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: Jugoslavija
Summary: 5 Stars
Everybody has to remember that Ivo Andric was a Yugoslav winner of the Nobel Prize and if he had been alive in 1991/92 he would certainly have rejected the idea of a creation of a new artificial state called "Bosnia-Herzegovina". I agree that the novel helps understand the complexity of the peoples that live in Bosnia but I disagree and condemn all those so-called Bosnians who try to justify themselves and the creation of their artificial state with this exceptional piece of literary art. Art is universal and should never be used as a means or weapon for new states (whether artificial or not) to claim their relevance. Art should be absolutely preserved in its historical context by everybody and not used or dangerously derivated to obtain acknowledgment of any other nature.Book Review: The Grand Vezirs Bridge
Summary: 5 Stars
My initial opinion of the novel after reading it was that it was average at best. But now, after a few days spent absorbing what I had just read, I have a new found appreciation for the novel. Small things such as the symbolism of the repairing of the bridge, or the connection it representated both physically and metaphorically between two different peoples. As many other people who reviewed it have remarked, it is a powerful as well as informative novel that sheds light on the situation in that area of the world, even if it's a work of fiction. The detail given to life in the city makes it come alive and the sheer scale of the novel leaves me feeling as though I have lived there my whole life. I whole heartedly endose this novel and believe that everyone should read it.Book Review: Suffering and Longsuffering and life goes on...
Summary: 5 Stars
"generation after generation learnt not to mourn overmuch what the troubled waters had borne away...[life] was incessantly wasted and spent, yet none the less it lasted and endured `like the bridge on the Drina'"This quote describes well the overall tone of this novel. If history can be described as a great river, the Bridge on the Drina tells the story of the riverbed. It takes a little while to "get into" but it is beautifully written. I highly reccommend it to anyone who wants to better understand Balkan nationalism and the wars of the early 90s, or to anyone who has an interest in Balkan history. I would suggest that you have a basic knowledge of the history of that time period though before reading it, otherwise you won't appreciate it as much.
Book Review: Very Powerful and Moving
Summary: 5 Stars
Ivo Andric possessed a gift that few writers have had. He was able to put historic facts in a readable almost mystifying format that made this book a master piece, even though the word is now terribly overused, The Bridge on The Drina is a master piece and Andric is a masterful story teller as he is a writer. The story that Andric presents is a powerfully moving story and is based on historic fact. It does not only give the reader a better perspective to view the conflicts in the Balkans of the 90's and the recent Kosovo trouble, but it also supplies the reader with a better understanding of a conflict that traces it's roots to the 14th century, that can be used in understanding war's and conflicts based on ethnicity and religions else where.Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
This book delves deep into the psyche of the Balkan mind, weaving fact and fiction together in a masterful way. The bridge is still there (the one that was destroyed was in Mostar) and completely magnificent. It is amazing to have walked the bridge and to have sat upon the stone benches built into the infamous parapeet after reading this book. The author described the bridge so well that when I finally walked upon it and ran my hands over the stones it was like I'd been there hundreds of times already instead of just the first time. The author's insight into the culture and delicate intermingling of folklore is quite poignant is a must read for anyone wanting to learn more of the Balkans, specifically Bosnia.