The Pyramid

The Pyramid is a 1995 novel written by Ismail Kadare, considered one of the greatest works produced by this writer, rivaling The Garden Party, by Václav Havel. It is considered to serve both literary and a dissident purposes. Every sentence has two meanings – one in the novel and one that tells something about Communism. For example, the Pharaoh Cheops desires to build a pyramid so large that it will drain the prosperity out of Egypt, and an unprosperous people will not rebel. Like in all his novels, Kadare uses only the pure Albanian language and does not add foreign words. This... is unique to him and many credit him with restoring the Albanian language. He is one of the most significant writers who has developed the Albanian language and literature. "Ismail Kadare enjoys a reputation as Albania's greatest literary voice" And New York Times picked up on the significance of the "The Pyramid", "For the pyramid, viewed by his subjects as an abiding symbol of his total and incontestable power, comes to be seen by him as a personal memento mori, a constant and paralyzing reminder that his brief life will give way to an eternal entombment in stone.
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