Customer Reviews

A Journey to the Rivers: Justice for Serbia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I know nothing about Serbia beyond what the press commonly reports. This book is the first I have read about that country. It makes no apologies for Serbian atrocities. It does, however, lyrically call journalists and journalism to task.

Written in German in late 1995 for a European audience, this 82-page book applies equally to the U.S. I speak as a former journalist who, during 25 years of largely national U.S. writing, plumbed every side to every question before reaching conclusions--always over-reporting to find nuances, and often reaching conclusions only as I wrote. It was a handicap not easily overcome.

That is not how many, perhaps even most, journalists work. The fault is built into the system. Editors expect reporters to have an angle before they present an idea. Without a hook, assignments are often not made. Editors will deny it, but they expect reporters to have reached some conclusion before they begin reporting, and to report to prove their points. In other words, they routinely ask journalists to put the cart before the horse --- an especially troubling phenomenon in this era of political correctness.

Reporters say they are after truth and good. Most are in fact after the big game, the story to make them famous, a kill. Nowadays CNN hires television actors as news anchors. You get the picture.

Ironically, on big stories covered by throngs --- which I intensely disliked and avoided, and which of course include wars --- reporters tend to mimic each other, to sit around after they file, bragging about their prowess. The largest braggarts are also often the least talented.

Institutionalized problems have a depressing effect on journalism. Few stories are black and white. But most present that illusion, although they are products of very little, if any, deductive thought.

Certainly, nuances do not surface in short sound bites feeding most news wires. Peter Handke seems to know all this --- and a great deal of philosophy.

Serbia aside, this book shows, in near-poetic language, that things are not always as journalists portray them. For that alone, Handke's tiny volume is worth its weight in gold.

--- Alyssa A. Lappen

Once again, Handke tackles a difficult issue with masterful language. Upon its publication, the book received numerous negative responses by many critics who clearly had not read the piece. This carefully constructed book never "sides" with anyone, instead it attempts to seek out questions rather than answers. It is a dense difficult piece that is made very accessible by Scott Abbott's fine translation. I strongly recommend it and urge you to read it with an open mind.

German literary genius Peter Handke should be commended for setting the record straight.

Negative comments here by self proclaimed experts on Balkan and Serbian history are ridiculous. Comparing Serbs, who fought en-masse against the Nazis, to their killers is nothing but a pure insult to the intelligence of any decent person, especially since most Muslims, Albanians, and Croats fought for Hitler.

I am more proud than anything to be a Serb, and I am proud of the German intellectual Peter Handke for his show of courage.

Mr. Handke has put his own life and reputation on the line for the Serbian people, Serbia loves you Mr. Handke. Thank-you.

This book should be read by everyone. Very brave of Peter Handke for reemphasizing that the truth isn't always black and white.

An excellent book for those who wish to want to have an alternative prespective and source of information with respect to the conflicts in Yugoslavia.

While the editorial reviews were negative, they are also hypocritical, as it is appears unlikely that either of the two editorial reviewers have any first-hand information, but instead are regurgitating information from the western press (one of the key points which Handke raises).

It is hard to wipe off all the mud while the mudslinging takes place. Mr. Handke should be given a lot of credit for his effort. Although sometimes tiring, his understanding of the Serb, Croat and Muslim actions and american/french/german/british arrogance (or is it ignorance or both?), offers to the reader, specially in countries like united states that have been infected by the CNN/ABC virus, an opportunity to see the other side.

Unfortunately, following some points requires a better knowledge of the events, players, and history -- which is not as common nowdays.

The translation made the ideas a bit confusing at some points, but overall, this is a good book to read.

Finally someone gets that serbs can not possibly be the only responsible in the war in the former Yugoslavia

Handke's work is both brave and instructive in that he has the courage to say what many only privately acknowledge - that the war in Bosnia generated some of the most successful propaganda and misinformation campaigns the world have ever witnessed. Now that the war is over, people are beginning to intelligently pick through what really happened. The Serbs of Bosnia and especially Croatia were by and large the real victims of those wars. More than 500,000 Serbs were ethnically cleansed from Croatia in 1995 - the largest single population transfer since World War II. Yet the West ignored this monstrous war crime. Handke is correct in stating that journalists - aided by slick media relations from Zagreb and Sarajevo - painted the war as a simple good vs evil conflict. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The numerous mass graves of Serbian civilians is brutal testimonty to that.

Things work out strangely on ones journey through life. Picture me stranded with broken fan belt on the way home from work on my wife's birthday. That morass overcome,and truck in shop, I drove the family car to work on Thanksgiving morning, departing earlier than usual for whatever reason. On a sixty-five mile drive, what do I encounter but a broken down vehicle in the same exact spot I languished in just a few days before. Now only five minutes from my office and well ahead of schedule, I was transporting a brother and sister to a nearby apartment. They were fresh from Kosovo. Speaking little english, we bade each other farewell and they were in my thoughts often in the coming weeks. Christmas shopping for year 2000 led me to a discount bookstore where I found this work as well as a stack of others on the Balkans. I would rate this book more highly were it not for the price (...) It was admitted to by the author in the preface to the American edition:the text apeared on two weekends in the Suddeutsche Zeitung. It is a mere pair of clippings,granted.
On to the merits of the book: Handke states the war was the reason for his journey, and that he was "drawn" to the country (Serbia) of the disintegrating Yugoslavia "least known to me". In my impression, he observes and questions constantly all aspects of the situation. He has experienced, from Germany, through the slant of the media lens what he sees as distortion. Here he tries hard to gain a proper perspective during the short journey he has through the countryside. A worthy read and best read twice, as I am about to do.

I don't know how these last few people have been able to write reviews of this book because I've been trying to get my hands on this book for about a year now and all bookstores online are out of them. If anyone who is reading this can figure out a way I can have a chance to read this book, please email me at the address mentioned above. I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks All!