Thousands pay their respects to renowned Albanian writer Ismail Kadare at his state funeral
Thousands of people have paid their last respects to Ismail Kadare in a state funeral in Tirana Wednesday, with a minute’s silence held nationwide in memory of the renowned Albanian novelist and poet who died earlier this week
By Ap News
Published - Jul 03, 2024, 08:23 AM ET
Last Updated - Jul 03, 2024, 08:23 AM EDT
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Thousands of people paid their last respects to Ismail Kadare in a state funeral held in Tirana Wednesday, with a minute's silence held nationwide in memory of the renowned Albanian novelist and poet who died earlier this week.
Kadare's coffin, surrounded by National Guard officers, lay in state in the entrance hall of the Opera and Ballet Theater in the capital's central Skanderbeg Square as his poems were recited in the background.
“He came, wrote and left,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said during the ceremony, adding that Kadare had put Albanian literature “into the pantheon of world letters.”
As his coffin left the hall, the crowd outside in Skanderbeg Square clapped and threw flowers.
