A vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late 16th century to the beginning of World War I, "The Bridge on the Drina" was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. As we seek to make sense of the current nightmare in this region, this remarkable, timely book serves as a reliable guide to its people and history. No better introduction to the study of Balkan and Ottoman history exists, nor do I know of any work of fiction that more persuasively introduces the reader to a civilization other than our own. It is an intellectual and emotional adventure to encounter the Ottoman world through Andric's pages in its grandiose beginning and at its tottering finale. It is, in short, a marvelous work, a masterpiece, and very much "sui generis." . . . Andric's sensitive portrait of social change in distant Bosnia has revelatory force." (William H. McNeill, from the introduction)

Born in Bosnia, Ivo Andric (1892-1975) was a distinguished diplomat and novelist. His books include "The Damned Yard: And Other Stories," and "The Days of the Consuls."