JFDI BOOK NO. 3 CHRONICLE IN STONE Ismail Kadare

CHRONICLE IN STONE by Ismail Kadare

Looks like it's my turn to pick the book and I'm going with CHRONICLE IN STONE by Ismail Kadare.  Until a month ago I had never heard of the author or any of his works, but I found out about him via a recent Independent review of a novel he has just published.  Turns out he has been a leading literary figure in his home country of Albania since his first book was published in 1963 and has been highly regarded in France for at least two decades.  It appears, though, that he has only recently been translated into English, as CHRONICLE IN STONE was written in 1971 but only translated into English in 2007.

Anyway, for a long time I've been curious about Albania, a country so contrarian even the Soviets didn't want it as a satellite, especially after I saw Randy Newman in concert in 1975 and he said that the song "Wedding in Cherokee County," which appeared on the Southern (US)-themed album GOOD OLD BOYS, was really about Albania. The song is hilarious. Albania is not. 

Date for the next JFDI con-fab is Wednesday 12 December.  Mike is going to arrange the venue.  'Til then... Tom.


Chosen by Tom Wells