<p><i>Translated by Barbara Bray </i><i>from the French version of the Albanian </i><i>by Jusuf Vrioni</i><br><br>At the heart of the Sultan''s vast empire stands the mysterious Palace of Dreams. Inside, the dreams of every citizen are collected, sorted and interpreted in order to identify the ''master-dreams'' that will provide the clues to the Empire''s destiny and that of its Monarch. An entire nation''s consciousness is thus meticulously laid bare and at the mercy of its government...<br><br><i>The Palace of Dreams</i> is Kadare''s macabre vision of tyranny and oppression, and was banned upon publication in Albania in 1981.</p>