The Siege

The Siege is an unforgettable account of the clash of two civilisations and a timeless depiction of individual pain, uncertainty and fear.


Set during the war that followed the Albanian refusal to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire in the early fifteenth century, The Siege depicts the exhilaration and despair of the battlefield. 


For those trapped inside the citadel, and for the Pasha, the artillerymen, astrologer, blind poet and his harem of women outside, the siege is inescapable and increasingly oppressive.


From this dramatic setting Kadare has created a masterpiece, a profound novel that is as moving as it is compelling.


The Siege is translated by David Bellos.


Ismail Kadare is Albania's best-known poet and novelist. Translations of his novels, which include The Siege, The Successor, Chronicle in Stone and The Accident, have been published in more than forty countries. In 2005 he became the first winner of the Man Booker International Prize.


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‘…a historical magnum opus under the guise of a fictional work. It describes in stark and evocative words the blockade of an Albanian Christian fortress in the 14th century…The imaginative technique used by the author…captivates the reader…Kadare employs lively dialogue and argument between the characters…’ Courier Mail


‘A tale steeped in blood, a snapshot of a centuries-long conflict, but at the same time, Kadare’s realism and lively sense of irony give it a modern twist…no ordinary historical novel of derring-do…a universal evocation of human violence.’ Sunday Times


‘[This] translation may be considered as authentic as it is considered elegant and vivid. … You don’t have to make the [political] connection…to find this novel engrossing, or to be awed by the scale of Kadare’s ambition and achievement.’ Scotsman


‘Battle scenes predominate, and are admirably vivid, the narrative swirling and bursting, matching the confusion of the action, its chaotic immediacy, violence happening before one realizes that it has.’ Telegraph


‘The Siege is a compelling tale of the savagery and uncertainty of war and a brilliant historical novel by one of the world’s greatest living writers.’ Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin


‘Kadare's poker-faced sense of humour and eye for the characters' secret absurdities, tragic as well as comic, make the book something more than a coded protest from a cold war backwater. The urgent gestures towards something that's not quite said somehow make the story linger in the mind long after the regime under which The Siege was written went the way of the empire it dreams back to life.’ Guardian


‘Kadare's great fictional achievement: a portrayal of the inner lives of men and women living under intense stress and pain.’ Times Literary Supplement


‘Composed with grace and economy throughout, it is as relevant now as it was nearly four decades ago. … Kadare’s attention to detail is remarkable – he describes the tiniest details…as if it is a symbol of timeless beauty.’ Herald


‘…extraordinary: an epic with the force of myth and the delicacy of a miniature…You could read The Siege every year for a lifetime and find something new each time. There seems no reason to refrain from calling this ideal collaboration between author and translator a masterpiece.’ Sunday Telegraph