The Bridge on the Drina is a vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late 16th century to the beginning of WWI. As we seek to make sense of the current nightmare in this region, this remarkable, timely book serves as a reliable guide to its people & history.


'No better introduction to the study of Balkan & Ottoman history exists, nor do I know of any work of fiction that more persuasively introduces the reader to a civilization other than our own. It is an intellectual & emotional adventure to encounter the Ottoman world through Andric's pages in its grandiose beginning & at its tottering finale. It is, in short, a marvelous work, a masterpiece & very much sui generis... Andric's sensitive portrait of social change in distant Bosnia has revelatory force.'--William H. McNeill, from the introduction


'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


Born in Bosnia, Ivo Andric (1892-1975) was a distinguished diplomat & novelist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. His books include The Damned Yard & Other Stories & The Days of the Consuls