Book description
A satire on Stalinist Albania under the rule of Enver Hoxha, a novel about the construction of a pyramid whose only purpose is to keep the population enslaved, enabling tyranny to flourish. Translated from the French by David Bellos. From the author of BROKEN APRIL, THE PALACE OF DREAMS and…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Pyramid as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
He’s now based in Paris, but Kadare lived much of his life under the rule of Albanian despot Enver Hoxha, who made the rest of the Eastern Bloc look like a holiday camp.
The Pyramid is set in ancient Egypt, where the Pharoah Cheops commissions the tallest-ever pyramid. He doesn’t really want one, but his advisers argue it’s a good way of keeping his population permanently involved in back-breaking labour so they have no energy to revolt.
Dozens of labourers, as dispensable as ants, die with each stone laid. What’s striking is the flippant, ironic tone of the narrative. Kadare…
From Simon's list on where you need to read between the lines.
If you love The Pyramid...
The High House
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
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