Nordlinger - Children of monsters : an inquiry into the sons and daughters of dictators

From the Same Author

Peace, They Say: A History of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Most Famous and Controversial Prize in the World (Encounter Books)

Here, There & Everywhere: Collected Writings of Jay Nordlinger (National Review Books)

2015 by Jay Nordlinger

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FIRST AMERICAN EDITION

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Nordlinger, Jay, 1963

Children of monsters : an inquiry into the sons and daughters of dictators / Jay Nordlinger.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-59403-816-7 (ebook)

1. Children of criminals. 2. DictatorsFamily relationships. 3. Parent and child. 4. TotalitarianismSocial aspects. I. Title.

HV6251.N67 2015

321.90922dc23

2015005297

PHOTO CREDITS

HITLER: German Federal Archive via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S33882/CC-BY-SA

JEAN-MARIE LORET: Paris Match

MUSSOLINI: Wikimedia Commons

EDDA CIANO: Massimo & Sonia Cirulli Archive, New York

FRANCO: Government of Spain via Wikimedia Commons

CARMEN FRANCO: Jos Demara Vzquez in La Vanguardia via CampuaFotografo.es

STALIN: Wikimedia Commons

YAKOV DZHUGASHVILI: Wikimedia Commons

VASILY & SVETLANA WITH STALIN: Wikimedia Commons

SVETLANA & FATHER: Wikimedia Commons

TOJO: Rekidai Shusho tou Shashin via Wikimedia Commons

KIMIE TOJO & MOTHER: Bettmann / Corbis

MAO: Zhang Zhenshi via Wikimedia Commons

LI NA & LI MIN WITH MAO: Wikimedia Commons

KIM: Gilad Rom via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

KIM JONG-IL: Presidential Press and Information Office via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

KIM JONG-UN: Peter Stevens via Flickr, Creative Commons

HOXHA: Forrsjells Hasonl via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

ILIR HOXHA: Bota Sot

CEAUESCU: Gianni Ferrari / Contributor / Getty Images

NICU CEAUESCU: Communism in Romania Photo Collection via Wikimedia Commons

VALENTIN CEAUESCU: Cristian Otopeanu via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

DUVALIER: Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images

PAPA DOC & BABY DOC DUVALIER: BlackPast.org

CASTRO: Antonio Milena via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

ANTONIO CASTRO: Adalberto Roque / Staff / Getty Images

ALINA FERNNDEZ: Wikimedia Commons

QADDAFI: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jesse B. Awalt via Wikimedia Commons

SAIF AL-ISLAM QADDAFI: John Schults / Reuters / Corbis

ASSAD: Government Photographer via Wikimedia Commons

BASSEL ASSAD: Wikimedia Commons

BASHAR ASSAD: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

SADDAM HUSSEIN: Wikimedia Commons

UDAY & QUSAY WITH SADDAM: Associated Press

KHOMEINI: Wikimedia Commons

AHMAD KHOMEINI: Wikimedia Commons

MOBUTU: Frank Hall via Wikimedia Commons

NZANGA MOBUTU: Radio Okapi via Wikimedia Commons

BOKASSA: Romanian Communism Online Photo Collection via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

JEAN-BDEL BOKASSA JR.: Keystone / Stinger / Getty Images

AMIN: BlackPast.org

JAFFAR AMIN: Courtesy of Jaffar Amin

MENGISTU: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons: at Hebrew Wikipedia

MENGISTU WITH CHILDREN: Durame

POL POT: Lazer Horse

SAR PATCHATA: Heng Chivoan via Phnom Penh Post

To David Pryce-Jones, an exemplary thinker, writer, and friend

CONTENTS

T his peculiar book came about in a peculiar way: In 2002, I was visiting Albania for the first time, speaking under State Department auspices. The country was ten years beyond the collapse of Communism. Many of the old structures were in place, however; democracy was not quite flourishing (nor is it today). For some 40 years, Albania had been ruled by a dictator outstanding in his cruelty: Enver Hoxha. Hoxha achieved an almost perfect tyranny. No one could breathe. One of his few rivals was Kim Il-sung, in North Korea. Hoxha was known as Sole Force. In Albania, that was pretty much true.

Toward the end of my visit, a young intellectual from a government ministry was assigned to show me around. In the course of our tour, I thought about Hoxha and his complete domination of the country. He was gone nowdead. But I had a question for my guide: Did Hoxha have children? Yes, he did: three of them, two sons and a daughter. Are they still in Albania? Oh, yes. And what are they doing? Well, the daughter was an architect, and she had helped design the shrine to her father. As for the sons, they were dabbling in politics or businessit was a little unclear.

I wondered what it must be like to be the son or daughter of Hoxha. To bear a name synonymous with oppression, murder, terror, and evil. I thought it might make a good subject for a magazine article: the Hoxha children. I also thought a broader study of sons and daughters of dictators might make a good book. I tucked the idea away, mentally. Eventually, there came a time to act on it.