The Bridge on the Drina

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A vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late sixteenth century to the beginning of World War I, The Bridge on the Drina earned Andric the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. As Mehmed grows up, he rises up through the ranks of the army to become the Grand Vizier. Once he is appointed to this position, he demands that a bridge be built across the Drina River, because it reminds him of his mother. This bridge was meant to improve travel and to replace the ferry system. The 179.5-meter-long (589ft) bridge is a representative masterpiece of Mimar Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian Renaissance, with which his work can be compared. The UNESCO summary states: The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the property as a whole bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture. [2] History [ edit ] The center pile of the bridge A great stone bridge built three centuries ago in the heart of the Balkans by a Grand Vezir of the Ottoman Empire dominates the setting of Ivo Andric's novel. Spanning generations, nationalities, and creeds, the bridge stands witness to the countless lives played out upon it: Radisav, the workman, who tries to hinder its construction and is impaled on its highest point; to the lovely Fata, who throws herself from its parapet to escape a loveless marriage; to Milan, the gambler, who risks everything in one last game on the bridge with the devil his opponent; to Fedun, the young soldier, who pays for a moment of spring forgetfulness with his life. War finally destroys the span, and with it the last descendant of that family to which the Grand Vezir confided the care of his pious bequest -- the bridge.

The Bridge on the Drina remains Andrić's most famous novel and has received the most scholarly attention of all his works. Most scholars interpret the eponymous bridge as a metonym for Yugoslavia, which was itself a bridge between East and West during the Cold War, "partaking of both but being neither". However, at the time of writing, the country did not enjoy the reputation of an inter-civilizational mediator, which was fostered by Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito only after his split with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1948. Thus, the novel can be seen as having contributed to the formation of this national self-image. [32] Andrić suggests that the building of roads and bridges by Great Powers is rarely done as a gesture of friendship towards local populations, but rather as a means of facilitating conquest. Thus, the bridge is both a symbol of unification and division. It is a symbol of unification in that it allows the inhabitants of Višegrad to cross from one bank to the other and in that the kapija serves as a popular meeting place. On the other hand, it divides the town's inhabitants by acting as a constant reminder of the Ottoman conquest. [33] Humans live at two levels, both as individuals and also as part of a local society, like the difference between an ant and an anthill. Almost all novels focus on the individual, like taking snapshots with a camera. But this novel surveys the local society for 15 generations, like a high-flying camera drone. (Some novelists, for example Booth Tarkington, write 3-generation family sagas which connect the two levels.)

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Ivo Andrić of Yugoslavia wrote novels, dealing with the history of the Balkans, and won the Nobel Prize of 1961 for literature. For all the imperialist disdain which the new regime evinced, Habsburg rule introduced significant investment in health, education and transport that benefited the local population. Progress, however, often fell victim to the competitive rancour between the Empire’s two governments in Vienna and Budapest who had established an unwieldy system of joint control over Bosnia. The dreadful events occurring in Sarajevo over the past several months turn my mind to a remarkable historical novel from the land we used to call Yugoslavia, Ivo Andric's The Bridge on the Drina ."—John M. Mohan, Des Moines Sunday Register Modern nationalism will triumph over religious diversities and outmoded prejudice, will liberate our people from foreign influence and exploitation. Then will be national state be born.”

Popović, Radovan (1989). Ivo Andrić: A Writer's Life. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Ivo Andrić Endowment. OCLC 22400098. All of a sudden he felt himself light and skilful as a man sometimes in dreams. His heavy and exhausted body felt without weight. The drunken Ćorkan danced and floated above the depths as if on wings. [...] His dance bore him onward where his walk would never have borne him- No longer thinking of the danger of the possibility of a fall, he leapt from one leg to the other and sang with outstretched arms as accompanying himself on a drum.” Peace then ruled until the middle of the 19th century. However, by 1880 the Turks were being driven out of all Serbia and that included the area south and east of Visegrad. Many families came through (or settled in) Visegrad, coming from Uzice and many headed westward toward Sarajevo. When the refugees came through Visegard they warned: “You’re next.” After the Second World War, he spent most of his time in his home at Belgrade, held ceremonial posts in the Communist government, and served as a parliamentarian of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also joined as a member of the Serbian academy of sciences and arts.

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Alexander, Ronelle (2006). Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: A Grammar with Sociolinguistic Commentary. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-21193-6. This new generation was from and in Visegrad but no longer OF it. They measured their lives by people, places and especially ideas, which were foreign to their home town. The story spans about four centuries and covers the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian occupations of the region, with a particular emphasis on the lives, destinies and relations of the local inhabitants, especially Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. The second section is exceptionally brilliant. It is a long series of short chapters, each detailing some aspect of the life of some persons or group in the village. Each chapter is like a separate short story, but out of it all emerges a clear picture of the village which sees itself as the center of the world and doesn’t much know or care about the rest of the world. In the process the reader gets a profound sense of understanding this village and these people. It seems there is a unique life form which has developed in the several hundred years with the bridge and Visegrad and its inhabitants live as if this is the center of the world itself. Born in Bosnia, Ivo Andric (1892-1975) was a distinguished diplomat and novelist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. His books include The Damned Yard: And Other Stories, and The Days of the Consuls.