The Fall of the Stone City

<b>Enigmatic and compelling, <i>The Fall of the Stone City</i> shows Ismail Kadare at the height of his powers.</b> It was shortlisted for the <i>Independent</i> Foreign Fiction Prize.<br> <br> In September 1943, German soldiers advance on the ancient gates of Gjirokaster, Albania. It is the first step in a carefully planned invasion. But once at the mouth of the city, the troops are taken aback by a surprising act of rebellion that leaves the citizens fearful of a bloody counter-attack. <br> <br> Soon rumours circulate, in cafes, houses and alleyways, that the Nazi Colonel in command of the German Army was once a school acquaintance of a local dignitary, Doctor Gurameto. In the town square, Colonel von Schwabe greets his former classmate warmly; in return, Doctor Gurameto invites him to dinner. The very next day, the Colonel and his army disappear from the city. <br> <br> The dinner at Gurameto's house changes the course of events in twentieth-century Europe. But as the citizens celebrate their hero, a conspiracy surfaces which leads some to place Gurameto, and the stone city, at the heart of a plot to undermine Socialism.<br> <br> <p><b>Ismail Kadare</b> was Albania's best-known poet and novelist. Translations of his novels, which include <i>The Siege, The Successor, Chronicle in Stone </i>and <i>The Accident</i>, have been published in more than forty countries. In 2005 he became the first winner of the Man Booker International Prize. He died in 2024.</p> <br> <i>textpublishing.com.au</i><br> <br> 'One of the most important voices in literature today.' <i>Metro</i><br> <br> 'One of the world's greatest living writers.' Simon Sebag Montefiore<br> <br> 'There are very few writers alive today with the depth, power and resonance of this remarkable novelist.' <i>Herald</i><br> <br> 'The Fall of the Stone City is a Kafkaesque nightmare, an incredibly powerful tale of historical drama and human tragedy. Lovers of great literature should feast on a book like this, devouring the story and despairing when there are simply no more pages to turn.' Weekend Bookworm, ABC Radio Brisbane<br> <br> 'European grand master Ismail Kadare, that wizard of the sinister, beguiles with yet another dark fable...this epic novella packs a huge - both hugely entertaining and thought-provoking - punch.' <i>Sunday Star Times</i>