Part 1 August-September 1992 Chapter 2 Journey Chapter 3 Pohorje Chapter 4 Ljubljana I Chapter 5 Triglav Chapter 6 Ljubljana II Chapter 7 Venice Chapter 8 Vilenica Part 9 December 1992-February 1993 Chapter 10 Croatia Chapter 11 Dalmatia Chapter 12 Serbia Chapter 13 Montenegro Chapter 14 Macedonia Chapter 15 Kosovo Chapter 16 Flight Part 17 May 1993-April 1996 Chapter 18 Sarajevo I Chapter 19 Sarajevo II Chapter 20 Mostar Chapter 21 Sarajevo III Chapter 22 Albania Chapter 23 Expedition Chapter 24 Barcelona Chapter 25 Epilogue
Christopher Merrill is a poet and critic and is the author or translator of more than a dozen books, including the highly praised The Old Bridge: The Third Balkan War and the Age of the Refugee. He reviews regularly for the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. His writings have appeared in such publications as Sierra, Sports Illustrated, The Nation, DoubleTake, Orion, and The Paris Review. He holds the William H. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters at the College of the Holy Cross and lives in Connecticut.
There’s no finer, more eloquent book written about the Balkans—its
literature and cultures, its bloodsoaked history and deluded
politics, and certainly its fascinating people—than Christopher
Merrill’s Only the Nails Remain. Equally compelling as both a
storyteller and correspondent, Merrill is our own Ryszard
Kapuscinski—the highest praise I can offer to an American writer
trying to comprehend the events of our time; the forces that, even
as you read this, sweep promiscuously across the world.
*Bob Shacochis, National Book Award winner and author of The
Immaculate Invasion and Easy in the Islands*
Christopher Merrill has given us a deeply moving account of a
poet's journey into the dark heart of the war that punctuates our
most broken century. Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan
Wars is informative as history, instructive as geography,
penetrating as political analysis?and ennobling as literature.
Merrill illuminates the Balkan conflict by bringing to life the
bearers of its particular names, the speakers of its unforgettable
voices. Merrill leads like Virgil. Alas, his tragic vision proves
to be prophetic. During and after Kosovo, this book is mandatory
for Americansss
*James Carroll, author of An American Requiem: God, My Father, and
the War That Came Between Us, winner of the National Book
Award*
With this extraordinary book, Merrill, a poet, author, and
translator, has broadened the discussion to include not only
politics and history, but culture and literature, too. Unlike many
other books on the former Yugoslavia, Merrill’s was not hastily
written in the year after his duty in the war zone. Instead, it
contains ripe reflections on his 10 journeys to Slovenia, Bosnia,
Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia and Mecedonia. . . . The beautifully
written scenes from his travels are keenly observed and insightful.
Like Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, this book might
very well become a modern classic about what once again seems a
painful and incomprehensible corner of Europe.
*Publishers Weekly*
An intelligent, incisive, and extremely well-written report from
the Balkans which gives body and human dimension to the strange,
terrible events of recent years.
*Peter Matthiessen, novelist and non-fiction writer, twice winner
of the National Book Award*
Only the Nails Remain is a beautiful, thoughtful, and surprising
tour through the heart and soul of the Balkans at the end of the
20th century. Only a poet-journalist could accomplish this, and
there's none better than Christopher Merrill. His first-hand
experiences, compassionate insights, and unblinking eye for the
telling detail make this book as fascinating as it is
indispensable.
*Phil Alden Robinson, director of Field of Dreams and One Woman's
Sarajevo*
I do not know of a thing written on the Balkans that is so
attentive and appreciative of those artists who have both absorbed
and reflected on the troubles of their land—in theory, at least,
their real job in life. Who else has even come so close to
recording their observations?
*Kai Erikson, Yale University*
Christopher Merrill has given us a deeply moving account of a
poet's journey into the dark heart of the war that punctuates our
most broken century. Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan
Wars is informative as history, instructive as geography,
penetrating as political analysis—and ennobling as literature.
Merrill illuminates the Balkan conflict by bringing to life the
bearers of its particular names, the speakers of its unforgettable
voices. Merrill leads like Virgil. Alas, his tragic vision proves
to be prophetic. During and after Kosovo, this book is mandatory
for Americans
*James Carroll, author of An American Requiem: God, My Father,
and the War That Came Between Us, winner of the National Book
Award*
An engrossing account of the Balkan wars . . . also an informed
account, for Merrill butresses his vignettes with numerous asides
into Balkan history and politics. In addition, he provides the
reader with fascinating profiles of heroes and villains, past and
present, whose biographies explain, or help to explain,
Yugoslavia's legacy of revenge, cruelty, and bloodshed. . . .
Anyone who wishes to understand the human tragedy that is
Yugoslavia should read Only the Nails Remain.
*America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture*
A poet who has journeyed, often on foot, through the Balkans,
Merrill presents anecdotes from ordinary people encountered during
his wanderings, as well as from friends in the arts and some
political leaders. . . . His wide-ranging cultural connections
provide a clearer understanding of each ethnic group's triumphs and
follies, underscoring the importance of language, literature and
folklore in forging national identity. Merrill goes further. . . .
Merrill reveals both the complex hatreds and the darkly comical
bickering between nationalities about their cultures.
*San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle*
In the line of fire. Only the Nails Remain works on a myriad of
different levels. . . . [It] does not flinch when presenting the
war, but then it will just as adeptly switch gears and recount a
snippet of medieval history or a quirky character sketch. The
latter abound. Life goes on. Which, more than anything, is the
underlying theme of Only the Nails Remain—the perverse endurance of
the human spirit.
*The Seattle Times*
Apowerful and enigmatic account. . . . A valuable book, especially
for its portrait of the less-known Slovene literary life. Highly
recommended for all academic and larger libraries.
*Library Journal*
Only the Nails Remain, Christopher Merrill's eloquent depiction of
his journeys through the Balkans.
*Village Voice Literary Supplement*
[A] widely admired book.
*Worcester Telegram and Gazette*
A rich supplement to the otherwise dry diet of those academic texts
that purport to analyse more systematically the causes and
consequences of Balkan conflict.
*Political Studies Review*
It is a study uniquely sensitive to the rhythms and nuances of a
place where writing poetry is sometimes considered a national
profession and where art is valued in even its most outrageously
experimental forms. Merrill captures the wild beauty and romance of
the region and records its dangers and inconsistencies.
*MANOA*
This is a book of voices—of conversation, rumors, witticisms,
grotesque legends and jokes. . . . It is also a brilliant marriage
of history and anecdote—a highly lucid travelogue through terrain
as complex as it is dark.
*The New Mexican*
Merril's absorbing, beautifully written chronicle describes his ten
trips to the Balkans during the Third Balkan War. Recommended
enthusiastically for readers at all levels.
*CHOICE*
A beautifully written and visual book that stirs and engages all
the senses of its reader. It is a travel book, which describes a
journey less through the fragmenting space of the former Yugoslavia
as through a crumbling humanity in the conditions of a protracted
vicious and desensitizing war. It is a must for any scholar of the
former Yugoslavia, and a magnificent addition to the library of any
reader.
*Balkan Academic News*
Not many books have been written with both passionate energy and
respect for the facts; Only the Nails is one of them. It is
recommended not only to students of psychohistory but to anyone
interested in contemporary Europe.
*Canadian Slavonic Papers*
Merrill, a poet and journalist, spent much of the past decade traveling through the Balkans; here, in a powerful and enigmatic account, he chronicles those travels. Taking the title for his book from a piece by Slovenia's best-known living poet, Tomaz salamun, he tells a story of the war-torn region through the lives of its literary and cultural communities. He conveys the passionate insights of salamun (as well as Montenegro's Slavko Perovic and the Sarajevian Serb Goran Simic) about the cruel absurdity infesting daily Balkan life. Were they able, he notes, they would live the Central European "dream of culture replacing politics." But Merrill also condemns the complicity of intellectuals and the senseless expulsion of non-Croats from the Croatian University of Mostar. Merrill's vignettes are reminiscent of other writing about the region and will be especially so for those familiar with his earlier work in periodicals. But this is a valuable book, especially for its portrait of the less-known Slovene literary life. Highly recommended for all academic and larger libraries.--Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ., Erie Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
There's no finer, more eloquent book written about the Balkans-its
literature and cultures, its bloodsoaked history and deluded
politics, and certainly its fascinating people-than Christopher
Merrill's Only the Nails Remain. Equally compelling as both a
storyteller and correspondent, Merrill is our own Ryszard
Kapuscinski-the highest praise I can offer to an American writer
trying to comprehend the events of our time; the forces that, even
as you read this, sweep promiscuously across the world. -- Bob
Shacochis, National Book Award winner and author of The Immaculate
Invasion and Easy in the Islands
Christopher Merrill has given us a deeply moving account of a
poet's journey into the dark heart of the war that punctuates our
most broken century. Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan
Wars is informative as history, instructive as geography,
penetrating as political analysis?and ennobling as literature.
Merrill illuminates the Balkan conflict by bringing to life the
bearers of its particular names, the speakers of its unforgettable
voices. Merrill leads like Virgil. Alas, his tragic vision proves
to be prophetic. During and after Kosovo, this book is mandatory
for Americansss -- James Carroll, author of An American Requiem:
God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us, winner of the
National Book Award
With this extraordinary book, Merrill, a poet, author, and
translator, has broadened the discussion to include not only
politics and history, but culture and literature, too. Unlike many
other books on the former Yugoslavia, Merrill's was not hastily
written in the year after his duty in the war zone. Instead, it
contains ripe reflections on his 10 journeys to Slovenia, Bosnia,
Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia and Mecedonia. . . . The beautifully
written scenes from his travels are keenly observed and insightful.
Like Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, this book might
very well become a modern classic about what once again seems a
painful and incomprehensible corner of Europe. * Publishers Weekly
*
An intelligent, incisive, and extremely well-written report from
the Balkans which gives body and human dimension to the strange,
terrible events of recent years. -- Peter Matthiessen, novelist and
non-fiction writer, twice winner of the National Book Award
Only the Nails Remain is a beautiful, thoughtful, and surprising
tour through the heart and soul of the Balkans at the end of the
20th century. Only a poet-journalist could accomplish this, and
there's none better than Christopher Merrill. His first-hand
experiences, compassionate insights, and unblinking eye for the
telling detail make this book as fascinating as it is
indispensable. -- Phil Alden Robinson, director of Field of Dreams
and One Woman's Sarajevo
I do not know of a thing written on the Balkans that is so
attentive and appreciative of those artists who have both absorbed
and reflected on the troubles of their land-in theory, at least,
their real job in life. Who else has even come so close to
recording their observations? -- Kai Erikson, Yale University
Christopher Merrill has given us a deeply moving account of a
poet's journey into the dark heart of the war that punctuates our
most broken century. Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan
Wars is informative as history, instructive as geography,
penetrating as political analysis-and ennobling as literature.
Merrill illuminates the Balkan conflict by bringing to life the
bearers of its particular names, the speakers of its unforgettable
voices. Merrill leads like Virgil. Alas, his tragic vision proves
to be prophetic. During and after Kosovo, this book is mandatory
for Americans -- James Carroll, author of An American Requiem:
God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us, winner of the
National Book Award
An engrossing account of the Balkan wars . . . also an informed
account, for Merrill butresses his vignettes with numerous asides
into Balkan history and politics. In addition, he provides the
reader with fascinating profiles of heroes and villains, past and
present, whose biographies explain, or help to explain,
Yugoslavia's legacy of revenge, cruelty, and bloodshed. . . .
Anyone who wishes to understand the human tragedy that is
Yugoslavia should read Only the Nails Remain. -- Donald P. Kommers,
University of Notre Dame * America: The Jesuit Review of Faith &
Culture *
A poet who has journeyed, often on foot, through the Balkans,
Merrill presents anecdotes from ordinary people encountered during
his wanderings, as well as from friends in the arts and some
political leaders. . . . His wide-ranging cultural connections
provide a clearer understanding of each ethnic group's triumphs and
follies, underscoring the importance of language, literature and
folklore in forging national identity. Merrill goes further. . . .
Merrill reveals both the complex hatreds and the darkly comical
bickering between nationalities about their cultures. * San
Francisco Examiner and Chronicle *
In the line of fire. Only the Nails Remain works on a myriad of
different levels. . . . [It] does not flinch when presenting the
war, but then it will just as adeptly switch gears and recount a
snippet of medieval history or a quirky character sketch. The
latter abound. Life goes on. Which, more than anything, is the
underlying theme of Only the Nails Remain-the perverse endurance of
the human spirit. * The Seattle Times *
Apowerful and enigmatic account. . . . A valuable book, especially
for its portrait of the less-known Slovene literary life. Highly
recommended for all academic and larger libraries. * Library
Journal *
Only the Nails Remain, Christopher Merrill's eloquent depiction of
his journeys through the Balkans. * Village Voice Literary
Supplement *
[A] widely admired book. * Worcester Telegram and Gazette *
A rich supplement to the otherwise dry diet of those academic texts
that purport to analyse more systematically the causes and
consequences of Balkan conflict. * Political Studies Review *
It is a study uniquely sensitive to the rhythms and nuances of a
place where writing poetry is sometimes considered a national
profession and where art is valued in even its most outrageously
experimental forms. Merrill captures the wild beauty and romance of
the region and records its dangers and inconsistencies. * MANOA
*
This is a book of voices-of conversation, rumors, witticisms,
grotesque legends and jokes. . . . It is also a brilliant marriage
of history and anecdote-a highly lucid travelogue through terrain
as complex as it is dark. * The New Mexican *
Merril's absorbing, beautifully written chronicle describes his ten
trips to the Balkans during the Third Balkan War. Recommended
enthusiastically for readers at all levels. * CHOICE *
A beautifully written and visual book that stirs and engages all
the senses of its reader. It is a travel book, which describes a
journey less through the fragmenting space of the former Yugoslavia
as through a crumbling humanity in the conditions of a protracted
vicious and desensitizing war. It is a must for any scholar of the
former Yugoslavia, and a magnificent addition to the library of any
reader. * Balkan Academic News *
Not many books have been written with both passionate energy and
respect for the facts; Only the Nails is one of them. It is
recommended not only to students of psychohistory but to anyone
interested in contemporary Europe. * Canadian Slavonic Papers *
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