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Summary: Bridges came from Allahs angels
Review: To write about Andric and his work, also means writing about fights (verbal ones) between Croatians, Serbs and Bosnians, which are lead to the present day over the fact whose author Andric really is. But that story is not for this place, so we shall skip it and we are going to turn our look towards these pages.
Brige over Drina is not merely a sociologic study as you can read in some of the reviews, it, really is that, but only on a shallow scale, scale that could be seen with a first reading. Life on the border between Bosnia and Serbia, could be understood as a good theme for a socio-literate research, but Andric shoots much higher than that.
Bridge on Drina is neither the story about human destinies, though many are interwoven between it's pillars and the village beside it, human destinies are everywhere, so they are present even in this book, but the are not the main subject.
Bridge on Drina is story about people (not about their destinies), about passability of all things, even those who are meant to be infinite, without ending, and which couldn't be destroyed no matter how hard one could try, it's a stroy about Balcan, about specific way of life, life which does not hurry anywhere, in which "parties" are held all day long, in which one walks over bridge for hours, casually glancing on a water beneath, exchanging few words, and gossips with people who do the same, it's a life of a little people in a "barren wasteland" of borderland, which was never independent, but always under some other rule, being Turkish, or German one, which influenced on society, and changed ways of life from it's roots.
In contrary with a modern Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian prose, bridge over drina posess an exemplary style and language, very easy understandeable and fluent, which occupies ones perception with a tones of a nostalgia which jumps from every syllable in the book.
You could find critics in this book, you could find wondering, but over all that you shall find bridge as a symbol of link between nations on a much deeper scale than merely connecting opposite sides of river. that bridge connects life of the people and from that bridge life became apparent in a village beside it.
This is a wonderfull book, definition of a fine arts, though I have a feeling that much of familiarity and warmth is lost in english translation, so I encourage all of you out there who posses adequate understanding of slavic laguages to read this book in original.
Read it, than let it rest, than read it again, than let it rest again, and so on, and so on...
Rating:
Summary: Prize Winner!
Review: 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...
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: Fabulous. One of the best books I've read. Blends a detailed history, with vivid images, and true human emotion to recreate life along a Yugoslavian bridge over several centuries.
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Summary: An Excellent Introduction to the Bosnian Society
Review: A fictional masterpiece that serves as a excellent introduction to the study of Bosnian history. After reading The Bridge over the Drina, one can begin to understand some of the deep rooted historical contributions to Bosnia's early 1990s struggles.The Drina bridge, a bridge that spans generations, links early sixteenth century Ottoman Empire with the pre-WWI Austro-Hungarian Empires; giving a glimpse into day-to-day living under such diverse regimes. This book also chronicles the lives of Catholics, Moslems, and Orthodox Christians -- deep seated loyalties to their respective faiths, but somehow, giving the reader hope that it is possible for such diverse groups to live in peace -- with each other.
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Summary: Excellent Insight to BiH
Review: Although this book is fiction, it provides some excellent insights into the complexities of the problems and issues that are present in Bosnia-Hercegovina today. Having spent a year in Bosnia (dealing with both the BiH Federation and the Republika Srpska) as a peace keeper back in 1995-96, I witnessed and participated in modern-day versions of the events and stories told in Mr Andric's book. "The Bridge on the Drina" highlites the diverse and complex interpersonal relationships of all the Yugoslavian peoples (not only Bosnian Serb, Muslim, and Croat, but the Jews and Gypsies as well) and attempts to give the reader an understanding of why the "Bosnian Problem" is not an easy "problem" to solve. Read the book for what it is, fiction, but take away what Mr Andric most likely intended it to be - an insight into a region (in which some may argue the center of Europe, and others the frontier or border between west and east) of cultural, religious, political, economic, and ethnic differences that resulted from hundreds of years of external influences. For myself, it all became clearer in Chapter XIX - could these external influences be put in check, the people would most likely solve the "problem". This is my opinion of having spent 12 months living and talking with Bosnian Serbs, Muslims, and Croats who I am very much reminded of in the characters of Mr Andric's book.
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Summary: Very Powerful and Moving
Review: 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.
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Summary: A powerful epic.
Review: Ivo Andric is one of the best Serbian writers and this novel is one of his best works. I must confess here, that I'm everything but a fan of epics, because those books tend to neglect what's human in us and concentrate on celebrating ideals. Andric's book is not like that. It's a tale about a bridge and about people and their lives. It ultimately talks about the endless cycles of creation and destruction and ordinary people caught up in the midst of changes. The Bridge on the Drina is a gripping epic that leaves you breathless and crying for more.
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Summary: A gripping Saga
Review: Someone mentioned in reviewing this book that it didn't come across very well in translation. I have to say that in my opinion - not being fluent or even knowing any of the slavic languages - that I considered the descriptions in English better than most of the books I have read where they were written in English. A wonderful gripping book which I read when it first was published and am now reading again. I agree wih the reviewer commenting on the impalement , one could almost feel one was there by the description.
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Summary: Finding the Beauty in the Strife
Review: Being the daughter of Croatians and having studied Balkan history for a while, I have been exposed to a lot of material and experiences involving the culture of the Balkans. And I find that this book, more than any other, truly captures the character of the South Slavs and the exquisite beauty inherent in the ferocity of this region. I fully recommend this novel to everyone and anyone, regardless of background in the subject matter or a particular interest. It is an extremely powerful reading experience that will resonate particularly strongly with anyone who has ties to the region.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: The writing style of this book originally kind of turned me off from it, but at the same time, the Bridge on the Drina is an excellent insight into life in the troubled Balkans. I was especially touched by some of the stories in here, especially the ones that involve the Serb solider going off to war, about to be separated with his girl forever. I was even more happy with the great perspective it gave on life in Bosnia, from the beginning of Turkish rule to the absolute collapse during WWI. Don't even think about talking about Balkan politics if you haven't read this book!
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