Ever since I read The Bridge on the Drina, a great novel by Nobel prize-winning Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić, I’ve wanted to go to the Balkans. I was fascinated by the history of the region where the East meets the West, Islam and Christianity mix, and Slavic and Ottoman influences (among others) have been interwoven throughout the ages. That’s essentially what Andrić’s novel is about. Using as a metaphor the UNESCO-listed 16th century Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in the town of Višegrad, today close to the Bosnian-Serbian border, he explores the complicated history and equally complex identity of the region. Andrić didn’t live to see the lastest tragic chapter added to his 400-year long tale – fratricidal wars of the 1990s. The story continues on a happier note today although certainly it’s not all water under the bridge… Read the rest of this entry →