripping tale that also speaks of the Albanian people and their heritage. Kadaré took as a starting point a well-known Albanian ballad, Kostandin and Doruntine, and recreated the story from the beginning, endowed it with a religious and historical background, enlarging its dimension.
At some unspecified time and place in Medieval Albania, Captain Stresi hears of the mysterious return of Doruntine, the only daughter of the noble Vranaj family; now she and her mother lay on their deathbeds, having experienced a terrible shock. Doruntine had married three years ago with a man from a distant land, but her brother Kostandin had promised to bring her home whenever their mother missed her. Only that soon after the wedding, Kostandin died along with his other eight brothers, and his sister presumably hadn't found out about the tragedy. Doruntine was back now in her mother's house, claiming that it was Kostandin who had brought her home on horseback.
Captain Stresi begins an investigation to find out the truth about the mysterious rider, while the rumor of Kostandin's resurrection spreads among people, reaching beyond the Albanian borders. They believe the brother has raised from the dead to keep his promise, his besa. We bare witness to the birth of the legend: beside the coffins, the mourners utter verses which recount the events. The ballad gradually takes shape from their mouths, each mourner adding a part of the story, elaborating the poem, which grows and spreads and can no longer be stopped.
Every day brought new chapters to the story of Doruntine, or else erased parts of it. Only the mourners remained steadfast in their ritual.
A curse be on thee, Kostandin!
Do you recall the solemn promise you made?
Or has your besa rotted with you in the grave?
The rumored resurrection of Kostandin brings a religious dimension to the story, as it shakes the foundations of the Orthodox Church. The supernatural happening upsets the Byzantine officials, as only Jesus Christ was capable of coming back from the grave, and any other tale of this kind is considered a heresy.
Religion had an important role in those times - Albania was torn between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, each trying to impose its influence. The Church of Rome was believed to exploit the heresy, helping it spread, using it against the Holy Byzantine Church, which at that time prevailed in Albania.
The struggle between Catholicism and Orthodoxy since time immemorial had greatly weakened religion in the Albanian principalities. The region lay just on the border between the two religions and, for various reasons, essentially political and economic, the principalities leaned now towards one, now towards the other. Half of them were now Catholic, but that state of affairs was by no means permanent, and each of the two churches hoped to win spheres of influence from the other.
As the story unfolds, we come to know some interesting aspects of the Albanian heritage: the Kanun, for example, was a set of traditional Albanian laws (mainly oral) that often transcended the institutionalized law. Kostandin was a fervent supporter of Kanun and of its subsidiary besa - a person's most sacred oath, a promise that can never be broken, even beyond death. Used from early times, the Kanun was first codified in the 15th century and was used until the 20th century, banned under the communist regime and then revived after its fall in the early 1990s.
There is an interesting discussion on Kanun, which consists of some immaterial and invisible rules that brig forth a new order, replacing the existing institutions. The new rules would be far from idyllic, but they would lie within man, not in the form of remorse or some similar sentiment, but as a well-defined ideal, a faith, an order understood and accepted by everyone. In this new world, the besa would have a central role.
I also found interesting the clash of opinions over local versus far-off marriage. Doruntine's wedding was the first of its kind, as no woman had married before with a man from so distant a country. The supporters of local marriages believed that this kept the clan free from turmoil and especially from suspect foreign blood, while the opponents feared the results of inbreeding and invoked the ancient kanun, the customary law that prohibited marriage within the four-hundredth degree of relatedness.
Captain Stresi has kept himself impartial to religion and tradition, but at the end of the investigation he will get to a new understanding of things, coming to terms with the Albanian traditions.
The English translation of the Kostandin and Doruntine ballad (which is sung even today at Albanian weddings) can be read here, although I am positive that it sounds different in Albanian (which brings me to the question, how does Albanian sound like? Just to make an idea, here is the theatrical play based on Kadaré's novel).
April 13, 2014
This superb short novel by Ismail Kadare was written in 1979 in Tirana, Albania. At that time, the country was ruled by its oppressive dictator Enver Hoxha. Like most of his ilk, he had no tolerance for dissent. Kadare and his fellow writers had to mind what they said and wrote to keep out of trouble. By setting his novel "Doruntine", which is to some extent about heresy, in the era before the Ottoman invasion of Albania, he was able to disguise his observations of modern Albania to such an extent that the state censors were at little risk of being disturbed by its content.
Stres, the regional captain, learns that Doruntine has returned to the district where her mother lives. Several years before, she married a man from far off Bohemia and lived in that distant country. He is perturbed to learn that Doruntine, who is in a disturbed psychological state, says that she has been brought home by her brother Constantine. Stres and everyone else in the district knows that Constantine and all of his 8 brothers have been dead for 3 years. Unless Constantine had undergone a resurrection like Jesus Christ, it seemed impossible that he could have escorted Doruntine from Bohemia to Albania.
The local archbishop, learning of this strange story, summons Stres to a meeting. During this, he makes it clear to Stres that the person who actually brought Doruntine home must be found. This is because it is important to prove to the people that Constantine did not rise up from the grave. It is important to prove that this was not the case because it was heresy to believe that anyone apart from Jesus Christ was capable of coming back to life after death. Stres is faced with having to execute a thorough investigation.
To describe what happens next would spoil the story. Needless to say the resolution of this tale is indeed extraordinary and exciting.
This novel, like many of his others, demonstrates Kadare's ability to write succinctly, to express a great deal in a few words. "Doruntine" is along with "Broken April" and "Chronicle in Stone" one of his best pieces of writing. Even in translation, his voice comes through clearly and beautifully.
"Doruntine" demonstrates well the importance of making sure that the truth of a matter is in accord with what the authorities want. And, the ability to ensure this was one of the keys to surviving in Enver Hoxha's Albania. Kadare was taking a great risk when he wrote this book, but got away with it.
Review by author of "Albania on my Mind"
Stres, the regional captain, learns that Doruntine has returned to the district where her mother lives. Several years before, she married a man from far off Bohemia and lived in that distant country. He is perturbed to learn that Doruntine, who is in a disturbed psychological state, says that she has been brought home by her brother Constantine. Stres and everyone else in the district knows that Constantine and all of his 8 brothers have been dead for 3 years. Unless Constantine had undergone a resurrection like Jesus Christ, it seemed impossible that he could have escorted Doruntine from Bohemia to Albania.
The local archbishop, learning of this strange story, summons Stres to a meeting. During this, he makes it clear to Stres that the person who actually brought Doruntine home must be found. This is because it is important to prove to the people that Constantine did not rise up from the grave. It is important to prove that this was not the case because it was heresy to believe that anyone apart from Jesus Christ was capable of coming back to life after death. Stres is faced with having to execute a thorough investigation.
To describe what happens next would spoil the story. Needless to say the resolution of this tale is indeed extraordinary and exciting.
This novel, like many of his others, demonstrates Kadare's ability to write succinctly, to express a great deal in a few words. "Doruntine" is along with "Broken April" and "Chronicle in Stone" one of his best pieces of writing. Even in translation, his voice comes through clearly and beautifully.
"Doruntine" demonstrates well the importance of making sure that the truth of a matter is in accord with what the authorities want. And, the ability to ensure this was one of the keys to surviving in Enver Hoxha's Albania. Kadare was taking a great risk when he wrote this book, but got away with it.
Review by author of "Albania on my Mind"
March 2, 2021
Are myth, illusion, and dream greater than the State ?
Doruntine, who married in far off Bohemia, suddenly appears at her mother's deathbed. She says she was brought by her brother. Only thing is, he's been dead for 3 years. This is a challenge to the Church, all powerful in that era, which seems to be Norman-ruled Albania of the middle age, where Catholic and Orthodox doctrines competed. So far, only Jesus Christ had risen from his grave. A 'policeman' Stres, is assigned to make sense of the incident. While this novel may have resonated in Communist Albania of the 1980s, with its intricate "Dance of the Doctrines" and underlying family and clan rule, I felt that, just as a novel, it left something to be desired. Perhaps that was because Kadare had to go out on a limb to write any kind of possible comparison with the modern Albanian situation and the result did feel rather tortuously arrived at.
Some scenes are excellently depicted, but compared to most of Kadare's work, this novel is weak perhaps because it is a one-theme novel based on an old Balkan myth. Even if you say that this novel illustrates Albanian seriousness about promises (besa), it just isn't as multi-layered as most of his other work, even if it is politically daring. If you would like to know the story in more detail, please check the review by B. Asma, which is excellent. If you are looking for good novels, Kadare is one of the best writers alive today, but this isn't his best. Read some of the others, and see what I'm talking about.
Doruntine, who married in far off Bohemia, suddenly appears at her mother's deathbed. She says she was brought by her brother. Only thing is, he's been dead for 3 years. This is a challenge to the Church, all powerful in that era, which seems to be Norman-ruled Albania of the middle age, where Catholic and Orthodox doctrines competed. So far, only Jesus Christ had risen from his grave. A 'policeman' Stres, is assigned to make sense of the incident. While this novel may have resonated in Communist Albania of the 1980s, with its intricate "Dance of the Doctrines" and underlying family and clan rule, I felt that, just as a novel, it left something to be desired. Perhaps that was because Kadare had to go out on a limb to write any kind of possible comparison with the modern Albanian situation and the result did feel rather tortuously arrived at.
Some scenes are excellently depicted, but compared to most of Kadare's work, this novel is weak perhaps because it is a one-theme novel based on an old Balkan myth. Even if you say that this novel illustrates Albanian seriousness about promises (besa), it just isn't as multi-layered as most of his other work, even if it is politically daring. If you would like to know the story in more detail, please check the review by B. Asma, which is excellent. If you are looking for good novels, Kadare is one of the best writers alive today, but this isn't his best. Read some of the others, and see what I'm talking about.
January 20, 2017
تنبيه: في السطور التالية كشف لأحداث الرواية.
من أعاد دورنتين؟
هذه هي قراءتي الأولى لعمل من أعمال الروائي الألباني المرشح لنوبل الآداب منذ سنوات (إسماعيل كاداريه) – أو قادريه وهو أصل الاسم إن أصابت ظنوني -.
يقال بأن الأساطير، هي ثيمة كاداريه الدائمة – وأنا هنا لا أملك إلا أن أعتمد على الأقوال، ما دامت رواياته الأخرى تنتظر في مكتبتي ولم أشرع في قراءتها بعد -، هذه الرواية لا تبدأ كالعادة بأسطورة يتم الاتكاء عليها، وإنما تقوم بفعل معاكس، أي إنتاج أسطورة، من أعاد دورونتين؟
هذا هو السؤال الألباني القلق، الذي أقلق تلك الإمارة الألبانية الصغيرة، التي تعيش في منطقة صراع ما بين الكنيستين الشرقية الأرثوذكسية، والرومانية الكاثوليكية – وهذا يجعل أحداث الرواية تدور في القرون الوسطى، قبل استيلاء الأتراك على القسطنطينية -.
دورونتين فراناج، الابنة الوحيدة لعائلة فراناج، والتي تزوجت منذ ثلاث سنوات، في زواج بعيد، نقلها إلى زوج في النصف الآخر من القارة – فيما صار يعرف حاليا ً بألمانيا -، وأثار الكثير من النقاش الاجتماعي، حول الزواج القريب والبعيد، عادت تلك الليلة إلى البلد، عاد بها أخوها قسطنطين كما روت لأمها، قبل أن تسقط الاثنتان فريستين لاحتضار قصير، المشكلة الوحيدة هي أن أخوة دورونتين التسعة قد سقطوا فريسة موت سريع، بعد رحيل دورونتين، ولم يبقى من العائلة إلا الأم العجوز، فمن أعاد دورونتين؟
يبدأ المحقق ستريس في محاولاته لاكتشاف سر هذه العودة الغريبة، وتبدأ أيضا ً شائعة مقلقة، له كرجل عقلاني لا يؤمن بالخرافات، وللكنيسة الرومانية الشرقية كدين يعتقد بمعجزة قيامة المسيح من بين الأموات، تقول هذه الشائعة أن قسطنطين الذي كان قد وعد والدته بإعادة أخته كلما اشتاقت الأم إلى رؤيتها، ومنحها في سبيل ذلك (البسا) خاصته، أي وعد الشرف عند الرجال الألبان، الذي لا يمكن الإخلال به ولا التراجع عنه، هو من أعاد دورونتين، قائما ً من بين الأموات.
كانت الأسطورة قد بدأت في التكون على ألسنة النادبات، أسطورة الرجل الذي حافظ على شرف كلمته ووعده، حتى بعد موته، الرجل الذي يتكشف لنا من خلال بحث المحقق ستريس المدقق والمكثف، رجلا ً غريبا ً، يرفض كل المؤسسات الحكومية، ويعتمد على (البسا) كقانون شرف غير مكتوب، ولكن ملزم لكل رجل في البلدة.
من أعاد درورنتين؟ لا يوجد إجابة نهائية لهذا السؤال، في الرواية عدد ممكن من الإجابات، يمكن لأي قارئ اقتناص أو فهم إجابته الخاصة، ومن هنا تتحول عودة دورونتين إلى أسطورة ذات وجوه ورموز متعددة، بل إننا نجد في النهاية ذلك الميل إلى أسطرة الحدث لدى المحقق ستريس نفسه الرافض للخرافات والأفكار الأسطورية.
من أعاد دورنتين؟
هذه هي قراءتي الأولى لعمل من أعمال الروائي الألباني المرشح لنوبل الآداب منذ سنوات (إسماعيل كاداريه) – أو قادريه وهو أصل الاسم إن أصابت ظنوني -.
يقال بأن الأساطير، هي ثيمة كاداريه الدائمة – وأنا هنا لا أملك إلا أن أعتمد على الأقوال، ما دامت رواياته الأخرى تنتظر في مكتبتي ولم أشرع في قراءتها بعد -، هذه الرواية لا تبدأ كالعادة بأسطورة يتم الاتكاء عليها، وإنما تقوم بفعل معاكس، أي إنتاج أسطورة، من أعاد دورونتين؟
هذا هو السؤال الألباني القلق، الذي أقلق تلك الإمارة الألبانية الصغيرة، التي تعيش في منطقة صراع ما بين الكنيستين الشرقية الأرثوذكسية، والرومانية الكاثوليكية – وهذا يجعل أحداث الرواية تدور في القرون الوسطى، قبل استيلاء الأتراك على القسطنطينية -.
دورونتين فراناج، الابنة الوحيدة لعائلة فراناج، والتي تزوجت منذ ثلاث سنوات، في زواج بعيد، نقلها إلى زوج في النصف الآخر من القارة – فيما صار يعرف حاليا ً بألمانيا -، وأثار الكثير من النقاش الاجتماعي، حول الزواج القريب والبعيد، عادت تلك الليلة إلى البلد، عاد بها أخوها قسطنطين كما روت لأمها، قبل أن تسقط الاثنتان فريستين لاحتضار قصير، المشكلة الوحيدة هي أن أخوة دورونتين التسعة قد سقطوا فريسة موت سريع، بعد رحيل دورونتين، ولم يبقى من العائلة إلا الأم العجوز، فمن أعاد دورونتين؟
يبدأ المحقق ستريس في محاولاته لاكتشاف سر هذه العودة الغريبة، وتبدأ أيضا ً شائعة مقلقة، له كرجل عقلاني لا يؤمن بالخرافات، وللكنيسة الرومانية الشرقية كدين يعتقد بمعجزة قيامة المسيح من بين الأموات، تقول هذه الشائعة أن قسطنطين الذي كان قد وعد والدته بإعادة أخته كلما اشتاقت الأم إلى رؤيتها، ومنحها في سبيل ذلك (البسا) خاصته، أي وعد الشرف عند الرجال الألبان، الذي لا يمكن الإخلال به ولا التراجع عنه، هو من أعاد دورونتين، قائما ً من بين الأموات.
كانت الأسطورة قد بدأت في التكون على ألسنة النادبات، أسطورة الرجل الذي حافظ على شرف كلمته ووعده، حتى بعد موته، الرجل الذي يتكشف لنا من خلال بحث المحقق ستريس المدقق والمكثف، رجلا ً غريبا ً، يرفض كل المؤسسات الحكومية، ويعتمد على (البسا) كقانون شرف غير مكتوب، ولكن ملزم لكل رجل في البلدة.
من أعاد درورنتين؟ لا يوجد إجابة نهائية لهذا السؤال، في الرواية عدد ممكن من الإجابات، يمكن لأي قارئ اقتناص أو فهم إجابته الخاصة، ومن هنا تتحول عودة دورونتين إلى أسطورة ذات وجوه ورموز متعددة، بل إننا نجد في النهاية ذلك الميل إلى أسطرة الحدث لدى المحقق ستريس نفسه الرافض للخرافات والأفكار الأسطورية.
October 8, 2020
Interesting narration of what could have followed the "Ballad of Doruntine and Constantine" or "Constantine's Besa", an old Albanian legend from the Middle Ages. In this novella. Doruntine, who has married someone in Bohemia, far from Albania, is brought back to her mother by a mysterious horseman. Shortly thereafter, she and her mother both die. Here is the text of the original ballad: https://web.archive.org/web/201007140...
Kadare's story picks up where the ballad leaves off. Captain Stres of the local militia sets out to find just what REALLY happened. Could Constantine have brought her back? The only problem with this is that her brother Constantine had been either killed in war or died of the plague prior to this return to her mother's house. How could a dead man bring her back? After dropping her at her house, the horseman says he has some business at the church graveyard and rides off. The story follows Stres's investigations. Various theories as to the horseman's identity are presented besides that of the dead man resurrected from the grave to keep his solemn promise. Some Albanian culture is presented in the form of the besa: sacred oath that must be fulfilled even after death--much more serious than a mere promise.
The story flowed along and I liked following the different theories. Some Albanian history, politics and attitudes of the church [both Catholic and Orthodox] towards the occurrence appeared through Kadare's text. The translation of this work seemed pedestrian the first time I read it, in the original translation called Doruntine but either someone different translated the revision retitled The Ghost Rider or Kadare's additions made it more understandable, but I enjoyed it more. Living under the Hoxha dictatorship, Kadare cloaked his feelings about modern Albania in this story. To me, Kadare is uneven; some of his works I've really liked and others not so much. This story really was spooky; I'd advise not reading it late at night.
Highly recommended.
Kadare's story picks up where the ballad leaves off. Captain Stres of the local militia sets out to find just what REALLY happened. Could Constantine have brought her back? The only problem with this is that her brother Constantine had been either killed in war or died of the plague prior to this return to her mother's house. How could a dead man bring her back? After dropping her at her house, the horseman says he has some business at the church graveyard and rides off. The story follows Stres's investigations. Various theories as to the horseman's identity are presented besides that of the dead man resurrected from the grave to keep his solemn promise. Some Albanian culture is presented in the form of the besa: sacred oath that must be fulfilled even after death--much more serious than a mere promise.
The story flowed along and I liked following the different theories. Some Albanian history, politics and attitudes of the church [both Catholic and Orthodox] towards the occurrence appeared through Kadare's text. The translation of this work seemed pedestrian the first time I read it, in the original translation called Doruntine but either someone different translated the revision retitled The Ghost Rider or Kadare's additions made it more understandable, but I enjoyed it more. Living under the Hoxha dictatorship, Kadare cloaked his feelings about modern Albania in this story. To me, Kadare is uneven; some of his works I've really liked and others not so much. This story really was spooky; I'd advise not reading it late at night.
Highly recommended.
February 16, 2022
Kadare has written many exceptional books but I think this is my favorite so far, of what I've read from him. This is a story about a young woman, in medieval times, who showed up at her mothers doorstep in the middle of the night. She had married a few years before and lived in a distant land where she never heard anything from her family. When asked how she got here she said her youngest brother brought her by horse. The shock of what she said and her mothers reply to her were so traumatic that they both fainted into a near death state. The reason for this was that her brother along with her other brothers had all been killed in a war three years previously, so, if her story was true, she had been brought back by a dead man. So Captain Stres, the local constable, was summoned to investigate. Both woman died before he could fully interrogate them leaving him with little to go by but the archbishop demanded that he clear this up because only Jesus could rise from the dead. This sent Stres on a bizarre quest for answers.
July 3, 2011
I've read the book when I was in high school because of an assignment and as I wasn't much of a fan of Kadare I thought I wouldn't like this book at all.
Well, I was wrong.
The book is based on an old legend and taken from there to become a sort of mystery/yellow story with hints of political and historical discussions. The main line is an investigation and follows the hero struggle to find the truth about the death of Doruntine while trying to keep hold of his own personal problems. The story is then beautifully filled with interesting historic details and little essays that blend well and add to the main story.
The writing style is fluid and the book is a pleasure to read, carefully edited-nothing is said without a reason and every word leaves you thinking. You won't feel overwhelmed with details and things you don't understand but it's not an easy read either and it will keep you focused and intellectually pleased.
Well, I was wrong.
The book is based on an old legend and taken from there to become a sort of mystery/yellow story with hints of political and historical discussions. The main line is an investigation and follows the hero struggle to find the truth about the death of Doruntine while trying to keep hold of his own personal problems. The story is then beautifully filled with interesting historic details and little essays that blend well and add to the main story.
The writing style is fluid and the book is a pleasure to read, carefully edited-nothing is said without a reason and every word leaves you thinking. You won't feel overwhelmed with details and things you don't understand but it's not an easy read either and it will keep you focused and intellectually pleased.
November 25, 2025
La Bessa
Kadaré si lascia ispirare da una leggenda albanese: la giovane Doruntina viene data in sposa dal fratello Costantino a un uomo che vive in terre lontanissime. Il dolore della madre e' enorme nel separarsi dall'unica figlia femmina. E così Costantino le promette solennemente che le avrebbe riportato la figlia per le occasioni familiari più importanti. Il giovane però morirà in guerra, così come tutti i suoi fratelli. Disperata per la perdita dei figli e per la lontananza di Doruntina, la madre rimprovererà Costantino, piangendo sulla sua tomba, di non aver mantenuto la promessa. Si narra ancora che Costantino abbandonerà la tomba e, affrontato il lungo viaggio, riuscirà a ricondurre Doruntina tra le braccia materne.
Da qui prende spunto questo racconto giallo dalle atmosfere gotiche.
Il Capitano Stres conduce la sua indagine sul mistero del ritorno di Doruntina, immerso nella fitta nebbia autunnale; cerca in ogni modo di far prelevare la ragione, sebbene conscio della leggenda che va prendendo forma sotto i propri occhi, passando di bocca in bocca, di bisbiglio in bisbiglio. Del resto, le prefiche non cessano di scorinare lamentazioni.
Lungo la strada, incollata al cavaliere, ha osservato più volte che i capelli dell'uomo erano non soltanto coperti di polvere ma anche di fango appena seccato, e che il suo corpo emanava un odore di terra bagnata.
Il racconto di Doruntina e' un'occasione per l'autore di raccontare una storia avvincente e al contempo di ragionare sull'eterno contrasto tra ragione e credenze popolari, sulle relazioni incestuose, sulle tradizioni albanesi, sulla sacralità dell'ospitalità, sulla condizione politica dell'Albania stretta nel conflitto tra Chiesa cattolica e Chiesa ortodossa, presa in mezzo tra Occidente e Oriente.
E' in questo contesto che assume valore la bessa o besa che, se ho inteso bene, è una sorta di prelegge, una legge morale, un codice etico che ciascun individuo custodisce a tutela dell'intera comunità. E' possibile che l'associazione non sia del tutto corretta ma il mio pensiero è andato alla frase di Kant che porto nel cuore dalla prima volta che la lessi al liceo: il cielo stellato sopra di me, la legge morale dentro di me.
Kadaré si lascia ispirare da una leggenda albanese: la giovane Doruntina viene data in sposa dal fratello Costantino a un uomo che vive in terre lontanissime. Il dolore della madre e' enorme nel separarsi dall'unica figlia femmina. E così Costantino le promette solennemente che le avrebbe riportato la figlia per le occasioni familiari più importanti. Il giovane però morirà in guerra, così come tutti i suoi fratelli. Disperata per la perdita dei figli e per la lontananza di Doruntina, la madre rimprovererà Costantino, piangendo sulla sua tomba, di non aver mantenuto la promessa. Si narra ancora che Costantino abbandonerà la tomba e, affrontato il lungo viaggio, riuscirà a ricondurre Doruntina tra le braccia materne.
Da qui prende spunto questo racconto giallo dalle atmosfere gotiche.
Il Capitano Stres conduce la sua indagine sul mistero del ritorno di Doruntina, immerso nella fitta nebbia autunnale; cerca in ogni modo di far prelevare la ragione, sebbene conscio della leggenda che va prendendo forma sotto i propri occhi, passando di bocca in bocca, di bisbiglio in bisbiglio. Del resto, le prefiche non cessano di scorinare lamentazioni.
Lungo la strada, incollata al cavaliere, ha osservato più volte che i capelli dell'uomo erano non soltanto coperti di polvere ma anche di fango appena seccato, e che il suo corpo emanava un odore di terra bagnata.
Il racconto di Doruntina e' un'occasione per l'autore di raccontare una storia avvincente e al contempo di ragionare sull'eterno contrasto tra ragione e credenze popolari, sulle relazioni incestuose, sulle tradizioni albanesi, sulla sacralità dell'ospitalità, sulla condizione politica dell'Albania stretta nel conflitto tra Chiesa cattolica e Chiesa ortodossa, presa in mezzo tra Occidente e Oriente.
E' in questo contesto che assume valore la bessa o besa che, se ho inteso bene, è una sorta di prelegge, una legge morale, un codice etico che ciascun individuo custodisce a tutela dell'intera comunità. E' possibile che l'associazione non sia del tutto corretta ma il mio pensiero è andato alla frase di Kant che porto nel cuore dalla prima volta che la lessi al liceo: il cielo stellato sopra di me, la legge morale dentro di me.
August 26, 2019
Some websites classify this as "historical mystery" but of course, given the author, it is much much more. It is built on a well-known Balkan myth and incorporates the belief in a sacred promise which must be fulfilled, because honour can overcome death. It is about grief, relationships, life and death. But the medieval setting also obliquely reflects the situation of Albania at the time of writing, having cut all ties with the outside world, and raises the question of how an oppressed society can preserve its culture, and how culture should be interpreted and re-interpreted in the "modern" world. What a great novel, and what a great writer.
April 26, 2023
رواية فلسفية تدور حول مناقشة الموروثات ، ومحاولة هدم وإعادة بناء ما هو قديم وثابت ..
November 7, 2021
E shkruar gjatë një periudhe të ashpër totalitare, në një Shqipëri komuniste që të zinte frymën, Kadare e mbulon dhe njëkohësisht i heq velin kësaj të fundit, përmes gojëdhënës së famshme e cila lidhet drejtpërdrejt me të kaluarën, historinë dhe identitetin. Kapiten Stresi, njeriu i shtetit, duke u munduar t’i jap një shpjegim racional një legjende që sjell në jetë të vdekurit, nxjerr në pah një absurditet akoma më të madh; çdo shpjegim racional, çuditërisht dhe paradoksalisht, ngjan më absurd se sa vetë absurditeti duke na kujtuar se nuk mund t’i japim shpjegim të arsyeshëm një totalitarizmi të paarsyeshëm. Dhe ashtu sikurse Konstandini paraqet “rrezik” për figurën e Krishtit, duke ia cënuar autoritetin dhe pozitën hyjnore, ashtu edhe një veprim i thjeshtë, një lidhje e situatë familjare e shoqërore mund të interpretohet si kërcënim i një sistemi autoritar që tashmë e ka bërë skicën e botës dhe si duhet të jetë ajo dhe çdo gjë që nuk përshtatet me të duhet eliminuar. Përmes absurditetit të gojëdhënës, Kadare nxjerr në pah absurditetin e totalitarizmit dhe njëkohësisht e lidh ngushtë të tashmën dhe të kaluarën, të vdekurit dhe të gjallët, duke i bërë të gjithë përgjegjës për krijimin e një identiteti kombëtar. Duke pranuar në fund, i dorëzuar “ringjalljen” e vëllait, pra që Doruntinën vërtet e solli Konstandini, Stresi kërkon në këtë formë ringjalljen kulturore, identitare dhe të vetëdijës së masave, duke ju rikujtuar se ndonjëherë absurditeti më i madh nuk gjindet në fiksion (trillim), mirëpo në vetë realitetin në të cilin jetojmë.
September 20, 2019
هذه هي بعينها الحكايات التي تأبى أن تفلت بسهولة الداخل فيها من بين خيوطها المتقنة والمُحكمة النسج دون أن تزرع فيه غابة من الأسئلة اليتيمة الإجابة، وتغرقه في أجوائها الضبابيةالأسطورية. وهنا ثمة سؤال واحد فقط بات في نفس الجميع هاجسًا غريبًا، يكتنف اجابته ضباب كثيف من الغموض والمستحيل ... مَن أعاد دورونتين؟.
دورونتين الفتاة التي تزوجت بعيدًا عن بلدتها، والتي نُسجت الأساطير حول الفارس المجهول الذي قطع نصف قارة بأكملها ليعيدها مرة أخرى إلى بلدها. هل يعقل أنه كان أخاها قسطنطين كما قالت هي؟!، ولكن ماذا لو عرفت أن قسطنطين مات منذ ثلاث سنوات، مع إخوتها كلهم؟. مَن أعادها إذن؟!.
لغز مرعب يسعى الجميع لحل رموزه العصية على الفهم، وأحداث غرائبية ترتجف منها الأفئدة تبدأ معها مولد أسطورة لن يمحوها الزمن من على جدران البلدة ... أسطورة دورونتين والفارس الذي عبر بها نصف قارة.
29.11.2018
دورونتين الفتاة التي تزوجت بعيدًا عن بلدتها، والتي نُسجت الأساطير حول الفارس المجهول الذي قطع نصف قارة بأكملها ليعيدها مرة أخرى إلى بلدها. هل يعقل أنه كان أخاها قسطنطين كما قالت هي؟!، ولكن ماذا لو عرفت أن قسطنطين مات منذ ثلاث سنوات، مع إخوتها كلهم؟. مَن أعادها إذن؟!.
لغز مرعب يسعى الجميع لحل رموزه العصية على الفهم، وأحداث غرائبية ترتجف منها الأفئدة تبدأ معها مولد أسطورة لن يمحوها الزمن من على جدران البلدة ... أسطورة دورونتين والفارس الذي عبر بها نصف قارة.
29.11.2018
May 5, 2018
This book was one that I loved while reading it, but I had mixed feelings about it after I finished. I devoured the book in one day, because I love a good mystery. How beautiful and interesting to have a mystery around an old Albanian folk tale. However, all the build-up went for nothing in the end. I respect the decision to pay tribute to the original tale, but you feel a bit like it was "much ado about nothing", in that you don't get a resolution to all the story that built up.
Although, I love the idea of getting twist after twist, and then boiling it down to the original core of the tale.
Although, I love the idea of getting twist after twist, and then boiling it down to the original core of the tale.
May 6, 2018
I admit that I read this and went a little like huh? How did the ending shift from a simple mystery novel to a monologue about what Albania is, or should be? And that the people listened and nothing changed in reaction (i.e. people getting married far away) - that sounded rather cynical.
Then I read this amazing review that broke down the different elements: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I don't have anything further to add.
Then I read this amazing review that broke down the different elements: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I don't have anything further to add.
August 15, 2020
Libër i shkruar me stilin e Gabriel Garsia Marquez.
September 19, 2020
me: speaks albanian
also me: reads the most famous albanian writer in french
also me: reads the most famous albanian writer in french
May 26, 2021
منذ زمن لم ابدأ رواية وأنهيها في جلسة واحدة، رائعة ومبهرة.
كيف لوعد شرف أن يستمر رغم كل الظروف، وحتى الموت.
كيف لوعد شرف أن يستمر رغم كل الظروف، وحتى الموت.
May 10, 2024
Mu desh te hap fjalorin disa here. Magjik si gjithmone.
August 27, 2024
حكاية مشوقة تقوم على أساس نسف الموروث، والإيمان بالأسطورة مع كثير من الغموض والدهشة الذي يصيب القارئ أثناء القراءة ، مع استقراء الواقع المسيحي التي كانت ألبانيا تحت حكمه في الواقع الأوروبي آنذاك، قبل أن تخضع لحكم الدولة العثمانية فالأرثوذكسية والكاثوليكية كانت في وقت صراع وكل منها يريد الغلبة وتأجيج الموروث الديني فجاءت دورونوتبن بحكايتها لكي تضع المسوغات أمام الكنيسة وتنسف الهرطقات وتحيي الموروث الشعبي الألباني "البيسا" وهي وعد الشرف الذي لابد أن يتم حتى لو كان بعد موت الإنسان.. ، القصة مشوقة تنتهي في جلسة واحدة فالقارئ لا يستطيع حبس أنفاسه منذ الصفحة الأولى وتمضي الحكاية في تشويق وشد وجذب واحياء الحكايات الشعبية المتوارثة وهدم المعتقدات التي بني عليها مجتمع ما ، حتى تنتهي بكثير من الأسئلة والتأويلات والدهشة الرائعة ويظل السؤال : من أعاد دورونتين ؟ هل هو قسطنطين عينه الذي قام من قبره كالمسيح فوفى بالبيسا وبوعده لأمّه أم أنه جاء شبحًا عن طريق شبحٍ آخر ولكنه أدى هذا الدين ،أم أن دورونتين اختلقت هذه الحكاية ولكنها في نهاية المطاف أدت بيسا قسطنطين ؟
لا أحد يعلم ذلك … ..
هذه المرة الثالثة التي أقرأ فيها لإسماعيل كادرايه وفي كل مرة لا أمتلك إلا الإعجاب والمتعة بما يكتب ..
لا أحد يعلم ذلك … ..
هذه المرة الثالثة التي أقرأ فيها لإسماعيل كادرايه وفي كل مرة لا أمتلك إلا الإعجاب والمتعة بما يكتب ..
August 9, 2017
"من أعاد دورونتين " من بلاد زوجها النائية بعد غياب السنوات الثلاث ؟ أحقًا هو من تدعي أخاها " قسطنطين " المتوفى ؟ سؤالٌ قاتل ، ومُحير، يمضي وراءه الملازم " ستريس " رحلة تقصي مضنيه تُبسط وتُفندُ فيها احتمالات كثيرة.
رواية جميلة ، ومثيرة لكنها ليست على شاكلة الروايات التي أهوى.
رواية جميلة ، ومثيرة لكنها ليست على شاكلة الروايات التي أهوى.
November 28, 2010
On the surface the most obvious comparisons to The Ghost Rider would be The Name of the Rose and The Brother Cadfael Mysteries since both features a character that might be considered the precursor of today’s police detective. Unlike the Franciscan friar, William of Baskerville, or the Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael, Ismail Kadare’s Captain Stres is, a servant of the state who strives to remain neutral on the issue of religion. The problem is he has to solve the mystery of how a dead man could bring his sister on horseback from a foreign land and this raises issues bigger than working out whodunit and how they dunnit. It’s an old story being retold here and that’s the problem here, Kadare has to be true to the original story which he manages quite well while still producing something that a modern reader could appreciate. I’d be keen to see what he could when not writing with one hand tied behind his back.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
June 29, 2016
If I could choose any living author to write an episode of Game of Thrones, I would choose Ismail Kadare (Yes, I watched the last episode of Season 6 the night before finishing this book). Kadare's ability to write stories bring to life the past (or alternative pasts) well-grounded in mythology, legend, and history but imbued with the perspective, confidence, and cynicism of modernism (low, high, and post-) is among the greatest. Keep in mind this is after one, often two, translations to bring it to the English reader. In the Albanian or some cases French, his writing must be overwhelming vivid and visceral. His characters can be intelligent, calculating, cold, passionate, obstinate, murderous, dull but always seem to commune with some deeper and timeless currents which runs through humankind throughout time and space. Yet in Kadare's novels these currents could very well be some terrifying unknown, whose only constant is that it is one step away from enveloping all the same and smearing away any distinction between past, present, and future.
January 13, 2023
Spennende mysterium fra middelalder-Albania. Både spennende og interessant
October 23, 2024
"I en by som inte låg så långt därifrån hade man dödat sin gäst/.../Det var då man hade börjat använda uttrycket "Han har våldfört sig på Besa". I byn hade alla, både unga och gamla, känt sig hårt drabbade. De beslöt tillsammans att en sådan skam aldrig mer skulle få upprepas.
De stadgade att vem det vara månde, känd eller okänd, som trängde igenom inhänganden kring deras by, skulle stå under beskydd av Besa, han skulle förklaras som en vän och gynnas som en sådan, man skulle öppna sin dörr för vem det vara må och vid vilken tidpunkt som helst, natt eller dag, och ge honom mat och vaka över hans säkerhet."
Älskar, älskar, älskar hur Kadare fångar de fina delarna av kanunin som format den albanska (gäst)kulturen. Tio av tio.
De stadgade att vem det vara månde, känd eller okänd, som trängde igenom inhänganden kring deras by, skulle stå under beskydd av Besa, han skulle förklaras som en vän och gynnas som en sådan, man skulle öppna sin dörr för vem det vara må och vid vilken tidpunkt som helst, natt eller dag, och ge honom mat och vaka över hans säkerhet."
Älskar, älskar, älskar hur Kadare fångar de fina delarna av kanunin som format den albanska (gäst)kulturen. Tio av tio.
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