As you may already know, I like to read. A lot. So for this trip, I thought it would enhance my experience to read books set in the countries I’m visiting (or books by authors from those countries). Today, I’m sharing a list of recommended reads set in the Balkans and/or written by authors from the Balkans.*
Note: I haven’t personally read all these books yet, but I’ve noted below which books are still on my TBR.
Girl at War
Croatia
I really didn’t know anything about the Balkan Wars until I read this historical fiction novel a few years ago. The book features Ana, a young girl living in Zagreb in the early 1990s who later emigrates to the United States. The book alternates between her childhood in Croatia as Yugoslavia dissolves into war, and her time as a college student in New York at the turn of the century. I was particularly intrigued by the commentary on the differences between Americans and Croats after tragedy (i.e. Americans’ reaction to 9/11 vs. the Croats’ reaction to the Homeland War, both of which Ana lived through).
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
The Tiger’s Wife
Serbia
If you search Balkan fiction, this is often one of the first books that comes up. It’s popular, award-winning … and I didn’t really like it. But, I don’t feel this list would be complete without it, and you might like it. (Also, I might appreciate it more now having more familiarity with the area.) The novel is set in an unnamed “Balkan country mending from years of conflict,” but Obreht is Serbian, so it’s safe to assume the setting is based on Serbia or another Yugoslav nation. The book features a young doctor uncovering stories (and secrets) about her grandfather.
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
Beautiful Bad
Bulgaria and Macedonia
This book is billed as a domestic thriller, but the best parts of this book for me were not the actual “thriller” parts. This book is told in a past-and-present storyline, and I loved the “past” sections when the main character was living in Bulgaria to write a travel guide. Much of the action occurs in Skopje, Macedonia, where her best friend (aid worker) and future husband (UN soldier) are based.
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
People of the Book
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Also not #ownvoices, but this is one of my favorite books, so I couldn’t leave it out. This novel features a book conservator who travels to Sarajevo to restore the priceless Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish illuminated text that was secretly saved from destruction during the wars. The book also travels back in time to tell the story of the Haggadah, so you’ll travel all over the world (and throughout centuries) while reading.
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
The Bridge On the Drina
Bosnia & Herzegovina
This novel won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961, making author Ivo Andrić one of two Bosnian-born winners in the history of the Nobel prize. It features the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge (over the Drina River) in Višegrad, which we visited on our way from Sarajevo to Belgrade. The story spans four centuries during the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian reigns over the region. I have not yet read it.
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
Multiple Countries
Another book I downloaded with the best of intentions for reading during my trip through the region … and failed. However, I still plan to read it eventually! This travelogue by British writer Rebecca West was originally published in 1941 and chronicles her six-week trip through Yugoslavia in 1937. Just a heads-up: The book is more than 1,000 pages, which is partly why I didn’t start it on this trip. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you think. 😉
Buy on Bookshop | Buy on IndieBound | Buy on Amazon
*I acknowledge “the Balkans” includes countries from Romania to Greece, but in this list, I focused specifically on countries of the former Yugoslavia, as that reflected my travels in this area. Even considering this, I still didn’t cover all the nations formerly in Yugoslavia; Slovenia and Montenegro are missing, if you have suggestions.
What are you favorite books set in the Balkans and/or by Balkan authors? Leave your recommendations in the comments!
Purchasing books through Bookshop or IndieBound allows you to support your local independent bookstore (or another indie of your choice). If you purchase books on Bookshop or Amazon through our links, we will receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you.
