Veranstaltung: Enver Hoxha: Biography of a Tyrant - Book launch with Robert Austin (Toronto) & Artan R. Hoxha (Tirana)

Join us for a informal conversation with the authors, historians Robert C. Austin and Artan R. Hoxha to discuss what is undoubtedly the most comprehensive biography of Enver Hoxha in any language. Find out more about the extraordinary story of Europe’s longest-ruling communist dictator.

 

Chicago University Press has published what is the first full-length biography of Enver Hoxha, the communist dictator who ruled Albania for nearly half a century. Hoxha was an unreformed Stalinist who was propelled to power with Soviet and Yugoslav help following the defeat of the Axis powers, though he soon broke with his former allies and built a Chairman Mao–like political cult in his tiny and impoverished nation. In this fluent and far-reaching account, Hoxha emerges as a paranoid megalomaniac, interested in maintaining control above all else, who excelled at manipulating his comrades and outsmarting his domestic and international enemies. This important book shines a light on the nature of dictatorship and on a lesser-known chapter in the history of the Cold War.

 

What reviewers have said: “Austin and Hoxha have done a wonderful job in telling the Albanian dictator’s story and setting it in the context of his times.” (Tim Judah)

Misha Glenny noted the authors provide the first judicious biography of Enver Hoxha.

The book has already received wide acclaim, with the New Statesman saying it is among the best non-fiction of 2026.

 

About the authors: Robert C. Austin is professor at the University of Toronto and author of many books on the Balkans. He is a ScienceCampus visiting fellow throughout June 2026.

 

Artan R. Hoxha is a historian of southeastern Europe based in Tirana, Albania. He held a Humboldt Fellowship at IOS in 2025/26.