''The Rise and Fall of Comrade Zylo'' ( sq, Shkëlqimi dhe Rënja e Shokut Zylo) is an Albanian

satiric Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

novel written by

Dritëro Agolli Dritëro Agolli (13 October 1931 – 3 February 2017) was an Albanian poet, writer and politician. He studied in Leningrad in the Soviet Union, and wrote primarily poetry, but also short stories, essays, plays, and novels. He was head of the Le ...

in 1972. It is Dritëro Agolli's most famous and critically acclaimed novel. The book was written during the communist regime in Albania, a time during which freedom of speech was very limited to non-existent. The composition of the whole book is similar to that of a report, record or official biography. Originally published in the satirical magazine '' Hosteni'' ("The Goad"), it first appeared in book form in 1973.

Plot

The main story revolves around the optimistic main protagonist ''Zylo Kamberi'', who is an incompetent apparatchik. ''Zylo'' in the book is referred to as ''comrade Zylo'', which was common during the Communist regime. His pathetic vanity, his quixotic fervour, his grotesque public behaviour, in short his rise and fall, are all recorded in ironic detail by his hard-working and more astute subordinate and friend ''Demkë'' who serves as a neutral observer. ''Demkë'' before being assigned the post as Zylo's assistant used to be a bright

individualistic Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...

person who gave up on his own ideals to substitute them with the "''ideals of the greater good''", which in the novel is an euphemism for his superiors’ will.

Setting

The events of ''The Rise and Fall of Comrade Zylo'' are set during the time of

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

in the Albanian capital of

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 ...

.Letersia- Shkëlqimi dhe Rënja e Shokut Zylo
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References

1972 novels 20th-century Albanian novels Novels set in Albania {{1970s-novel-stub

Plot

Setting

See also

References