Both my parents are from Bosnia (or Yugoslavia depending on how someone sees it). Son to two refugees that have thought me many things about the history and culture in the balkans. When I was a 16 years old my father told me to read “Na drini Cuprija” and he would pay me 500 Swedish crowns (50 euros approximately). I was young and never managed to read it due to laziness and non interest. Now I am 24 and have grabbed the book again and I will finish it, great book for anyone who has a connection to the balkans (doesn’t have to be blood-connection, even if you have close friend that are from ex Yugo this book can be in deep interest to learn about their heritage). Great way to learn about the history and culture in the balkans, some might say this book is taboo and controversial, but Ivo Andric, the author, would eventually win noble prize in literature for this book, so let that speak for itself! Greetings from west Sweden.
It’s so easy to get lost in this video (and I mean that in a very good way): the pleasant demeanor and voice, the historical minutiae, the situating of the novel in contexts both epic and personal, the opening of the novel read in a language so alien and lovely. I can’t wait for all you do with your channel.
I read this book a few years ago on my dad’s recommendation and loved it. I’m glad that it now has this great discussion about it on BookTube and I can’t help but hope that it’ll get more people to read it, since it seems kind of obscure in the English-speaking world. I’m delighted to have found your channel-Jason from Old Blue’s Chapter and Verse directed me here-and look forward to watching many more of your videos!
Thank you Lukáš and thank you Jason @Old Blue’s Chapter and Verse. I am following both of you on Booktube and I am looking forward to discuss more great books. There is a lot of great books from former Yugoslavia, but very few are translated to English, unfortunately. I will try to find as many as possible. Nordic books, on the other side, are more widelly available for English readers, so that will be easier.
Thank you for this video. I have been meaning to read this book for a while now. I want to learn more about the Balkans and its history. My grandfather was from Novi Sad and went to live in Colombia, SA in 1927. He used to talk about his beautiful country.
You are welcome. It is really a great novel and I hope that you’ll like it. Ivo Andrić, Meša Selimović, Miloš Crnjanski and Miroslav Krleža are in my opinion novelists to go to if you want to get to the heart of the Balkans. I have never been to Novi Sad, but I have heard that it is a very beautiful city.
I recently read some of the works of Ivo Andrić in a short story collection from former Yugoslavia, and now I definitely need to read this novel. It is my dream to visit the Balkans. I have family in Croatia and I have never been but I can travel there through books! Thank you for this video✨
Thank you for watching and commenting. The Balkans is very beautiful. If you have the opportunity take time and visit Bosnia and Montenegro. The nature is absolutely stunning. I am going to feature more Balkan fiction going forward, so stay tuned 🙂.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a method to log back into an instagram account..? I somehow forgot my password. I love any help you can give me
@Collin Jerome Thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
A branch of my family is from Croatia. They settled in the Molise region of southern Italy in the 1500s or 1600s. In addition to Italian, my DNA shows a significant amount of Balkans. I plan on reading this book next so as to have a flavor of that part of my ancestry. Thank you for this wonderful video and explanation. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching more. Update 05/25/2021: Just finished the book and enjoyed it very much. Thanks for this great video. I read the edition that you showed in the video.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Bosnian Chronicle is very good as well. If you are into the Ottoman theme, his novels The Damned Yard and Omer Pasha Latas are excellent.
Thanks! I'd be really interested to know of any other writers from the Balkans, particularly contemporary ones. I was meant to be going to Bosnia in a few days but Covid-19 has put a stop to that 😔
Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Not many contemporary Balkans authors are translated into English. However, arguably the best one is. Check out Miljenko Jergović - especially his short stories are really good.
I bought this book, translated by F. Lovett, as a first edition from my university's book store. I emptied my meagre bank account to get it at the time - about $40. At the time I knew nothing about Ivo Andric, all I had to go on was my Turkish friend telling me that Andric opened her eyes to a worldview she never had before. That was what compelled me to buy the book. I have never regretted buying books, but this is one I would empty my bank account for every single time.
It is truly a magical work. There are other Andric’s novels that are also very good, but this one has a special place in my heart. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Your speech is so emotional and I feel your love for your country. I read this novel in Arabic and I love it a lot I hope some day I could visit Bosnia and see drina river.
I am from India. I read this novel in my teenage time.That too in my mother tongue Malayalam. The novel was translated into English by DC Books, the largest publisher in Malayalam. Wow..an extraordinary novel. Because of my love for it, I have read this novel four times. This is what KP Appan, one of the best critics in Malayalam, has to say about this novel. "Bridge on the Drina is a novel that has fascinated me more than any other book in my reading life, 'War and Peace'. The English version of the novel was not available in India, Finally a copy was brought online from the United States. I have also drawn two or three paintings of this bridge with my painter friend. This is a novel that so close to my heart. The real ‘Bridge’ between me and literature. Alihodja, a girl named Fatma who commits suicide by jumping to the Drina river in the middle of the bridge called Kaphia on her wedding day, mysteriously. These are my most favorite melancholic characters in the novel. I am also giving my favorite sentence here “ But what time could not do, the unstable and unpredictable influences of faraway affairs did” - Chapter-5, The Bridge on the Drina ♥️♥️
Thank you Ajmal for your kind words. I am so happy that this work touched your heart. When I was a kid, reading this, I could not have imagined that there are people in far away Great India reading about our insignifican corner of the world. You made my day, thank you.
@@darioa1345 There was something wrong with what I said earlier.Fata is the name of the character who jumps off the bridge, not Fatma. Fatma is the character of Pamuk's novel Strangeness in My Mind.Sorry .... Yes you are right. After reading Alija Izetbegovićs “Islam between East and West, I became somewhat interested in Balkan literature.
I was really hoping you would talk about this book - just wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast! I used to own this book ... but I gave it away before reading it. #poorbookdecisions Thank you so much for this review. I took a class on Eastern Europe and the Balkans and our teacher recommended it.
Thank you Kelly. I figured that it is best to start with the heavy artillery 😊. The Balkans is a fascinating region with a rich, albeit often tragic, history. I hope you enjoyed the class. Let me know if there is something in particular that you would like to hear about, because I might have something to say 😁.
Both my parents are from Bosnia (or Yugoslavia depending on how someone sees it).
Son to two refugees that have thought me many things about the history and culture in the balkans. When I was a 16 years old my father told me to read “Na drini Cuprija” and he would pay me 500 Swedish crowns (50 euros approximately). I was young and never managed to read it due to laziness and non interest. Now I am 24 and have grabbed the book again and I will finish it, great book for anyone who has a connection to the balkans (doesn’t have to be blood-connection, even if you have close friend that are from ex Yugo this book can be in deep interest to learn about their heritage).
Great way to learn about the history and culture in the balkans, some might say this book is taboo and controversial, but Ivo Andric, the author, would eventually win noble prize in literature for this book, so let that speak for itself!
Greetings from west Sweden.
Tack zemljak 🙂. I hope you finished it and loved it as I did. 👍🏻
It’s so easy to get lost in this video (and I mean that in a very good way): the pleasant demeanor and voice, the historical minutiae, the situating of the novel in contexts both epic and personal, the opening of the novel read in a language so alien and lovely. I can’t wait for all you do with your channel.
Thank you very much Jason for your kind words. I have a lot more cooking, so stay tuned 😊.
I read this book a few years ago on my dad’s recommendation and loved it. I’m glad that it now has this great discussion about it on BookTube and I can’t help but hope that it’ll get more people to read it, since it seems kind of obscure in the English-speaking world. I’m delighted to have found your channel-Jason from Old Blue’s Chapter and Verse directed me here-and look forward to watching many more of your videos!
Thank you Lukáš and thank you Jason @Old Blue’s Chapter and Verse. I am following both of you on Booktube and I am looking forward to discuss more great books. There is a lot of great books from former Yugoslavia, but very few are translated to English, unfortunately. I will try to find as many as possible. Nordic books, on the other side, are more widelly available for English readers, so that will be easier.
I really like your explanation. I’m reading this book in portuguese. Thanks a lot!
Thank you for watching! Hope you enjoy the book.
Thank you for this video. I have been meaning to read this book for a while now. I want to learn more about the Balkans and its history. My grandfather was from Novi Sad and went to live in Colombia, SA in 1927. He used to talk about his beautiful country.
You are welcome. It is really a great novel and I hope that you’ll like it. Ivo Andrić, Meša Selimović, Miloš Crnjanski and Miroslav Krleža are in my opinion novelists to go to if you want to get to the heart of the Balkans. I have never been to Novi Sad, but I have heard that it is a very beautiful city.
I recently read some of the works of Ivo Andrić in a short story collection from former Yugoslavia, and now I definitely need to read this novel. It is my dream to visit the Balkans. I have family in Croatia and I have never been but I can travel there through books! Thank you for this video✨
Thank you for watching and commenting. The Balkans is very beautiful. If you have the opportunity take time and visit Bosnia and Montenegro. The nature is absolutely stunning. I am going to feature more Balkan fiction going forward, so stay tuned 🙂.
I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a method to log back into an instagram account..?
I somehow forgot my password. I love any help you can give me
@Matthias Chase instablaster =)
@Collin Jerome Thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
Thank you so much.
This is a beautiful video! I read the book recently and loved it. Thank you for your analysis!
A branch of my family is from Croatia. They settled in the Molise region of southern Italy in the 1500s or 1600s. In addition to Italian, my DNA shows a significant amount of Balkans. I plan on reading this book next so as to have a flavor of that part of my ancestry. Thank you for this wonderful video and explanation. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to watching more.
Update 05/25/2021: Just finished the book and enjoyed it very much. Thanks for this great video. I read the edition that you showed in the video.
Thank you. Heritage is a strong identity driver. I hope you will enjoy the book. Welcome as a subscriber.
I recently read this book in Russian translation.
What can I say... A colorful set of murals with a Bosnian motif.
Thanks. I really enjoyed this. I haven't read it yet but I'm currently reading Bosnian Chronicles, which I am enjoying.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Bosnian Chronicle is very good as well. If you are into the Ottoman theme, his novels The Damned Yard and Omer Pasha Latas are excellent.
Thanks! I'd be really interested to know of any other writers from the Balkans, particularly contemporary ones. I was meant to be going to Bosnia in a few days but Covid-19 has put a stop to that 😔
Oh, I am sorry to hear that.
Not many contemporary Balkans authors are translated into English. However, arguably the best one is. Check out Miljenko Jergović - especially his short stories are really good.
I bought this book, translated by F. Lovett, as a first edition from my university's book store. I emptied my meagre bank account to get it at the time - about $40. At the time I knew nothing about Ivo Andric, all I had to go on was my Turkish friend telling me that Andric opened her eyes to a worldview she never had before. That was what compelled me to buy the book. I have never regretted buying books, but this is one I would empty my bank account for every single time.
It is truly a magical work. There are other Andric’s novels that are also very good, but this one has a special place in my heart. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Your speech is so emotional and I feel your love for your country.
I read this novel in Arabic and I love it a lot I hope some day I could visit Bosnia and see drina river.
Thank you for your kind comment. Bosnia is indeed a beautiful country.
Thank you for your kind comment. Bosnia is indeed a beautiful country.
I am convinced...and believe it or not it was at my Friends of the Library. I will stop by there tomorrow.
Hope you enjoy it 👍🏻
I am from India. I read this novel in my teenage time.That too in my mother tongue Malayalam. The novel was translated into English by DC Books, the largest publisher in Malayalam.
Wow..an extraordinary novel. Because of my love for it, I have read this novel four times. This is what KP Appan, one of the best critics in Malayalam, has to say about this novel. "Bridge on the Drina is a novel that has fascinated me more than any other book in my reading life, 'War and Peace'.
The English version of the novel was not available in India, Finally a copy was brought online from the United States. I have also drawn two or three paintings of this bridge with my painter friend. This is a novel that so close to my heart. The real ‘Bridge’ between me and literature. Alihodja, a girl named Fatma who commits suicide by jumping to the Drina river in the middle of the bridge called Kaphia on her wedding day, mysteriously. These are my most favorite melancholic characters in the novel. I am also giving my favorite sentence here
“ But what time could not do, the unstable and unpredictable influences of faraway affairs did” - Chapter-5, The Bridge on the Drina ♥️♥️
Thank you Ajmal for your kind words. I am so happy that this work touched your heart. When I was a kid, reading this, I could not have imagined that there are people in far away Great India reading about our insignifican corner of the world. You made my day, thank you.
@@darioa1345 There was something wrong with what I said earlier.Fata is the name of the character who jumps off the bridge, not Fatma. Fatma is the character of Pamuk's novel Strangeness in My Mind.Sorry ....
Yes you are right. After reading Alija Izetbegovićs “Islam between East and West, I became somewhat interested in Balkan literature.
Fata is short for Fatma or Fatima, so you were in it anyway 😊.
I m from tamilnadu, india. And i am currently reading it. Great going.
I was really hoping you would talk about this book - just wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast! I used to own this book ... but I gave it away before reading it. #poorbookdecisions
Thank you so much for this review. I took a class on Eastern Europe and the Balkans and our teacher recommended it.
Thank you Kelly. I figured that it is best to start with the heavy artillery 😊. The Balkans is a fascinating region with a rich, albeit often tragic, history. I hope you enjoyed the class. Let me know if there is something in particular that you would like to hear about, because I might have something to say 😁.
I’m destroying Shakespeare’s legacy and you’re welcome to come watch me do it.
Wow. Bosnian is truly a beautiful language
Thank you