'I am not a political writer' says Ismail Kadare

"I am of the opinion that I am not a political writer, and, moreover, that as far as true literature is concerned, there actually are no political writers," Kadare said in an interview with Swiss press on Saturday. "I think that my writing is no more political than ancient Greek theatre. I would have become the writer I am in any political regime."

The novelist and poet Kadare defected from Enver Hoxha's Maoist regime in Albania in 1990, seeking asylum in France. The author of novels including The General of the Dead Army, The Palace of Dreams and Albanian Spring, Kadare won the inaugural Man Booker International prize in 2005, prompting a storm of criticism from some anti-communist writers, who took issue with his privileged status under Hoxha. Although some of his works were banned, others, particularly The Great Winter, praised the leader and the country's split from the Soviets in 1961.