Die Brücke über die Drina

The Nobel Prize Committee, which awarded Ivo Andric the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961, emphasized the epic power of the novel The Bridge over the Drina, which was first published in 1945, in the justification for this prize  . The award was more than justified, for  The Bridge over the Drina is, in my opinion, one of the most astute, sonorous and carefully constructed works of 20th-century prose literature. There is no better introduction to Balkan research and the study of Ottoman history, nor do I know of any other poetic work that so convincingly portrays a civilization unknown to the reader. Discovering the Ottoman world from its grandiose beginnings to its ultimate collapse is an intellectual and poignant adventure in equal measure. Every single episode sounds believable - starting with the role of terror in strengthening Turkish power in the countryside and ending with the importance of an Austrian military brothel in the decay of the old customs. No anth...