''The Pyramid'' is a 1992 novel written by
Ismail Kadare. It is considered to serve both literary and dissident purposes. It is a political allegory of absolute political power.
Background
The first part of the novel was written in 1988-1990 but was rejected by the state publisher.
It was serialized in January 1991 in several issues of the new opposition newspaper ''
Democratic Renaissance''.
After the establishment of pluralism and democracy in Albania, it was completed and published in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Plot
The Pyramid is a political allegory set in ancient Egypt. It is the tale of the conception and construction of the Cheops pyramid but also of absolute political power.
Reception
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' picked up on the significance of ''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."
In 1993, the novel was awarded the
Prix Méditerranée Étranger
Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...
in France.
See also
*
Albanian literature
Albanian literature stretches back to the Middle Ages and comprises those literary texts and works written in Albanian. It may also refer to literature written by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and the Albanian diaspora particularly in Italy. Alba ...
*
Communist Albania
*
Ismail Kadare
References
1992 novels
Novels by Ismail Kadare
Novels set in Albania
Novels set in ancient Egypt
Arcade Publishing books
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