Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan WarsRowman & Littlefield Publishers, 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.' |
Contents
Part II December 1992February 1993
| 103 |
Part III May 1993April 1996
| 257 |
Epilogue
| 365 |
Glossary of Names and Terms
| 373 |
379 | |
387 | |
About the Author
| 401 |
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Common terms and phrases
Albanians American army artists asked Balkan Battle of Kosovo Belgrade border Bosnian Serb bridge Bujar Bulgarian called century Cetinje Cetniks Church Communist con Croatian Croats cultural destroyed diplomat Dubrovnik ethnic Europe Ferida fighting film fire friends German Greater Serbia Greek hundred Islamic Jadranka journalists KaradZic killed Kosovo land language living Ljubljana look Macedonian meters Metka military Milosevic Mirna Montenegrin Mostar mountains Muslim nationalists Nazis night Nina novelist once Orthodox Ottoman Partisan peace peacekeepers poems poet poetry political president refugees Republika Srpska river Sarajevans Sarajevo Serbian shelling siege Skopje Slavs Slovenian snipers soldiers South Slavs stop story street talk tell thousands Tito told Tomaz Tomaz Salamun took Translated Triglav Tudman Turkish Turks turned UNPROFOR Uros Ustafa Ustase village Vukovar walked walls woman women writers Yugoslav Yugoslavia Zagreb Zvonko