Kadare

“The writer is a natural enemy of the dictatorship,” said Ismail Kadare, Albania’s most renowned author, who passed away today at 88. Kadare lived by this mantra, using his works to fiercely critique not only the communist regime of Enver Hoxha but all forms of totalitarianism worldwide.

Ismail Kadare, the renowned Albanian writer and playwright, has passed away at the age of 88. According to Reuters, he died in a Tirana hospital following a heart attack.

"Discussing Diamonds on December Afternoon" represents a collection of short stories from diverse periods of Ismail Kadare's work.

These start with his early writings that bring us back in the distant 1953, when Kadare was 17, to his mature age of creativity, concluded with 2008, when he finalized this collection.