Kadare, Ismail, 1936-, Albanian novelist and poet, widely regarded as his country's most important contemporary writer, b. Gjirokastër, studied Univ. of Tiranë, Gorky Institute of World Literature, Moscow. He began as a journalist, and also wrote poetry, which was first published in the 1950s. During the following decade he increasingly turned to prose and was celebrated in his homeland after the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army (1963, tr. 1972), about an Italian general who must retrieve his soldiers' bodies from Albania after World War II. Kadare at first supported Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, but after the mid-1970s he became increasingly critical of the regime and several of his books were banned. After he sought political asylum in France and moved (1990) to Paris, his books became more widely known internationally. Kadare's fiction concerns Albanian history, culture, folklore, and politics and often employs the storytelling techniques of allegory and fable. His many novels include The Castle (1970, tr. 1974), Chronicle in Stone (1971, tr. 1987), The Three-Arched Bridge (1978, tr. 1991), The Palace of Dreams (1981, tr. 1993), The Concert (1988, tr. 1994), The Pyramid (1991, tr. 1996), Spring Flowers, Spring Frost (2001, tr. 2002), and The Successor (2003, tr. 2005). In 2005 Kadare was awarded the first Man Booker International Prize.

Ismail Pasha, 1830-95, ruler of Egypt (1863-79), son of Ibrahim Pasha. He succeeded his uncle Said Pasha as ruler. Ismail used the Egyptian cotton crop, enormously enhanced in value by the American Civil War, to obtain credits for grandiose schemes, including irrigation projects, schools, palaces, the construction of the Suez Canal, and the extension of Egyptian rule in Sudan. Much of the money was wasted, and the country was seriously involved in debt. In 1875, Ismail was forced to sell to Great Britain his stockholdings (some 44%) in the Suez Canal, and in 1876 he was obliged to place the finances of Egypt under the control of a debt commission that represented the French and British bondholders. His attempt to throw off foreign control in 1879 was answered by the Ottoman sultan's deposing him in favor of his son Tewfik Pasha. In 1866, Ismail received the title khedive (viceroy), which his successors also enjoyed.

Ismail, 1486-1524, shah of Persia (1502-24), founder of the Safavid dynasty. He restored Persia to the position of a sovereign state for the first time since the Arab invasion of Persia. Ismail established the Shiite form of Islam as the state religion; this gained him the animosity of the Uzbeks and the Ottoman Turks, who were Sunni Muslims. He warred on the Uzbeks successfully in 1510, and Selim I attacked him in 1514, thus initiating a long series of border wars between the Ottoman Turks and the Persians.

Ismail, 1646?-1727, sultan of Morocco (1672-1727). He organized corps of Sudanese to subdue the revolts that followed his accession. He attacked Christian strongholds in Morocco, regaining Larache and Arzila. Encouraging trade with Europe, Ismail signed a commercial treaty with France (1682) and corresponded with Louis XIV. At Meknes he built a lavish new capital.

Dera Ismail Khan, town (1981 pop. 64,358), N central Pakistan, c.1 mi (1.6 km) on the western bank of the Indus River. A district administrative center, it is known for its lacquered woodwork, glass and ivory ware, mats, and sarongs. Newer industries include soap factories and textile, rice, flour, and oil mills. The old town, founded in 1469 by a Baluchi chief, was washed away by the Indus River; the new town was laid out in 1823. The city is seat of Gomal Univ. (est. 1974) and numerous colleges affiliated with Peshawar Univ.

Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail, al- (c.810-70), Arabic scholar, b. Bukhara. He traveled widely over Muslim regions and made an authoritative collection of the hadith, the traditional sayings of the Prophet. The al-Bukhari collection is regarded by many Sunni Muslims as the most reliable commentary and a law book second only to the Qur'an. The tomb of al-Bukhari, near Samarkand, is a noted place of pilgrimage.

(born Jan. 28, 1936, Gjirokastër, Alb.) Albanian novelist and poet. The son of a post-office worker, Kadare became a journalist. Feeling threatened by the government in Albania, which he alternately praised and criticized, he moved to France in 1990. His best-known novel is The General of the Dead Army (1963), about post-World War II Albania, which gained him an international audience. The stories in Three Elegies for Kosovo (1999) concern the 14th-century Battle of Kosovo. Later novels include Spring Flowers, Spring Frost (2000) and The Successor (2003). In 2005 Kadare won the Man Booker International Prize.

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(born Jan. 28, 1936, Gjirokastër, Alb.) Albanian novelist and poet. The son of a post-office worker, Kadare became a journalist. Feeling threatened by the government in Albania, which he alternately praised and criticized, he moved to France in 1990. His best-known novel is The General of the Dead Army (1963), about post-World War II Albania, which gained him an international audience. The stories in Three Elegies for Kosovo (1999) concern the 14th-century Battle of Kosovo. Later novels include Spring Flowers, Spring Frost (2000) and The Successor (2003). In 2005 Kadare won the Man Booker International Prize.

Learn more about Kadare, Ismail with a free trial on Britannica.com.