Tag Archives: Balkans

“No one can ever know anything about this madness, because all its components are unknown.” – Zlatko Dizdarevic, Sarajevo: A War Journal

Written in real time during the siege of Sarajevo, by Zlatko Dizdarevic, an editor at the only remaining Sarajevo newspaper at that time, Sarajevo: A War Journal is horrifying reading, and essential reading. I was reminded of it the other … Continue reading

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Snapshots

— Reading a book on the fall of Yugoslavia. Can’t get enough of the Balkans. When times get tough, I usually start reading books about war. Maybe it satisfies my need for carnage and revenge. Who knows. I recently saw … Continue reading

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Disappeared Worlds: Cinema Komunisto and The Miners’ Hymns

These reviews originally appeared on Capital New York. Cinema Komunisto Cinema Komunisto begins with white words on a black screen: “This is the story of a country that no longer exists except in movies.” A cinephile’s dream, Cinema Komunisto, written … Continue reading

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The Books: “The Historian” (Elizabeth Kostova)

Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The story of the publishing of this book is almost as interesting as the book itself. It’s a first novel. It’s 5,000 pages long. It’s a sweeping historian’s look at … Continue reading

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A good luck charm

I’m so proud. Thanks, Mejack, for the wonderful link!

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How do you write “Holy shit” in the Cyrillic alphabet?

At this very moment a raging argument is going on on a Macedonian blog between nationalist Bulgarians and nationalist Macedonians – about those posts of mine. I have no idea what is going on but everyone is obviously VERY angry, … Continue reading

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The Books: “Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia ” (Rebecca West)

And here is my next excerpt. My history bookshelf. Next book on the shelf is the great Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Penguin Classics), by Rebecca West. A 1200 page masterpiece. Is it possible that every page contains interest, horror, … Continue reading

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The Books: “Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History” (Robert Kaplan)

My history bookshelf. Onward. Next book on this shelf is called Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert Kaplan. This was the book that launched Robert Kaplan’s career- although he had been writing books and articles for Atlantic Monthly … Continue reading

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The Books: “The Collapse of Communism” (NY Times)

And here is my next excerpt of the day: I have now finished with the first bookshelf – in my kitchen – and have decided to now do excerpts from the books in my History/Biography bookshelf. I’m scared! But I … Continue reading

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Finishing Black Lamb and Grey Falcon

… I finished Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon early this morning. I began it in May. I tried to stretch out that damn epilogue – because even though the book is pretty much one long expose of pain … Continue reading

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