Konzert am Ende des Winters

What secret documents does the briefcase of the diplomatic courier Gjergj Dibra, who travels at night on the Paris - Beijing route, contain? Documents which he himself does not know and which his wife Silva fill with fearful suspicions. Ismail Kadare creates a full family panorama, combining tragedy and drama with farce. It tells of Albania's rapprochement with China in recent years under Mao and how the Albanians, knowledgeable and inventive in dealing with thousands of years of foreign rule, also know how to master the "yellow danger". "The Chinese? There weren't any Chinese here. We were just dreaming..." Ismail Kadare" has more to say about the 20th century and its darkness than any other contemporary author". Daniel Kehlmann.