Bosnian Chronicle
(IVO ANDRIC)
Between 1807 and 1814 France maintained a consulate in the
Bosnian town of Travnik. Bosnian Chronicle is the story of that
consulate. Although set against the background of Napoleon''s victories and
defeats and the Serbian revolt against Turkey, it is similar to The
Bridge on the Drina in its narrow, almost claustrophobic focus on a single
town. It is in many ways more accessible, however, with its greater length and
less ambitious temporal sweep allowing for more character development and a
varied mix of love affairs, political intrigues, and popular disturbances.
Bosnian Chronicle contains a memorable assortment of characters. At
the center is the French consul Daville, lost and unsure of himself but
struggling on gamely. Around him circle a host of others ? his family and
assistants, rival Austrian consuls and their followers, successive Turkish
Viziers and their entourages (almost as out of place in Bosnia as the
Western diplomats), and the local people, a mix of Sephardic Jews, Bosnian
beys, and Christian (Orthodox and Catholic) clergy and peasants. Some of
Andriç''s characters are so eccentric they would defy belief did they not fit so
well into their environment.
It is its feel for Travnik, however, for the cycle of its seasons and the
shifting moods of its people, which really makes Bosnian Chronicle a
success. This is historical fiction at its best, though readers seeking high
drama and heroic protagonists may be disappointed.
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