The Bridge Over the Drina

This unaccountably neglected masterpiece captures the essence of Bosnian history since the 16th century in an enthralling and deeply humane way. Andric himself was at the heart of his country’s tragic history: he knew Gavrilo Princip and was Yugoslavia’s ambassador in Berlin when the Germans invaded in 1941. The Nobel prize citation is an excellent summary of the book’s greatness. It is worth adding that although Andric traces the impact of the bridge on Visegrad’s inhabitants over the course of three and a half centuries, his narrative never flags, and some chapters rank with the very best of world literature. In particular, the chapter on his own generation, the idealistic young people of the first decade of the last century, is very moving, reminiscent of the final chapter in Mann’s The Magic Mountain and the poets of the Great War.

I loved this book written by the Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andri'. It is amazing how often we come into contact with historic monuments without giving a second thought as to the history behind it. Apart from being a fascinating histroy lesson and an extraordinary collection of stories for me this book was also a study in human nature. The building of a bridge which was of unquestionable benefit to everyone was however sabotaged by some who were prepared to sacrifice their lives rather than let it be completed for no other logical reason than they didn't like change. I would have to say though there is one chapter in the book that is definitely not for the squeamish.My only reservation is I found a lot of grammatical mistakes and the English a little hard to follow at times and I don't know whether it was down to the translation or the style of writing. My wife (who is Croatian and had read the original) felt the same and pointed out where she thought some of the confusion may have arisen. Non of this detracted from my enjoyment of this book and I would recommend it to anyone.

This is a Nobel prize winning masterpiece - but unfortunately little known by many. Having a random interest in the Balkans I bought this book - in honesty a little sceptical that it would be too heavy - and it has jumped straight into my favourites list.This is essentially an epic story set around the bridge, which remains constant as centuries pass. It looks at a number of key historical events and how they affected this one town. But it also has some great light-hearted moments and awe-inspiring philosophical quotes.I am not a particularly well-read person, but the book I would most liken this to is Captain Corelli's Mandolin, as it is similarly a wartime epic filled with colourful descriptive text about even the most mundane things.

not exactly a novel, more a series of stories following the 'life' of a Bosnian bridge over 350 years. The book starts with its construction in 1500s, a project of several years where the Turkish overseers conscript the locals into slave labour culminating in the awful description of the impalement of a worker who rebels by sabotaging the bridge. Then Andric takes us through the centuries; the flood when local leaders of all faiths gather in the same house in a heartwarming episode. Yet with the change in frontiers and arrival of Turkish refugees from Serbia, the uncertainty of life is ever in the background. The Austro-Hungarian occupation comes, locals dispute whether or not to resist, a guard commits suicide after failing to do his job properly. Life becomes wealthier, and in 1900s the young have time to discuss politics. In the last chapter world war 1 hits the town as a bomb smashes the bridge; this is told from the perspective of a man in a shop and is such evocative writing you feel you are there. Brilliant book

Certainly a literary masterpiece- In some ways it resembles Kështjella (The Castle) by Ismail Kadare. Balkan peoples seem to think alike. My only grouse is the lack of a glossary explaining Turkish terms, some of which I had to look up in a Turkish dictionary