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The Bridge on the Drina
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I read this book earlier this year, for the second time, and I highly recommend it.
Rosemarie wrote: "I read this book earlier this year, for the second time, and I highly recommend it."The sequel, Bosnian Chronicle, is wonderful, too.
My auto mechanic is an ethnic Bosnian who grew up in Croatia. He feels that Andric only received the Nobel prize due to political connections. I can't say as I agree.
That's good to know, Diane, since it's already on my to-read list.
I think that the book is amazing, so I don't see that he received the prize for political reasons either.
I haven't checked on this group for a while, so I just found out that "The Bridge on the Drina" is a current read. I have a copy of it I bought a few months ago that I haven't started yet. I read Andric's Bosnian Chronicle last year and thought it was very good, though not an exciting read.
The Bridge on the Drina has a very dramatic first chapter, and I found it a well-paced read. It deals with events that happened on or near the bridge over a lengthy period of time.
George wrote: "I haven't checked on this group for a while, so I just found out that "The Bridge on the Drina" is a current read. I have a copy of it I bought a few months ago that I haven't started yet. I read A..."I also read Bosnian Chronicle first, not realizing that it was a sequel to The Bridge on the Drina. I liked them both, but liked The Bridge on the Drina more.
I loved this book. I felt that I got good exposure to the sweep of history and the different ethnic and religious groups through a series of fictional stories based in the town at the bridge. I thought it charming that most chapters ended with a statement that men's lives and empires fade away, but the bridge remains.
I'm just starting to read this as I go to Pennsylvania for vacation. I am finding it very interesting as I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina two years ago.
I enjoy reading books set in places I have been, since it helps me visualize the action more.
Diane wrote: "My auto mechanic is an ethnic Bosnian who grew up in Croatia. He feels that Andric only received the Nobel prize due to political connections. I can't say as I agree."Your mechanic connects politics with everything, that`s why he is wrong, but that is often the case here in our Balkan region. Another thing Andriћ is and always was Serbian(like me)and unfortunately nationalist from Bosnia and Croatia never liked him.
Nationalism in unfortunately quite a force inthis part of the world.
Like many people from Serbia this is must read for us. Several years back I even got a copy of it on English for mine birthday, which is ridicilous for me still. I also enjoy his other works.
I was in Bosnia only before the war, I must say I have no intention going again because true spirit of that country is killed during bloody and very unnecessary conflict.
Diane wrote: I also read Bosnian Chronicle first, not realizing that it was a sequel to The Bridge on the Drina. I liked them both, but liked The Bridge on the Drina more. "I was able to get Bosnian Chronicle from the university library here. Though I knew it was first in the series, I didn't read The Bridge on the Drina first because the university only had it in Serbo-croatian (“Na Drina Cuprija”) which I'm not fluent in ;) . I got a translation in English later; planning to read it soonish.
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Bosnian Chronicle (other topics)Bosnian Chronicle (other topics)
The Bridge on the Drina (other topics)
About the Book (from the Publisher)
The Bridge on the Drina is a vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late 16th century to the beginning of World War I. As we seek to make sense of the current nightmare in this region, this remarkable, timely book serves as a reliable guide to its people and history.
About the Author
Born in Bosnia, Ivo Andric (1892-1975) was a distinguished diplomat and novelist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961.