1 July 2009 | Albanian writer Ismail Kadare was recently awarded Spain's Prince of Asturias literature prize, in recognition of the social commitment in his work.

Kadare “represents the pinnacle of Albanian literature and, without forgetting his roots, has crossed frontiers to rise up as a universal voice against totalitarianism,” organizers told media.

The writer was born in 1936 in Gjirokaster, which is also Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxha’s city of birth. In 1990, Kadare was granted political asylum in France, after which his work gained more acclaim internationally

A regular nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Kadare is the recipient of a series of prestigious awards, including the first International Booker award in 2005. He was also shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2009 for his novel The Siege.

Some of his other novels, which have been translated in more than 40 languages, include Chronicle in Stone, The General of the Dead Army, The Palace of Dreams and The Concert.

A regular nominee for the Nobel literature prize, Kadare won the first International Booker award in 2005. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages.

A noted scholar of Albanian traditions and the oddities of the Balkan state, his works are often set around historic events affecting his country such as the break between Albania and the former Soviet Union, Catholic and Orthodox rivalries and the split between Tirana and Beijing, according to the Asturias foundation biographical note of Kadare, cited by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The prize, named after Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, includes a 50,000 cash stipend and a sculpture by artist Joan Miro.

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