The Bridge on the Drina (Phoenix Fiction) by Ivo Andric
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Book Reviews of The Bridge on the Drina (Phoenix Fiction)
Book Review: An excellent introduction to understanding Balkan society
Summary: 5 Stars
The bridge on the Drina continues to stand witness to political changes in the Balkans while the ethnic mosaic of the region remains more or less static. Andric has done a remarkable job of explaining the intracies of Balkan society through his story. Using the bridge as an eyewitness to 500 years of history, we see the rise and fall of empires as a community of Serbs, Croats, Jews, Christians and Moslems live, love and work side by side. Contrary to what the media would have us believe, the ethnic groups of the Balkans have not "hated one another for 500 years and will continue to do so." This book portrays Balkan life in a much more realistic manner than many newly published books on the subject have. If you are interested in the Balkans and are searching for a balanced view of what society was like before the current troubles, read this book. While it is fiction, the patterns of daily life, the social interactions and inter-ethnic relationships portrayed by Andric are right on the money. Little wonder this fabulous story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize when it first came out.
Book Review: Nobel Worthy!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ivo Andric and his "Bridge on the Drina" were an extremely great surprise. I truly did not expect to enjoy the book when I first picked it up. What I found was a rich treasure of Bosnian history. I understand that the work is fiction, but it seemed like such a true glimpse of history. Andric was a master of giving characters throughout the book that stoked the interest of the reader. The main character was the bridge itself. Everything and everyone else centered around this great old Turkish bridge. We see hundreds of years pass by over the reading of this book. Each of those new generations faces new challenges, from the days before a bridge existed, to the days of World War I. Everything in between gives detailed day to day experiences, intertwining generations and people. Andric really had a talent worthy of the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature, which he won for this book. You owe it to yourself to get a copy and glimpse the past in a special way.Book Review: Prize Winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the story of a bridge, built by the Turks in the sixteenth century, the gift to his homeland of Grand Vizer Mehmed Pasha. The bridge is the hero and the location of the story, which is the history of a town based on what happened on and around the bridge. When reading it, one finds it difficult to believe that it was allowed to be published in a Communist country! At any rate, the author gives equal treatment to the Moslems, Christians, and Jews that live in the town that grew up around the bridge. In fact, one of the most hard-working and lovable characters is a Jewish woman named Lotte, who manages the hotel owned by her brother-in-law. I highly recommend the book, although you should read it in a different printing edition than the one I read as the quality of the material used was very bad -- pages started falling out of the book before I was even halfway finished...Book Review: A captivating work - worth the read.
Summary: 5 Stars
Andric writes a fictional, yet truthful, history of the bridge at Visegrad which stood for centuries. The key to the book, from a reader interested in this from a more historical perspective rather than a literary viewpoint, is that the tensions between the different residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina are apparent. From the Turkish occupation to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the factions intertwine throughout the history of the town and the bridge. Although told, or translated, in a slow, laconic style, the writing was wonderful. The individual stories were well told and kept the history of the bridge moving forward.I enjoyed this book quite a bit. After reading it, I felt that I understood this part of the world better -- and that I had a better perspective on my ancestors (Radenovic or Ragenovich) from Montenegro who emigrated to the US in the 19th century
Book Review: One of the best portrayals of Balkans in literature
Summary: 5 Stars
A lifelong Slavicist with particular love for the former Yugoslavia drove me to this book early in my studies of the Balkans. I read the book with no particular appreciation for what I was reading several years ago, and I recently reread it (it is definitely a book that warrants rereading for its attention to detail, its excellent descriptions, and its ability to shed light on the history of the Balkan region-- particularly for those, like me, who are not native to the region.) I traveled to the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Croatia) last year, and after having been there, I gained a whole new appreciation for this book. The most fitting way to describe it is to say that it is vivid, alive, and enduring. I loved it. It tells the story of a noble and fascinating people and culture.