A brilliant novel of conquest and diplomatic intrigue set in Travnik, Bosnia spanning seven years, from 1807-1814 when French and Austrian consuls served alongside the Turkish Viziers in this remote outpost of the Ottoman Empire. Andrić masterfully weaves together a sweeping view of the major events at that time driven by Napoleon's victories and eventual defeat which touched the far reaches of Europe and beyond, and a careful examination of its impacts on the administration of town life in distant Travnik.

The fortunes of and relations beween the Consuls mirror the ebb and flow of Napoleon's sweep across the continent, although nothing much has changed in the lives of the ordinary people. Suspicion, intrigue, but also a quiet acceptance of each other continue to define relations between the Turks (Bosnian Moslems), the Catholics, the Jews, and the Orthodox Christians.

The novel is both profound and complex. We are treated to a psychological and sociological examination of life in this tumultuous and harsh region, from the point of view of outsiders. We follow Daville, the highly motivated, efficient French consul and his daily struggle to function effectively as a representative of the new power, amidst the backwardness and pig-headed resistance of the community to change and to progress. We see how these consuls and their families, each in their own way, battled their demons which the difficult and lonely life in Travnik has unmercifully unleashed. We become familiar with the intricate diplomatic dance between the ruling Vizier and the Consuls, and between the two Consuls themselves as they reflect relations between two advancing and sometimes warring powers eager to take over the region. We are introduced to characters and views which exemplified the two extremes of tradition and conservatism on one hand, and modernity and liberalism on the other -- the proverbial clash of east and west.

Andrić writes very beautifully in this novel -- his imagery and depiction of the town, the countryside, and most of all the weather (!) is unforgettable. Especially memorable is his description of one particularly long period of rain so vividly and so poetically written, it reminded me of Garcia Marquez's depiction of one similar long episode of rain in One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Compared to his more widely known novel, The Bridge on the Drina, this is a more penetrating and sensitive account of life 200 years ago in this crossroads of East and West. Andrić's own experience as a diplomat lends further authenticity to the consuls' stories. I enjoyed very much The Bridge but I liked this novel even better. It is considered by his countrymen to be Andrić's masterpiece. I would not hesitate to describe this as one of those rare perfect novels. ( )

Bosnian Chronicle is set in Travnik, a small town in central Bosnia (the original title is actually Travnik Chronicle) in early 19th century during the rise and fall of Napoleon. The story of stoic Bosnian people who endure yet another turbulent period in history is told through the eyes of French and Austrian consuls and Turkish viziers who at the time have seat in Travnik. As they all dance to an awkward diplomatic tune that reflects the state of the affairs on the broader stage, none of them can understand the people they are surrounded by. And yet, at the end, it is the Bosnians themselves that have the last word as they watch the wheel of history turn one more time.

Beautifully told, with a rich cast of characters, Bosnian Chronicle is a masterpiece of literature. It also provides an insight into complex people who for centuries have lived on the crossroads of history. This should have been mandatory reading for every western official serving in Bosnia over the past 15 or so years. ( )

Bosnian Chronicle is set in Travnik, a small town in central Bosnia (the original title is actually Travnik Chronicle) in early 19th century during the rise and fall of Napoleon. The story of stoic Bosnian people who endure yet another turbulent period in history is told through the eyes of French and Austrian consuls and Turkish viziers who at the time have seat in Travnik. As they all dance to an awkward diplomatic tune that reflects the state of the affairs on the broader stage, none of them can understand the people they are surrounded by. And yet, at the end, it is the Bosnians themselves that have the last word as they watch the wheel of history turn one more time.

Beautifully told, with a rich cast of characters, Bosnian Chronicle is a masterpiece of literature. It also provides an insight into complex people who for centuries have lived on the crossroads of history. This should have been mandatory reading for every western official serving in Bosnia over the past 15 or so years. ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/522861.htm...

I had previously heard of this book as Travnik Chronicle, which is the original Serbo-Croat title, but only worked out that they were the same novel as I was finishing it. It's the story of life in Andrić's home town of Travnik as experienced by the Austrian and French consuls during the Napoleonic wars, told mainly from the viewpoint of the foreigners living in the town. I really liked it.

Travnik was the administrative capital of Bosnia until 1850, so the obvious place for the consuls to be posted. I thought at first that there was no plot at all, just a series of balanced and very detailed character sketches of the consuls themselves, their wives, the three successive viziers, and their staff. The native Bosnians themselves are not at the centre of the narrative - the Catholic clergy feature quite a lot, the mainly Muslim townspeople to a large extent as stereotypes (the book's biggest flaw), the Jewish community are reasonably well represented, the local Serbs come into it only twice quice near the end.

But I began to realise that the book is largely about how people experience other cultures. Although the foreigners - Austrians, French and Ottoman viziers - all hate living in Travnik and dealing with the locals, I think Andrić portrays this as a big mistake on their part. Danville, the French consul who arrives at the start and leaves at the end, is the most sympathetic character, perhaps closest to a viewpoint character, but he is perpetually writing bad poetry about Napoleon and missing the local drama of the town for the sake of conspiring against the Austrians. By the time I was halfway through the book I felt that it should be compulsory reading for anyone working on the Balkans, provided they were prepared to look through the Western characters' stereotypical reactions to the Bosnians.

Am I reading it too generously? Was Andrić being serious rather than ironic? Why could he not have stated more clearly that he is exposing rather than sympathising with the foreigners' condescension? I stand by my interpretation because Andrić wrote the book in 1942, in Nazi-occupied Belgrade. And I think that his portrayal of civilised diplomats immersed in a barbarous, violent culture takes on a whole new burden of meaning when you remember that, until the collapse under German invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Andrić was serving his country as an ambassador - in Berlin. ( )