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