A good book is capable of opening your eyes to a whole new reality, Ms. Durham does that here. An Italian historian once wrote that the Albanian territories were across the Adriatic Sea yet less known than darkest Africa, this is a valiant effort to remedy that. Ms. Durham ventures, illegaly, into northern "High" Albania with an intrepid curiosity and through Western eyes proceeds to open up the vast horizons of Albanian culture. Imagine a society so isolated by the Alps and suspiscion of outsiders that they still have a ready grasp on pre-Christian traditions and myth. Read this and learn of the highland clans, the "besa", the rights of blood and honour that decimated entire generations of males and oh so much more.

Ms. Durham managed to earn the love and respect of those that trusted no one and had been maltreated by all. She lobbied tirelessly, if vainly, for her adopted people for her entire life and in the end was embraced as the "Queen of the Mountain People." This truly is an exceptional book. Read it.

Edith Durham is the undisputed "Queen of the Northern Albanian Alps". She takes you along her tour in Victorian/British-English fashion through the Northern Albanian Alps just after the turn of the century and you feel as if you were just whisked away to ford the streams and climb the mountains with her.

Remarkable as it was to have traversed this landscape in 1909, it was nothing short of a miracle for a woman to have done it. She gained the respect of those she met, showing respect for the great traditional law of the Gheg Albanians--the Kanun of Leke Dukagjini. She was offered "bread and salt" at every table and never doubted the Albanian people's ability to show mikpritje (hospitality) towards an outsider as herself.

Furthermore, I loved the stories she relates about her visits to the specific tribes. She peppers them occasionally with Albanian parables that she was told along the way. For me, this book was amazing and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The totally engaging travel diary of a woman who explored High Albania in the years before the constitution. It is illustrated, though sparsely, with her own charming sketches.

The book explains the complex tribal system of social relationship where strict rules on intermarriage inevitably spark off tribal blood feuds. It is another view of this worlds love affair with the gun. You will be intrigued by the tradition of the "Albanian virgin".

I came to understand better, through reading this book,the civilizing power of government. The author also deals with the development of the concept of individuation and personal responsibility. This is often accompanied by the original folk stories that Ms Durham recorded.

Edith Durham became for a time unofficial "Queen" in recognition of her contributions to social welfare. The daughter of an English surgeon, she never married, but fell in love on a holiday trip and gave her life to a people. I would like to read more by, or about this woman.

Really wonderful and detailed book! Very useful if trying to understand certain regions of Albania and their respective culture.

This is the first English translation of the customary laws, still followed to various degrees, by Albanians in northern Albania, Kosova/Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia. That these laws have survived, and often replaced, the impositions of the Ottoman Empire and the Albanian Communist and Yugoslav governments, attests to their importance. The forward, the introduction, and the note on the translation, which precede the Code, and the Code itself are highly readable. Each page of the Code in English is preceded by a page of the same text in Albanian. The dust cover is red with the black Albanian eagle, duplicative of the Albanian flag, and the book itself has large illustrations of both Leke Dukagjini, an Albanian national hero to whom the laws are traditionally attributed, and his coat of arms. This work would not only make a fine present for Albanians living in English speaking countries, but is a necessity both for non-Albanians attempting an understanding of Albanian society, and, with the present situation in the southern Balkans, for the reference collections of all academic and larger public libraries.

that anyone working in the humanitaian field with Albanians anywhere in the world, or visiting their fantastic country, read this book and be wise before making decisions or judgements upon an ancient life style.

this book is amazing. it's so sweeping in scope and vast in its concerns. chronicling the decline and eventual fall of the diplomatic ties between albania and china, the novel centers on several characters whose lives are directly and indirectly implicated by the sinister game-play of doublespeak and ambivalent symbolic gestures which are hallmarks of chinese politics. this novel is relentless in its critical view of a very complicated relationship, but it does not fall into the trap of blaming or accusation on either. instead, Kadare carefully delineates the various nuances emitted by the Chinese government which are then carefully, if not always successfully, interpreted by the Albanian government so as to chart the next political move. Mao Zedong is given a certain prominence here, and the novel's marvellous rendition of this strange man and his predilection with death and the theatre would give any psychoanalyst a field day. in my view, the most compelling section of the novel is the interchapter of the tragedy of macbeth, which can be read as a cleverly intertext of the history of the power-struggle between Zedong and his marshall, Lin Biao, and/or as the superior-subordinate dialectic between China and Albania. truly, Kadare is one of the 20th (and the 21st) century's most important writer, and this novel is enough to vouch for his excellence.

This novel is often considered as the second in the "winter series" of Ismail Kadare. The first one is "The Great Winter" dealing with the worsening relations between Albania and the Soviet Empire. "The Concert" appeared in Albania in 1988, and dealt in turn with the relations between communist China and Albania. Kadare profited from the communist world's internal cleavages, and pretending to denounce and critizice the Albanian state's enemy (that is, the Chinese regime), he actually denounced Communism itself. The novel has lengthy descriptions of the Chinese dictator at that time, Mao Tse Dung, and deals with the Chinese culture in general, although it is by no means trying to faithfully make it approachable to readers. The main character is an Albanian writer, who is sent to China in a particularly difficult period in the relations of the two countries. Ismail Kadare masterfully describes the intrinsic communist politics. The novel is wonderfully written, has a terrific plot, and is an amazing witness on the power-play.

This book is one of the best ever written about Albania. The interesting thing is, that it doesn't contains the history of men and politicians that can be read everywhere else, but tells about the lifes of the people of all ages. It tells the stories of people who suffered a lot, but also stories of people who are happy with what they reached in their life. Understanding Albania is much easier with this book.

Susan Post's multigenerational account of women in Albania is a tale of survival and personal courage set against the backdrop of the author's experience as a transplanted American banker, wife, and mother. Part oral history, part memoir, it depicts both the hospitality and spirituality that are indigenous to Albanian women whose inspiring-and in some cases, harrowing-stories the author recorded during scores of interviews she conducted throughout cities and villages. Allowing her subjects to speak directly to the reader, Ms. Post portrays the rigors of life during the repressive Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha (1945-91) as well as the challenges and upheaval that came with the advent of democracy in this decade. (Alas, Albania's current political turmoil offers a sad coda to the optimism voiced by the youngest female generation.) Ms. Post dedicated this heartfelt book to her adopted Albanian daughter, but it's also a moving gift for general readers. The tone is w! arm, witty, and surprisingly intimate, and the author managed to expose the very essence of a culture that is both exotic and endlessly fascinating. I couldn't have enjoyed Women In Modern Albania more!

This book shows exactly how albania was and how it is. It gives all these iformation,from albania's culture to it's economy. I myself am from albania and still could not explain it as good as David K. Wright does. I have all these thougts and memories on my mind about some of Albania's dictators,heroes,and how they were but no other book or internet cite comes as close to those thoughts as this book does. I think it's really good.

Anyone that wants to understand about Albania and Albanian politics in the Balkans should read this book. This book is very insightful and provides information that will develop ones understanding of Albania, its history, and politics. For those that are also seeking a clearer understanding of the Kosovo conflict will also find this book to be rewarding. This book is written by an Albanian. Elez Biberaj has written extensively on Albanian politics and this book is just one more literary gem that takes you a step further in the understanding of Albania and her scattered kin. Highly recommended!

This book really gives the inside story about the rise of Afmet Zogi. I would recommended to every person to read it.

An outstanding review of Albanian history and political development.As a lay-man who was always interested in the Albanian obscure history, which was and still is, in a way, an enigma to most western people, the book is fascinating as it's title implies. It's only disadvantage that it is too brief in some of it's chapters.

Albania is a third-world European nation with dismal gray communist block buildings littering the cities, and more than 600,000 concrete pill boxes land studding its countryside and beaches. For the past fifty years, under the tyrannical dictatorship of the communist leader Enver Hoxha and his isolation from the rest of the world, the people of Albania have languished. After 50 years of no contact with the outside world what must the Albanians have thought when they awoke in 1991 to the fast-paced, competitive world of the 21st century?

Northern Albania (High Albania) is a totally different land than the South. High Albania is an intriguing part of the country that retains separate customs and identity. Marjorie Senechal interviewed scores of ordinary men and women with the intent of discovering who these people are, what have they been through, and what does the future look like to them. She invites the common people of Albania to talk candidly - and talk they do. Without the past fears of being beaten, jailed, or even killed for expressing their thoughts they now talk openly about their children, their work, their problems, their fears and even their dreams. Each interview is accompanied by portrait style photos. Stan Sherer has chosen B&W photography to capture the soul of this suffering country. Sherer does a commendable job in discovering both the ethos of these people and the beauty of this part of the country. His photos reveal a balance between the despair and backwardness of Albania, and the strength of will and hospitality that are found in its people .

The harmonious marriage of text and photos is divided into four chapters: ancient history, the past 100 years, the emerging present, and the hope for the future. In Albania it remains a daily struggle just to survive. Yet despite these difficulties, the traditional Albania toast - "Long life to your children" - is a cry for the future, a future of dreams fulfilled.

This book is a definte highlight and must have for anyone intested in Ghegeria (North ALbania). Long Life to your children is an excellent book with fantastic literary content about the culture and way of live for many Malesores (Higlanders) of North Albania. Anyone interested in Gheg clan culture and the typical life of many North ALbanians will find this book of valuable isight. There are also many wonderful photographs throughout the book to accomapny the text and provide a picture of what the North of The Land of The Eagle looks like. Shume i Mire (Very Good). A definite item to have in your collection of Albania.

This book talks about life in Albania from an outsiders view, however it also introduces you to many citizens of the country, doctors, lawyers, farmers, students, etc. and allows them to speak to you in their own words. I found this very refreshing since many other books don't give you that personal connection to a country. The book is also filled with great pictures. Many Albanians are frustrated that the West has decried communism for so many years, yet now that that these countries have embraced democracy, they feel lost, they need help and don't feel that the international community has done enough. After reading this book, I am sure you will agree that a "Marshall Plan" should be implemented in the Balkans. I know this was mentioned during and after the bombing of Kosova.

The author brings the science of history to a new paradigm. The book is written in an excellent way and is result of intensive and extensive experience from the author. He will keep receiving many thanks for his research and publishing work. The book confirms that History is a scientific field and not a dogmatic field. The book must be read by all. The book helps to find answers questions. Reading the book, one can crystally see that the Pelasgian language is the same as the present-day Albanian language. Moreover, it tells what brush paintings had been put on Pelasgian (Albanian) culture and language.

Being my self an Albanian,it has surpassed all my expectations.it is truly true in its content,revealing much of the truth about albania,that even albanians themselves do not know.my deepest sympathy goes to the author with this touching review of albania`s history.i think it made me prouder being an albanian then ever before.i strongly advise all albanians and friends of albania to add this rare item to their collection.

thanks again to the author....deeply gratefull.

If you truly have an interest in the people of Albania there is no better book available. I have read most of the writing (in English) on Albania and this book always checks out with other sources. It is the one complete, unbiased (important in this reagion) account of the Albania people. If you are only casually interested, you will find it ponderous.