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Jeffrey Keeten's Reviews > The Traitor's Niche
The Traitor's Niche
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”The head was establishing its rapport with the crowd. Its glassy eyes sought human eyes. Death hung in the air, transparently visible. As the cold tightened its grip, the spectators felt drawn closer to the frontier of death, almost touching it. In a few moments the crowd and death would congeal in a waxen, translucent unity.”
Black Ali Pasha of Albania has decided at the age of 82 to rebel against the Sultan in Constantinople. It is not readily clear if he has a death wish or at least that he wants to have a brief moment of perceived freedom before his head is separated from his body.
He knows. The Sultan knows. Everyone knows he won’t win.
The Sultan sends his soldiers to Albania carrying their menacing, black scarecrows, striking terror on the level of stormtroopers or the Waffen-SS
The traitor’s niche in the Cannon Gate awaits Black Ali’s head.
At the Traitor’s Niche, there is a man by the name of Abdulla who is assigned the task of watching over the Niche. He examines the heads twice a day to make sure they are not deteriorating. If anything goes awry with one of the heads, it will be his head. He has recently married and is having trouble…. ”He felt betrayed. His body was slowly failing, about to give up. But the brunt of his anger was directed towards what had previously been his greatest joy: his cock. He could not forgive it. When he was not with his bride, when he was in the street or the cafe or even at the site of his sacred duty, it would unexpectedly swell and be ready for any exploit, but when he was with his wife it became flabby, shrank, and retreated like a puppy faced with a tiger. And so he cursed it for its treachery.”
Before the heads reach Abdulla, they have to be fetched from sometimes the far reaches of the empire. The odious Tundj Hata is the man for that job. It is a nasty assignment which most people would do because they have no choice, but Hata loves it. In fact, you might even say he relishes it. He is pale with a henna stained beard. So what does a man like this dream about as he is riding in a carriage with a snow wrapped head from Albania?
”His brain resembled some clinging creature with the inner luminescence of a glow-worm, whose slime smeared the domes of mosques and mausoleums, banknotes, and the wombs of women awaiting insemination.”
*Shiver*
There is a great emphasis on dreams in the Turkish empire, and soldiers on the march are required to turn in their dreams for analysis so the dream interpreters can sift through their muddled thoughts in search of omens of the near future. The Palace of Dreams back in Constantinople requires dreams from the citizens as well. It sort of reminds me of Roman priests looking at the entrails of a fatted calf to determine if the auguries are favorable.
The empire also has a system to bring a conquered country fully under their control. There are five principal stages:
A physical crushing of the rebellion.
The extirpation of any idea of rebellion.
The destruction of culture, art, and tradition.
The eradication or impoverishment of the language.
The extinction or enfeeblement of the national memory.
Ismail Kadare takes us into the minds of Black Ali Pasha, his 22 year old bride, Hurshid Pasha the conqueror of Albania, Abdulla the keeper of the heads, and Tundj Hata the fetcher of the heads, and by doing so gives us a complete picture of a brutal world at the height of Turkish conquest. I remember having a similar experience when I read his book The Siege. I was completely submerged in the minds of the principle characters. This access bloomed the ramifications of the events of the story into a grand epic of images . Kadare writes these thoughtful, stark passages, and every sentence is so finely honed that it makes me wonder how much better it would be in his native Albanian. Another wonderful adventure with Kadare with extra bonus points for a cameo by Lord Byron himself.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Black Ali Pasha of Albania has decided at the age of 82 to rebel against the Sultan in Constantinople. It is not readily clear if he has a death wish or at least that he wants to have a brief moment of perceived freedom before his head is separated from his body.
He knows. The Sultan knows. Everyone knows he won’t win.
The Sultan sends his soldiers to Albania carrying their menacing, black scarecrows, striking terror on the level of stormtroopers or the Waffen-SS
The traitor’s niche in the Cannon Gate awaits Black Ali’s head.
At the Traitor’s Niche, there is a man by the name of Abdulla who is assigned the task of watching over the Niche. He examines the heads twice a day to make sure they are not deteriorating. If anything goes awry with one of the heads, it will be his head. He has recently married and is having trouble…. ”He felt betrayed. His body was slowly failing, about to give up. But the brunt of his anger was directed towards what had previously been his greatest joy: his cock. He could not forgive it. When he was not with his bride, when he was in the street or the cafe or even at the site of his sacred duty, it would unexpectedly swell and be ready for any exploit, but when he was with his wife it became flabby, shrank, and retreated like a puppy faced with a tiger. And so he cursed it for its treachery.”
Before the heads reach Abdulla, they have to be fetched from sometimes the far reaches of the empire. The odious Tundj Hata is the man for that job. It is a nasty assignment which most people would do because they have no choice, but Hata loves it. In fact, you might even say he relishes it. He is pale with a henna stained beard. So what does a man like this dream about as he is riding in a carriage with a snow wrapped head from Albania?
”His brain resembled some clinging creature with the inner luminescence of a glow-worm, whose slime smeared the domes of mosques and mausoleums, banknotes, and the wombs of women awaiting insemination.”
*Shiver*
There is a great emphasis on dreams in the Turkish empire, and soldiers on the march are required to turn in their dreams for analysis so the dream interpreters can sift through their muddled thoughts in search of omens of the near future. The Palace of Dreams back in Constantinople requires dreams from the citizens as well. It sort of reminds me of Roman priests looking at the entrails of a fatted calf to determine if the auguries are favorable.
The empire also has a system to bring a conquered country fully under their control. There are five principal stages:
A physical crushing of the rebellion.
The extirpation of any idea of rebellion.
The destruction of culture, art, and tradition.
The eradication or impoverishment of the language.
The extinction or enfeeblement of the national memory.
Ismail Kadare takes us into the minds of Black Ali Pasha, his 22 year old bride, Hurshid Pasha the conqueror of Albania, Abdulla the keeper of the heads, and Tundj Hata the fetcher of the heads, and by doing so gives us a complete picture of a brutal world at the height of Turkish conquest. I remember having a similar experience when I read his book The Siege. I was completely submerged in the minds of the principle characters. This access bloomed the ramifications of the events of the story into a grand epic of images . Kadare writes these thoughtful, stark passages, and every sentence is so finely honed that it makes me wonder how much better it would be in his native Albanian. Another wonderful adventure with Kadare with extra bonus points for a cameo by Lord Byron himself.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
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Vessey wrote: "Hey, look at that! I am the first one again. And not just for this year, but really the first one. :) YAY me! :) Though I do know what you reading a book about Istanbul means. :)It sort of remind..."
I was wondering if Bulgaria could relate to what happened to Albania. This is definitely a writer you should read, because I think culturally he comes from a similar set of circumstances as you do. Well as an American we always question the motives of the Russians, but I'm sure they do with us as well.
Someday I'm coming to Istanbul to collect the vig owed by a certain Bulgarian woman. :-)
Thanks Vessey for the info. I will definitely be reading more books by Kadare. They are unique and compelling.
Deanna wrote: "Excellent review!!"Thanks Deanna!
hey y'all today was my first day of home schooling i cant believe that im saying this but i prefer to go to school thn do home shooling/online scholling
~Aliyah~ wrote: "hey y'all today was my first day of home schooling i cant believe that im saying this but i prefer to go to school thn do home shooling/online scholling"
My wife is a teacher and she is ready to get back in her classroom so she can see her students and teach again. Hopefully things can return to normal this fall.
It sort of reminds me of Roman priests looking at the entrails of a fatted calf to determine if the auguries are favorable.
It was also done by the Greeks and who knows how many more peoples in those times. Actually, the Greeks thought that you were the closest to the divine, to the power that would help you see the future, when you were dying. Or at least this was how it was described in David Gemmell's Troy. This was why there is a scene with Agamemnon killing a soothsayer. And in Kafka on the Shore Oshima tells Kafka that this was how the idea of labyrinths appeared. People were inspired by the way intestines looked like, after they had gutted someone out. I would have never imagined it! I’m shivering too.
The empire also has a system to bring a conquered country fully under their control. There are five principal stages:
A physical crushing of the rebellion.
The extirpation of any idea of rebellion.
The destruction of culture, art, and tradition.
The eradication or impoverishment of the language.
The extinction or enfeeblement of the national memory.
Yeah, my people are very familiar with those. From experience. But their cruelty was what turned against them in the end. In 1876 there was a big, bloody rebellion that, of course, wasn’t successful and the participants were crushed very cruelly. They knew it would happen, but they did it anyway, because they hoped it would reach other countries in Europe and bring them their help. The result was the Russians coming to our aid and our liberation in 1878. Of course, people argue about how much Russia did it out of generosity and how much for its own political purposes. Well, even if it was the latter, I can’t help being grateful.
Jeffrey, this sounds very interesting and I absolutely believe you about what you’re saying about how good the writing is. The passage you have opened this marvelous review with is a plain evidence for that. I will list it. Thank you so much! I love you <3