The General of the Dead Army
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| The General of the Dead Army | |
| Author | Ismail Kadare |
|---|---|
| Original title | Gjenerali i Ushtrisë së vdekur |
| Country | Albania |
| Language | Albanian |
| Subject(s) | Italian general |
| Genre(s) | History |
| Publisher |  New Amsterdam Sh.B. Naim Frashëri |
| Publication date | 1963 1991 |
| Pages | 256 264 |
| ISBN | ISBN 99927-45-53-3 |
The General of the Dead Army is written by Ismail Kadare in 1963. This is the story of an Italian general, accompanied by his chaplain, charged with the mission of scouring Albania in search of the bones of their fallen countrymen, killed twenty years earlier during World War II. It is early 1960s, nearly 20 years since the Second World War ended. An Italian General, accompanied by a sinister priest who is also an Italian army colonel, is sent to Albania to locate and collect the bones of his countrymen who had died during the War and return them for burial in their native land. They are armed with maps, lists, and other important information such as measurements, dental and other records of the missing personnel. The team tours the countryside, organising digs and disinterment and, as they try to find the dead sons of forgotten families, they wonder at the sense and scale of their task. The General constantly talks to the priest who is accompanying them about the futility of war and the sheer meaningless of the whole enterprise.
As they go deeper into the Albanian countryside they find their footsteps followed, sometimes anticipated, by a fellow General who is also looking for bodies — the bodies of German countrymen. Like his Italian counterpart, the German too struggles in the remote countryside, against the cold and rain and the hostile terrain. It is a thankless job looking for the remains of dead `souls' merely to take them back home for a decent burial. Is it worth the exercise? Isn't this a mistaken sense of national honour?
