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Balkans War novel?

13 replies

VanCleefArpels · 29/05/2024 12:11

Will be visiting Croatia and Serbia over the summer and I’m aiming to read around the conflict to be able to put some of the sights into context. I feel slightly ashamed that I didn’t really pay much attention to this in the early 90’s. Are there any good novels that have the war as a backdrop to help in my understanding?

OP posts:
CrossPurposes · 29/05/2024 12:15

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris is set in Sarajevo. I didn't particularly like it but the others in my book club did.

BuffysBigSister · 29/05/2024 13:13

You could try The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway or Night as it Falls by Jakuta Alikavazovic (not directly the Balkan Wars but related). Can also highly recommend the film Quo Vadis Aida - but its a tough watch

TattiePants · 30/05/2024 21:21

I’d second and highly recommend both Black Butterflies and The Cellist of Sarajevo. Also, if you have a kindle there are a series of books called Hourly Histories that are regularly 99p. There’s a history of Yugoslavia and another on the Bosnian war that give a brief overview of the conflict.

elkiedee · 13/06/2024 03:49

Girl at War by Sara Novic, set in Croatia, is an interesting read. It was listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction a few years ago (not sure if the award was sponsored by Orange or Baileys at the time, or whether it was longlist or made the shortlist).

The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna is also set in Croatia but it's about the aftermath of the war.

Cazziebo · 13/06/2024 04:48

The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning?

leafybrew · 13/06/2024 05:16

Oh my - I read the Olivia Manning books years ago. Absolutely loved them - thanks for the reminder!

MrsTerryPratchett · 13/06/2024 05:45

leafybrew · 13/06/2024 05:16

Oh my - I read the Olivia Manning books years ago. Absolutely loved them - thanks for the reminder!

Totally loved them too. Thanks from me. I think that was mainly Romania though, plus Egypt and Athens. I must reread them!

AgentProvocateur · 13/06/2024 06:40

I was also going to recommend the Cellist of Sarajevo (which I loved) and Black butterflies

ASighMadeOfStone · 13/06/2024 06:47

If you like rather gung ho thrillers, then Kara's Game by Gordon Stevens is a real page turner.
It's a UK secret service/SAS one rather than a thought provoking attempt of any kind at literature, but it is hard-hitting in places and does describe the condition there at the time. Bosnia/Mostar/London setting.

savemydog · 15/06/2024 00:50

Hi OP, I am from the Balkans and first of all let me say it is really commendable that you want to read and learn about the region and especially this difficult part of our history. I tend to avoid war-related literature but would just recommend checking the background of each author and maybe book reviews, so you understand the particular perspective that they are coming from. Even nearly 30 years later, one thing I can guarantee is that there is no such thing as an objective account, which is understandable, but it's important to know where an author is coming from. What was their experience of the region, of the war, etc. and how does this colour their storyline.

One "narrative" I would be particularly cautious of is the "primordial hatreds" or "ancient ethnic hatreds" one as it has been shown that ethnic tensions were in many cases stirred up by war profiteers and nationalists, not an inherent inability of different ethnic groups to get along.

The one I would avoid is Misha Glenny.

Second, I would just add a quick warning that not everyone will want to talk about the war. I'm sure you didn't plan on accosting random waiters with questions anyway, lol, and there are lots of people who are happy to talk about Yugoslavia and the war. But some are understandably still sensitive so would just keep this in mind. Can't remember where it's from but I read a quote saying something like, people either refuse to talk about the war, or it's all they can talk about.

With this in mind, some people are also sensitive about the region only being seen through the lens of the wars. I'm not at all suggesting this is you and 100% get where you're coming from, but again just something to keep in mind. Off the top of my head, amazing authors from the region translated into English are Ivo Andrić who was a Nobel Prize winner, born in Austria-Hungary and active in Yugoslavia (The Bridge on the Drina), Slavenka Drakulić who writes touchingly and hilariously about Yugoslavia although she arguably exaggerates some of the downsides (How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed), and Aleksandar Hemon, a contemporary Bosnian author who bridges the Balkan-Western experience really well (try The Lazarus Project). Happy to add more but it looks like you have quite a few recommendations already!

Third, if you're interested in the legacy of the Balkan wars and you have some flexibility in your trip, I would highly, highly recommend spending some time in Bosnia - Mostar, Srebrenica, and Sarajevo. They are difficult but beautiful, culturally rich, and historically important places to visit; for someone who wants to know more about the Yugoslav Wars, Bosnia is indispensable given the horrific genocides that went on there and as many of the tensions were worst there given its large Muslim population and that it was a tri-ethnic, tri-religious state.

Safe travels and I hope you find some good reads ❤️

VanCleefArpels · 17/06/2024 21:34

@savemydog thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I’m a bit of a history buff so I completely concur re authors’ perspectives. I was thinking about some “colour” to add to the Wikipedia type bland narratives - I will look up your suggestions. We are visiting Vukovar and Belgrade and we are hiring a guide in Belgrade - will be interesting to see what “side” their commentary comes from!

OP posts:
Feelinglikeamoan · 17/06/2024 21:39

One woman's war by eve-ann prentice

MotherOfCatBoy · 22/06/2024 20:42

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht - more Croatia than Bosnia but very good.

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