The Accursed Mountains: Journeys In Albania

by Robert Carver

Book Overview

The remarkable tale of a series of journeys through remote, extraordinary Albania in the brief period between Communism and anarchy before it was again closed to Western travellers.

Travelling by bus, on foot, by mule and horse, staying with Albanians in their houses and crumbling Stalinist tower blocks, Robert Carver meets Vlach shepherds and village intellectuals, ex-Communist Special Forces officers and juvenile heroin smugglers, missionaries...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0006551742
• ISBN13: 9780006551744
• Release Date: June 1905
• Publisher: Flamingo
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Fantastic, In-Depth Analysis & Real-Life Adventure; Objective too!

I foundt this book to be the best I have ever read about Albania and the Balkan mountain region. His treatment of the locals is fair, accurate, and extraordinarily compassionate. I found no tone of sarcasm at all, but one of true objectivity and kindness towards even the worst of the worst criminals and 'hoodlums' of Albania. The writing style is poetic and beautiful from the very first page. I was taken by surprise by how well-written and insightful this book was. I am going to read it again and I never read travel books twice unless they are better than awesome, and that is exactly what this book is! Robert Carver is honest, direct, and a genius at languages and cultural perspectives, including the Communist/Socialist, Democratic, Religious, and Ethnic ideaologies which he explores in conversations with locals. These vignettes and these characters are definitely real people with real 'biographies' as they like to call them in Albania. A truly wonderful read! I enjoyed every single page of Robert Carver's journey through Albania.

An eye-popping read

My interest in Albania began with a TV documentary about tribal feuds in that country. Amazed that such barbaric custom could exist in the heart of Europe in this day and age, I decided to find more about Albania. Robert Carver's highly readable book only confirmed the documentary story. While many readers who commented here condemn Carver's lack of political correctness, I appreciate the fact that he had the courage to write about what he had seen through his personal lense - political correctness be damned. I don't see why an author should be held responsible for the reputation of a country. This is how Albania appeared to him and if those who lived there had different experiences, they are free to write and publish them. I, for one, find it difficult to defend a culture where family honor is blown out of proportion, where women are treated as cattle and insults are drowned in the blood of innocent family members.

Northern Albania

Although at times I felt Carver's criticism, or rather sterotypes/generalizations, of Albanians were a bit harsh, I also found a great deal of truth in them. As someone who has lived and traveled extensively in Northern Albania (where the book is set) I can identify Carver. Like the author and many non-albanians that have spent time there, I developed a love-hate relationship with the country (pardon the cliche). I think he provides as objective a critique and response to his travel as possible while being emotionally involved with his subjects. Many readers (some of them Albanian) have criticized Carver for the negative impressions that he gives of the country. My response to that is that Albanians are one of the proudest people I have ever meet and have a great deal of trouble admitting that corruption, poverty, and a great deal of violence exist within their country. Don't get me wrong, I love the country and the people. Things have changed since Carver wrote the book, some things have improved, some have got worse. The violence exists, it's still there and in many ways has intensified. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is mildly interested in the country or its history. However, remember that while reading it that many of the problems that Carver recounts exist in American and Western European Cultures....and, much like the Albanians we don't want to own them. As another reader points out, many of the words and sentences in the book are in Albanian, Italian, and Greek which didn't bother me as I have a working knowledge of the languages (and admittedly, he should have had an italian and albanian publicist look over the book, because there are several errors) I feel that it adds a great deal to the book, but may be intimidating to someone who doesn't understand these languages.

A very personal view

The author is unusually honest in admitting he does not know much about Albania and misunderstands a lot of what he sees. The bandits turn out to be harmless children, etc. This makes for a disarming book and an absorbing picture of a country wrecked first by dictatorship and then by chaos. He meets dozens of Albanians of many ages and backgrounds and describes how they cope with the circumstances in which they have to live. Most of his descriptions are sympathetic and he tries to imagine himself in their shoes. I repectfully suggest the reviewers who found the author arrogant are misunderstanding the book. There is hardly a single person in it whom the author dislikes. Strongly recommended.

Good travel reading!

What a great book to read while on a plane, a bus, or train. This book contained many familiar references and pictures, as I'd traveled through Albania the same year as the author. Had I known what he experienced, I'd probably have reconsidered my trip! While I had no problems, Carver's travelogue takes the reader through incredible experiences with a variety of people that illustrate the Albanian mind, so unique these days, having been isolated for 50 years under a repressive dictator. The amazing thing is that it's non-fiction. This is a fascinating country, and this book takes you on a clearly on-tourist look at the people, landscape, and culture.