''The Three Arched Bridge'' () is a 1978 novel by Albanian author Ismail Kadare. The story concerns a very old Albanian legend written in verses, the " Legjenda e Rozafes". The book differs from the original legend, as the legend calls for a castle that is being built, not a bridge.

Plot

The book is a political parable that describes the construction of an important bridge on the Via Egnatia in Albanian territory in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

from 1377–1378, shortly before the occupation by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

began. Told by an Albanian

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

monk, Gjon (a name used by Northern Albanians who were mostly Catholic prior to Turkish invasions), the story of the bridge, as seen by Gjon is filled with prissy, unhappy bureaucrats, who take the events at face value without ever trying to understand the larger forces at work. Both the river Ujana e Keqe and the bridge itself are major characters in the book, and they undergo significant transformations. One of the startling events of the book is when a "volunteer" is immured inside the bridge in order to make a "sacrifice" to the river. The man's face is captured in the plaster that surrounds him, as unforgettable as it is horrifying. Though clearly a punishment for the crime of sabotage against the bridge, as Gjon recounts this event, it is less an act of vengeance than it is a true sacrifice. But more than that, it becomes a symbol for the ignorance of and squabbling among tiny Albanian principalities and their fight amongst one another, in front of a major threat.www.themodernnovel.org
Kadare's Three-Arched Bridge ''The New York Times'' called the novel "an utterly captivating yarn: strange, vivid, ominous, macabre and wise."

External links

Review for The Three Arched Bridge

References

1978 novels 20th-century Albanian novels Historical novels Novels by Ismail Kadare Novels set in Albania Novels set in the 14th century Skyhorse Publishing books {{1970s-hist-novel-stub

Plot

See also

External links

References