Ismail Kadare published 25 novels, 2 novellas, 1 non-fiction book, 1 poetry collection and 1 other book, beginning with The General of the Dead Army (1963). The best-known is The Palace of Dreams (1981).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Ismail Kadare
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The Palace of Dreams
Ismail Kadare's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The General of the Dead Army (1963)
The Wedding (1968)
Chronicle in Stone (1971)
The Great Winter (1972)
The Siege (1974)
The Blinding Order (1977)
The Traitor's Niche (1978)
Broken April (1980)
Doruntine (1980)
The File on H (1981)
The Palace of Dreams (1981)
A Moonlit Night (1985)
The Concert (1988)
The Three-arched Bridge (1989)
The Pyramid (Feb 1996)
Spring Flowers, Spring Frost (2000)
Agamemnon's Daughter (2003)
The Successor (2004)
Twilight of the Eastern Gods (2006)
The Fall of the Stone City (2008)
The Accident (2010)
The Succesor (2013)
The Doll (2015)
A Girl in Exile (2016)
A Dictator Calls (2018)
Novellas in order
Elegy for Kosovo (1998)
Three Elegies for Kosovo (2010)
Non-fiction in order
Albanian Spring (1994)
Poetry in order
The Autobiography of the People in Verse (1980)
Other books in order
Kronike Ne Gur (1970)
About Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare was an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. He was a leading international literary figure and intellectual, focusing on poetry until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army, which made him famous internationally.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ismail Kadare FAQ
- How many books has Ismail Kadare written?
- Ismail Kadare published 25 novels, 2 novellas, 1 non-fiction book, 1 poetry collection and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Ismail Kadare's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Palace of Dreams.
- What is Ismail Kadare's last book?
- A Dictator Calls (2018).
- What is Ismail Kadare's most famous book?
- The Palace of Dreams (1981) is Ismail Kadare's most widely read book.
Authors like Ismail Kadare
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.