Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan WarsRowman & Littlefield, 2001 M10 23 - 416 pages Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars is a chronicle of poet and critic Christopher Merrill's ten war-time journeys to the Balkans from the years 1992 through 1996. At once a travelogue, a book of war reportage, and a biography of the imagination under siege, this beautifully written and personal narrative takes the reader along on the author's journeys to all the provinces and republics of the former Yugoslavia--Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and Vojvodina--as well as to Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Turkey. His journeys provide the narrative structure for an exploration of the roles and responsibility of intellectuals caught up in a decisive historical moment, many of whom either helped to incite the war or else bore eloquent witness to its carnage. What separates this book-the first non-native literary work on the conflict-from other collections of reportage, political analysis, and polemic, is its concern for capturing the texture of particular places in the midst of dramatic change-the sounds and sights and smells, the stories and observations of victim and perpetrator alike, the culture of war. Here is a literary meditation on war, a fascinating portrait of the poetry, politics and the people of the Balkans that will provide insight into the past, present, and future of those war-torn lands. Hear an interview with the author on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered, February 20th, 'Balkan Poets.' |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Albanians Aleš American army artists asked Balkan Balkan War Belgrade border Bosnian Serb bridge Bujar Bulgarian café called century Četniks Church Communist Croatian Croats cultural destroyed diplomat Dubrovnik ethnic Europe Ferida fighting film fire forces friends German Greater Serbia Greek hundred Islamic Jadranka journalists Karadžić killed Kosovo land language living Ljubljana look Macedonian Metka military Milošević Mirna Montenegrin Mostar mountains Muslim nationalists Nazis night Nina novelist once Orthodox Ottoman Partisans peace peacekeepers poems poet poetry political president Press Radovan Karadžić refugees Republika Srpska river Sarajevans Sarajevo Serbian shelling side siege Slavs Slovenian snipers soldiers South Slavs stop story street talk tell Thessaloníki thousands Tito told Tomaž Tomaž Šalamun took Translated Tuđman Turkish Turks turned UNPROFOR Uroš Ustaša village Vukovar walked walls woman women writers York Yugoslav Yugoslavia Zagreb Zvonko
Popular passages
Page xv - Very very gently, very very slowly, so it will last longer. 1 will draw up a precise plan. I will upholster myself every day say two square inches for instance. Then I will set fire to everything. It will burn for a long time, it will burn for seven days. Only the nails will remain, all welded together and rusty. So I will remain. So 1 will survive everything.