Revisiting Kadare's The Palace of Dreams: Freedom, Control, and Modern Parallels

Some books have the extraordinary ability to survive the test of time. Ismail Kadare’s The Palace of Dreams is one of them. Initially perceived as a metaphor for the totalitarian regime that ruled post WWII Albania, Kadare’s narrative in this novel places the reader in a timeless exploration of power, the desire for control, and the manipulation of the lives of individuals.

But what makes this work significant more than forty years after its first publication? Today, we live in a relatively free world, or at least we like to call it that. Unlike the oppressive reality of the novel, we are free to criticize our leaders. If dissatisfied with our jobs, we can seek new opportunities or even switch careers entirely. We can move freely from one city, village, or country to another in search of better prospects. No one dictates our social circles, our choice of spouse, or whether we have children. We can, more or less, identify with any nationality and culture we choose, without anyone questioning our choices. In most societies, even those under totalitarian regimes, people are free to choose even the gender with which they identify. Ironically, Iran, despite the repressive nature of its regime, has one of the highest numbers of gender reassignment surgeries, though few would call it a free society.

So, why is it necessary for someone, especially young people, to read The Palace of Dreams when today's reality seems entirely different from that of the novel? Do we gain anything from revisiting a book written more than forty years ago, set in an empire that ceased to exist about a hundred years ago, and serving as a metaphor for a regime that ended abruptly in 1990?

Naturally, the answer, for me at least, is "Yes." It is important to read it because totalitarian regimes have a nasty habit of resurfacing, and no society is immune to them, even if they have experienced the trauma of living under a dictatorship. Collective memory is short, and human life is even shorter. The "intellectual antibodies" gained from the experience of living under totalitarianism, which should help us recognize the rise of a new dictatorship, are not always passed down from one generation to the next. Furthermore, oppressive regimes do not suddenly emerge on a specific day, which would make it easier for us to understand the change and, consequently, stimulate the desire for resistance within us. Instead, they slowly creep towards power, feeding on and being fed by our fears, gradually limiting our freedoms one by one. Hence, the novel serves as a kind of vaccine (as unappealing as that word might be these days), giving us the necessary antibodies to avoid becoming conformist individuals. In its pages, paragraphs, and words are preserved the forms and methods by which dictatorial regimes manifest and maintain power. By reading the novel, we can recognize these regimes at their inception. If not, then at least it helps us understand how they function, which in itself is the beginning of resistance.

However, there is also another reason why Kadare's novel remains relevant today. Picture a world where your thoughts and dreams are scrutinized to predict your future actions. In The Palace of Dreams, Kadare paints this unsettling reality through a bureaucratic machine that interprets the dreams of the empire's subjects to pre-empt any threats. This serves as an allegory for the totalitarian regime where the author himself once lived, and can apply metaphorically to regimes of any ideology. While the plot of the novel unfolds in the Ottoman Empire, its themes resonate equally in post-World War II Albania, Nazi Germany, or present-day Iran—once we strip away the allegorical veil.

In fact, the novel could easily be describing the world we live in today, where algorithms track our every move online to predict what we'll buy or whom we'll vote for. For many of us, it's not the state that seeks control, but private companies under the guise of social networks, various apps, and artificial intelligence programs. They aim to grasp our preferences, fears, frustrations, and reactions online, thereby influencing our decisions—from fashion choices to the politicians we support.

In Kadare’s novel, the manipulation of dreams serves as a way to control both the individual and society on behalf of the Empire. Today, social media algorithms meticulously curate our online experiences, constructing echo chambers that amplify and reinforce only our own ideas and biases. We live under the illusion that we have free choice, yet this facade merely masks the covert control exerted by the creators of these algorithms. Kadare's narrative compels us to see beyond this illusion, urging us to critically analyze the forces moulding our perceptions. While the illusion may serve as a tool for societal control, true empowerment lies in our ability to discern and navigate within it.

Simultaneously, the exploration of power dynamics in this novel prompts us to question the narratives imposed by those in authority, whether they be dictatorial regimes, politicians, or the "tyranny of the market." Kadare underscores the importance of critical thinking and the necessity of seeking diverse perspectives to evade the pitfalls of illusory freedom. While we may enjoy freedom in many respects today, if we are deprived of our deepest wants and needs, can we genuinely claim to be free?

Therefore, The Palace of Dreams transcends its role as a historical allegory; it offers invaluable insights even into grappling with the challenges of our interconnected world today. Have we inadvertently relinquished our autonomy, privacy, and freedom in exchange for convenience and comfort? Returning to this novel grants readers, particularly the younger generation, a more nuanced comprehension of freedom in a world increasingly monitored and controlled.

Kadare’s narrative remains indispensable for its profound examination of control, the illusion of freedom, and individual autonomy. The Palace of Dreams challenges readers to critically assess the compromises we often make, sacrificing our liberties for the sake of security and ease, while reminding us that beneath the veneer of individual freedom lies a profound yearning for a more authentic and genuine liberty.