An English translation of the second work by this well respected author. A story of Albania's struggle against the Ottoman Turks, involving the siege of a medieval Albanian fortress by the Turks in the 15th century, and the defeat of the Turks by Skenderbeg.

Born and raised in southern Albania, Kadare grew up during the years of World War II, witnessing the occupation of his home country by fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union. He studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of the University of Tirana, Albania, and at the Gorky Institute of World Literature in Moscow. Famous as a writer in Albania, he has grown to become well known in the world as well - published in up to forty languages. In the last few years he has been frequently mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize.