After Yugoslavia (Lonely Planet Journeys) |
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Zoe Bran
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Pages: 292 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1864500301
Pub: Lonely Planet Publications Ltd
Pub date: 2001-02-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14790
Editorial Review:
The Lonely Planet Journeys are a series noted for their vivid creation of atmosphere and locale--but most notably for their often tough, unsettling evocations of the world's most troubled countries. Zoë Brân's After Yugoslavia may be concise, but the reader is taken on a remarkable epic journey in which one of the most turbulent periods in human history is powerfully conjured. The author visited Yugoslavia in the 70s as a tourist looking for a good time. And when she returns 21 years later, she finds a massively changed land. Sarajevo, Mostar and Dubrovnik (names carved into the consciousness of all of us who watched the deeply affecting news broadcasts of the early 90s) are the cities Brân finds herself in once again, struggling to make sense of the catastrophe that has befallen them. But as well as the destruction wrought by conflict, she finds a people filled with resilience and spirit--and her tale is as much one of the indomitable qualities in human nature as it is a study of war. From progressive Slovenia through war-torn Croatia (whose stunning beauty is in stark contrast to its image as an icon of human division) and into the country most deeply affected by the conflicts, Bosnia-Hercegovina, we are taken on an eye-opening journey that evokes both the nobility and horror involved in the war. And again and again, a word appears that is crucial to the genesis of the divisions: tradition--and the author becomes convinced that this is as crucial a factor in the hatred as religion is in Northern Ireland. But Brân is interested in far more than the dead hand of a tradition (often barely remembered) that has cost so many lives, and her book, while often unsettling, remains as much an affirmation of the human spirit as it is an astringent and compelling evocation of a divided land. --Barry Forshaw
Reader Reviews:
There's better info elsewhere (1/1 people found this helpful)
I found this a bit disappointing after first reading "The Impossible country" by Brian Hall, which was written just before the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Zoe Bran's book seems to me a little stodgy and is nowhere near as full of originality. At times, she falls into the trap of being condescending towards some of the people she meets and there is also some reliance on well-known stereotypes of Yugo/ ex-Yugo character.
If you can't get "The Impossible Country", this book will do, I suppose.
An thoughtful and incisive look at the Former Yugoslavia (0/0 people found this helpful)
I really enjoyed reading this book which moves easily between history and culture, real-life people and strange meetings. The author retraces the steps of a journey she made more than twenty years earlier as a student through what was then a single country. In 1999 she returns to Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and meets young kids, former soldiers, American chiropractors trying to do their bit,doctors, forensic pathologists, international policemen, writers and artists.
I found the section where we see the inside of a Criminal Tribunal mortuary to be very affecting, as the author describes the stench, the human remains and the men and women who work there with compassion and a clear eye. There's humour too and an incisive observation of the frailties and prejudices of those she meets on the journey.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about what happened in Yugoslavia in the last decade of the 20th century ... it's also happens to be wonderfully descriptive of landscape and culture - all in all a really good read.
Revisiting what was once Yugoslavia (3/3 people found this helpful)
Retracing a journey made to what was Yugoslavia in the late 70s the author Zoe Bran finds a transformed land. Still physically beautiful but fractured into 5 states peopled by fractured people. Ms Bran reports the stories told to her wwithout flinching but also with compassion. The reality of war is so much more complex than reports in newspapers or on television can convey. An elderly Serb told her that all that blood was not shed for land, for conquest, but ' for tradition...for traditions we hardly remember the beginnings of any more'. In Bosnia Hercegovina she talks to people working for the International Criminal tribunal for Yugoslavia - counting, trying to give names to the dead, identify those responsible. Could life move on without this grim reckoning ? Probably not - ghosts would keep emanating from this bitter history to threaten the uncertain future. Don't get the idea all is gloom and doom - Ms Bran met many brave, kind and clever people dedicated to rebuilding their communities. You are left desperately hoping they succeed.
Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Military History -> Wars, Battles & Campaigns
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Poetry, Drama & Criticism -> History & Criticism
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Countries & Regions -> Europe -> Croatia
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Countries & Regions -> Europe -> Slovenia
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Guidebook Series -> Lonely Planet
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> Travel Writing
Books -> Subjects -> Travel & Holiday -> General
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
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Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
uk-shops -> Travel -> Travel Guides & Books -> Guidebook Series -> Lonely Planet
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uk-shops -> Travel -> Travel Guides & Books -> Countries & Regions -> Europe -> Croatia
uk-shops -> Travel -> Travel Guides & Books -> Countries & Regions -> Europe -> Slovenia
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