The Palace of Dreams
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Ismail Kadare |
| Products | Fiction novel |
The Palace of Dreams () is a novel published in 1981 by Albanian author Ismail Kadare. Set during an indeterminate period within the Ottoman Empire, the narrative serves as an allegory for a contemporary totalitarian state. The plot centers on Mark-Alem, a young Ottoman Albanian connected to the prominent Köprülü family, who swiftly rises through the ranks of the eponymous palace—a clandestine governmental institution responsible for gathering and interpreting citizens' dreams to predict the empire’s future and protect the Sultan’s fate.
Composed between 1976 and 1981, The Palace of Dreams is widely regarded as one of Kadare’s most significant works. Soon after its release, the novel faced prohibition following a critical review by the Albanian Writers Union and denunciation by Ramiz Alia, successor to Enver Hoxha, despite initial strong sales.
Background
Kadare initially concealed a passage from The Palace of Dreams within a short story published in his 1980 collection Gjakftohtësia (Cold-bloodedness), which also featured Broken April, The Ghost Rider, and The Wedding. This historical framing enabled it to evade censorship. The complete novel was later included in the second edition of Emblema e dikurshme (Signs of the past) in 1981; since this collection had been previously authorized, it again bypassed censorship.
Readers quickly recognized that the novel’s setting closely resembled central Tirana, particularly around Skanderbeg Square, near the headquarters of the Albanian Party of Labour. Features such as the Palace of Dreams’ cafeteria and archive bore strong similarities to those in that building. Although set in the Ottoman era, the oppressive atmosphere reflected Enver Hoxha’s Albania. Intentional anachronisms and ambiguous elements were employed to maintain the story’s contemporary relevance—a characteristic technique in Kadare’s writing.
Plot
Taking place within the "sybaritic if somewhat torpid atmosphere of the Ottoman Empire," The Palace of Dreams embodies Kadare’s conception of a personalized inferno, drawing parallels to Dante’s Inferno and literary influences such as Kafka, Orwell, Zamyatin, and Borges.
Mark-Alem, a young Ottoman Albanian in his twenties and descendant of the influential Köprülü family, is offered employment at the feared Tabir Sarai by his uncle, who serves as Foreign Minister Vizier. Although inexperienced, Mark-Alem is assigned to the "Selection" department, where he compiles lists and drafts dream interpretations that are subsequently reviewed by more experienced analysts. The "Office of the Master Dream" interprets key master-dreams each week for the Sultan, believed to convey divine insights about the empire's destiny.
As Mark-Alem advances rapidly within Tabir Sarai, he discovers its hidden influence: controlling individuals through dream analysis, employing torture, and eradicating entire families based on symbolic meanings within dreams—thus granting its leaders near-absolute power. A pivotal dream implicates the Köprülü family as dissidents within the Ottoman administration, sparking violent clashes between supporters of the Sultan and factions loyal to the Vizier. Mark-Alem becomes deeply involved, unaware of his true significance.
Ultimately, one uncle faces execution; nevertheless, the Vizier and his family consolidate their power, with Mark-Alem appointed as head of Tabir Sarai.
Censorship
At the beginning of 1982, an urgent assembly was convened by the Albanian League of Writers and Artists alongside members of the Albanian Politburo, including Nexhmije Hoxha and Ramiz Alia, in response to the novel's unmistakable references to Socialist Albania. The Palace of Dreams faced harsh denunciation, with Kadare being accused of subtly undermining the Communist regime. Ramiz Alia cautioned Kadare: "The people and the Party have elevated you to Olympus, but if your loyalty falters, they will cast you into the abyss." Despite this, the authorities refrained from imprisoning or purging Kadare, mindful of his international literary acclaim and the potential negative repercussions amid Albania's worsening economic crisis.
Following sales of 20,000 copies, the book was banned. It remains the piece Kadare regards with the greatest pride.
Reception
Jean-Christophe Castelli, writing for Vanity Fair, describes The Palace of Dreams as "Kadare's boldest novel" and "one of the most comprehensive portrayals of totalitarianism ever penned." Similarly, Julian Evans, reviewing for The Guardian, concurs that "if any book deserves prohibition under a dictatorship, this is it." The Los Angeles Times praises it as a "flawless ... allegory of power," emphasizing its "historical and profoundly human melancholy."
Translations
The Palace of Dreams has been rendered into a wide array of languages. The English edition was translated by Barbara Bray from the French version by Isuf Vrioni. Significant translations include:
- 1990: To palati t ōn oneirōn (Greek; translated by Helene Kekropolou)
- 1991: Palata snova (Serbian; translated by Shkelzen Maliqi)
- 1991: El palau dels somnis (Catalan; translated by Maria Bohigas)
- 1991: Il palazzo dei sogni (Italian; translated by Francesco Bruno)
- 1992: Drömmarnas palats (Swedish; translated by Agneta Westerdahl)
- 1993: O palacio dos sonhos (Portuguese; translated by Bernardo Joffily)
- 1994: 夢宮殿 / Yume kyûden (Japanese; translated by Mituhiko Murakami)
- 1998: Палатата на соништата (Macedonian; translated by Fatbardha Shehu)
- 2003: Az Álmok Palotája: regény (Hungarian; translated by József Takács)
- 2004: El palacio de los sueños (Spanish; translated by Ramon Sanchez Lizarralde)
- 2004: 꿈의궁전 /Kkum ŭi kungjŏn (Korean)
- 2005: Het dromenpaleis (Dutch; translated by Jacqueline Sheji)
- 2005: Der Palast der Träume (German; translated by Joachim Röhm)
- 2007: Palatul Viselor (Romanian; translated by Marius Dobrescu)
- 2008: Pałac snów (Polish; translated by Dorota Horodyska )
- 2012: Palača sanj (Slovenian; translated by Luana Maliqi and Maja Novak)
- 2015: 梦宫 / (Meng gong; Chinese; translated by Xing Gao)
- 2015: Kākh-i ruyā'hā (Persian)
- 2016: قصر الاحلام : روايه / Qasr al-aḥlām : riwāyah (Arabic; translated by Ḥayāh al-Ḥuwayk ʻAṭīyah)
- 2017: Palác snů (Czech; translated by Hana Tomková)
- 2021: Дворец Сновидений (Russian; translated by Vasiliy Tyukhin)
Adaptation
New York-based Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat has shown interest in transforming The Palace of Dreams into a cinematic work, emphasizing the novel's depiction of similarities between Albania's Communist era and Iran's Islamic revolution.
See also
Relevant literature
- Braçaj Morena. "The Transmission of Cultural Expressions in the Language of Translation with the Same Semantic Value in a Literary Text." Revue Européenne du Droit Social 3 (52) (2021): 113-122.
- Ivana Perica. "The Palace of Dreams / Nënpunësi i pallatit të ëndrrave." CAPONEU Digital Platform