Read Around the World: Bosnia and Herzegovina

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, I read The Bridge On The Drina by Ivo Andric–and holy crap, this book caused a bit of an uproar on my TikTok channel. Two days ago, I posted a video about The Bridge On The Drina and casually mentioned it was my pick for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then fighting erupted in the comments. Does Ivo Andric, a Nobel Prize winner, “belongs” to Bosnia and Herzegovina? Many TikTokers insisted he’s Serbian. Others said he’s Croatian. There are strong feelings all around, but this comment might be my favorite:

The comments threw this lady in the Balkan fire with no warning. 😅 Welcome to the spicy part of Europe. We are spicy but great. Hope you get a chance to visit to experience it. This book is a great choice for Bosnia and Hercegovina. Many great writers and books from ex YU countries. Hope you enjoy some more of them. Greetings from one book lover to another from Belgrade!

@AlexDante

I’m not going to attempt to summarize the arguments about Ivo Andric’s national identity because there are so many varied and intense opinions. I could spend ten years studying the matter and still only scratch the surface of the debate. Suffice to say, I picked Ivo Andric for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1) because he was born in Bosnia and (2) The Bridge On the Drina takes place in Bosnia, and I’m going to stick with this as my pick for that country.

I should note: I do not mind the deluge of comments. They were fiery but very educational and for about five minutes, I was trending in the Balkans. Some people in that part of the world are very unhappy with my book choice for this Read Around the World project, but you can’t make everyone happy about even the simplest things. This quest is expanding my horizons, and I’m so glad I decided to share my journey on TikTok. (Besides, the people who hated my pick will probably never visit my TikTok channel again. At least, until I read Bulgaria…)

The Bridge On The Drina is historical fiction about an actual bridge in Bosnia. It begins with the building of the bridge in the mid 1500’s and ends in 1914 with the partial destruction of the bridge during World War I. It’s not a traditional novel with a clearly identifiable hero, villain, and plot. Instead, it’s the story of the life on and around the bridge. Going into it, I was highly skeptical. Sure, Ivo Andric won the Nobel Prize for Literature, but how good could a book about a bridge be? But I was quickly drawn in.

The stories about the people living their lives around the bridge are compelling, and the descriptions created a movie in my mind. This one book transported me from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, and the bridge, oh the bridge! I could imagine myself sitting on its kapia, sipping a strong cup of coffee, watching the green sparking river flow underneath and eavesdropping on the swirl of life around me.

Andric’s insights about human nature felt timeless and universal. Here are a few of his observations:

Men who do not work themselves and who undertake nothing in their lives easily lose patience and fall into error when judging the work of others.

Bridge on the drina, pg. 62.

For every woman has some reason to weep and weeping is sweetest when it is for another’s sorrow.

id. at 171.

Every human generation has its own illusions with regard to civilization; some believe that they are taking part in its upsurge, others that they are witnesses to its extinction. In fact, it always both flames up and shoulders and is extinguished, according to the place and the angle of view.

id. at 233

The Bridge On the Drina is an epic masterpiece that dances between fiction and history with generous doses of philosophy, anthropology, and sociology. It’s a meaty book and required a lot of attention while reading, but when I was done, I felt as if I had eaten a rich sumptuous feast that would sustain me for years to come. I could read this book again and again, and always learn something more, and I know a lot of this book went over my head since I know very little about the Balkans.

I would recommend The Bridge On The Drina to anyone interested in the Balkans–but if you post about it on TikTok, be prepared for some fiery comments.