What is the German 'Der zerrißene April' in English?

Answer 1

"Broken April" is an English equivalent of "Der zerrißene April."

The German and the English phrases translate the original title of a novel by Albanian author and poet Ismail Kadare (b. January 28, 1936). Kadare's novels tend to give readers glimpses of critical time periods and cultural challenges in Albania's history. In this case, Kadare sets his novel in the rural culture of blood feuds in the northern Albanian mountain region of the 1930s.

It indeed is a tragic tale that Kadare weaves of a 24-year-old whose death ends 40 years of bloodshed between two families. Rural mountain tradition requires this tragic hero to avenge the death of a family member. For this premeditated, ritual killing, the main character Gyorg Berisha in turn will face an equally perfectly orchestrated death sentence. But nobody is left in his family to avenge his death. So Berisha's murderer will be the first in this particular blood feud to get away with murder.