review 1: What a fantastic book of translated short stories, I couldn't put it down during my flight home from Belgrade; I just re-read it during vacation. The common theme through the selection and topic of the stories is that of story-telling itself. The main story is 'The Damned Yard,' itself told as a story about story-telling. I've been thinking of how it could be adapted for the stage, might be my next project... review 2: An excellent short novel! Very easy to read but to understand better and appreciate more of Andric's work in general it's good to have some knowledge of history in the Balkan area. Andric's literature is based on events of times and his books have either historical and social background. In this specific case he is focusing on historical events t... morehat took place during ottoman empire after the death of Mohamed and the "fight" of two brothers, his sons, for the power. While its sort size the book offers many stories inside other stories which helps the reader to have a better view of that era. And the author is highlighting the greed of power, corruption of politics and how people can be used by other in order for personal advantage. No need to say a lot about Andric's prose. Simple and beautiful as always in his books, using deeply human characters. A great author that worth to explore and "meet" through his books by everyone. Highly recommended. less
