Recreate the Classics - Broken April

Author: Ismail Kadare [Albania]
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Ismail Kadare depicts a complete culture—its history, its passion, its legends, its politics, and its disasters. He inherits the narrative tradition of Homer and is a world-renowned writer. —John Carey, Chairman of the Booker International Prize Committee
With Kafkaesque insight and writing force, Kundera-like irony, and Skowronek’s keen sense of history, combined with Kadare’s masterful writing skills, Broken April becomes an impeccable masterpiece. —Kirkus Reviews
When Gjo’s brother is killed by the neighbors, Gjo’s life leaves him from that moment on: because the "Kanun"—the blood-feud law that governs the northern highlands of Albania—stipulates that if a person is killed, his family must avenge him. Gjo cannot escape his fate, and on March 17th, he successfully kills the murderer. Before being hunted down by the family of the deceased, he is granted a 30-day truce. Thus, his April is broken into two parts: before April 17th, under the protection of the truce, it is "white" and safe; after that, it is "black" and fugitive.
From the moment one is born into this world, they are caught in a fate of either being hunted or hunting. Life can only be as brief and hasty as a broken April. Broken April is a shocking work with the style of ancient Greek tragedy. The author tells the story of one person’s month in a concise, poetic tone, yet it reflects the centuries-long torment and tragedy of a nation.