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Archipelago: A Balkan Passage
Isenberg's travelogue explores an intimate view of the Balkans through the eyes of a young American adventurer.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 1, 2014
There were two things that immediately attracted me to this book. The first that it was written by an eager young adventurer, Robert Isenberg, looking for answers to a war he didn’t understand in a country far removed from his own. And the second, that the war Isenberg wanted to find out more about was the 1992-1995 war in the Balkans that resulted in the break-up of the former Jugoslavia. I identified with the author even before opening the first page. This was because I have always thought of myself as an eager young adventurer looking for answers (although not so young now) and also because I worked with refugees in Bosnia and Croatia during that very same war that so intrigued Isenberg that it became his mission to travel the length and breadth of the Balkans to learn the truth.
What impressed me most about this book was that in just two short weeks Isenberg managed to capture the spirit, the flavour, the culture, the strengths and the prejudices of a people with a very checkered and very complex history that has often baffled even the most ardent of foreign journalists and historians.
There are some lovely anecdotes too. His description of the murder of Franz-Ferdinand, Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian empire, is possibly the most literary I have ever read. Isenberg captures the moments before and after the assassination in a way that makes the reader feel like he/she was actually there, a witness and participant, on that fateful day that precipitated the horror that became the First World War.
Isenberg writes about the shelling of the beautiful Byzantine city of Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic, my other’s birthplace, with the very same degree of horror and sadness I felt. “Ancient masonry chewed by missiles, yachts exploding in their docks. Clouds of black smoke vomiting from the centre of noble monuments, Renaissance palaces gushing flames. Nuns panicking. Women sobbing. Middle-aged men bruised and bleeding.” These TV News images from 1992, Isenberg so vividly describes as a 12 year old boy, were the very same that I was watching, haunting images of a city I loved, images that compelled me to drive relief trucks down to Bosnia and Croatia for the next three years until the war came to its bitter end.
Isenberg is curious. He is observant. He is an astute questioner and an avid listener. He is determined to learn as much as he can in the short time he is there. He observes everything. He talks to everyone from all sides of the conflict. His keen eyes and ears miss nothing. And all the time he is memorizing his surroundings, his conversations and his unique experiences. He is taking notes, he is recording and he is writing religiously every day. If ever there was a lesson on how to write a travel book, this is it. Another Rory Stewart, perhaps, is born!
I have learnt from “The Archipelago – A Balkan Passage” that not only is it possible to write a book about a trip of just two weeks, it is also possible to make that book a very worthy tome useful to fellow travelers, scholars and historians alike. I didn’t’ think it could be done. But I was very wrong. This book has something for everyone. It is delightful, informative and genuine. A fellow traveller and adventurer has successfully accomplished in two weeks what I never accomplished in my three years working with refugees in the Balkans during the war. I am grateful to Isenberg he has inspired me to finally sit down and work on those missing chapters of my autobiography.
What impressed me most about this book was that in just two short weeks Isenberg managed to capture the spirit, the flavour, the culture, the strengths and the prejudices of a people with a very checkered and very complex history that has often baffled even the most ardent of foreign journalists and historians.
There are some lovely anecdotes too. His description of the murder of Franz-Ferdinand, Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian empire, is possibly the most literary I have ever read. Isenberg captures the moments before and after the assassination in a way that makes the reader feel like he/she was actually there, a witness and participant, on that fateful day that precipitated the horror that became the First World War.
Isenberg writes about the shelling of the beautiful Byzantine city of Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic, my other’s birthplace, with the very same degree of horror and sadness I felt. “Ancient masonry chewed by missiles, yachts exploding in their docks. Clouds of black smoke vomiting from the centre of noble monuments, Renaissance palaces gushing flames. Nuns panicking. Women sobbing. Middle-aged men bruised and bleeding.” These TV News images from 1992, Isenberg so vividly describes as a 12 year old boy, were the very same that I was watching, haunting images of a city I loved, images that compelled me to drive relief trucks down to Bosnia and Croatia for the next three years until the war came to its bitter end.
Isenberg is curious. He is observant. He is an astute questioner and an avid listener. He is determined to learn as much as he can in the short time he is there. He observes everything. He talks to everyone from all sides of the conflict. His keen eyes and ears miss nothing. And all the time he is memorizing his surroundings, his conversations and his unique experiences. He is taking notes, he is recording and he is writing religiously every day. If ever there was a lesson on how to write a travel book, this is it. Another Rory Stewart, perhaps, is born!
I have learnt from “The Archipelago – A Balkan Passage” that not only is it possible to write a book about a trip of just two weeks, it is also possible to make that book a very worthy tome useful to fellow travelers, scholars and historians alike. I didn’t’ think it could be done. But I was very wrong. This book has something for everyone. It is delightful, informative and genuine. A fellow traveller and adventurer has successfully accomplished in two weeks what I never accomplished in my three years working with refugees in the Balkans during the war. I am grateful to Isenberg he has inspired me to finally sit down and work on those missing chapters of my autobiography.
December 30, 2010
But of course I would give my book five stars. The Archipelago is quickly becoming my proudest achievement, and there are too many people to thank for its existence. If you're wondering what it's about, here are some sneak peaks:
* A stroll through an active minefield.
* Wrecking an Albanian hotel room.
* Interrogation by Serb soldiers.
* Crawling through a secret tunnel.
* Attack by prostitute.
* A magic fountain.
* A tram collision.
* A really, really good mime.
If you read only one first-person travelogue about post-war Bosnia, I hope you pick this one.
* A stroll through an active minefield.
* Wrecking an Albanian hotel room.
* Interrogation by Serb soldiers.
* Crawling through a secret tunnel.
* Attack by prostitute.
* A magic fountain.
* A tram collision.
* A really, really good mime.
If you read only one first-person travelogue about post-war Bosnia, I hope you pick this one.
January 24, 2019
I’m very pleased to have read this at this time in history. In the news, we usually only see the bad in minorities and refugees. It’s easy to become brainwashed into thinking Muslims and Mexicans will cause problems in the US. This author wanted to see first hand how all the countries that came out of Yugoslavia were affected and how they’re coping since the war ended, and to not be told what to think from some online article or book. This book is a nice blend of travel and history and I was sad to finish this very enjoyable and important book.
July 19, 2015
More than a travelogue.
The author seems like a sensitive man. Sensitive to his surroundings and genuinely curious about the cultures other than his own. His description about his sympathy and curiosity for the Bosnian war kind of reminded me of the feeing I had for the Iran-Iraqi war and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 80's. I was a teenager back than.
I appreciated his sharing of his private feelings throughout the book as much as the travelogue itself.
The author seems like a sensitive man. Sensitive to his surroundings and genuinely curious about the cultures other than his own. His description about his sympathy and curiosity for the Bosnian war kind of reminded me of the feeing I had for the Iran-Iraqi war and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 80's. I was a teenager back than.
I appreciated his sharing of his private feelings throughout the book as much as the travelogue itself.
August 11, 2011
Check out my review of this book on Newpages.com:
http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/2...
And while you're there, check out the site! The best place on the web to hear about new independent books and publishing.
http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/2...
And while you're there, check out the site! The best place on the web to hear about new independent books and publishing.
December 31, 2010
Impassioned and well written, this part travelogue and part history by present observation far exceeded my expectations.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews