The Bridge Over the Drina

In The Bridge Over the Drina, Nobel Prize–winning author Ivo Andrić crafts a sweeping historical novel centered on the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in the Bosnian town of Višegrad. Spanning four centuries—from the Ottoman Empire through Austro-Hungarian rule and into the stirrings of modern nationalism—this masterpiece chronicles the lives of the people connected by the bridge, bearing witness to their joys, tragedies, and enduring struggles.

The narrative is less about individual protagonists and more a collective portrait of a multiethnic community, reflecting the complex tapestry of the Balkans. Through folklore, superstition, and stark realism, Andrić shows how the bridge becomes both a literal and symbolic link across cultures and epochs, standing resilient against the tides of history even as the people around it suffer war, oppression, and upheaval.

Powerful, poetic, and deeply human, The Bridge Over the Drina invites readers to contemplate the persistence of memory and the fragile threads that bind societies together.

I’ll add a personal review once I’ve finished reading—looking forward to sharing more thoughts soon!