Auf ein Miniaturbild klicken, um zu Google Books zu gelangen.
Lädt ... To the Lake: A Balkan Journey of War and Peace (2020)von Kapka Kassabova
Keine Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Travelogue/ family history/ political history: the author travels around Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, divided between Albania, Macedonia and Greece. The people on one shore look over at the opposite side which they cannot visit. Taking in years of conflict, civil wars and oppression - at one time Albania was providing refuge to suffering Macedonians; later the situation was reversed - this has a sad subtext, with many heartrending stories told by the locals. But it also describes the beauty and magic of this Balkan location, and gives an overall impression of the complexities of political history here. A beautifully written travelogue-cum-history-cum-family memoir about Kassabova’s return visit to Lake Ohrid after a lifetime away, narrating her coming to accept the conflicting pull of place, with memories of conflict and exile. Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Little Prespa about which she also writes are in the Balkans, Macedonia, where the borders of three countries meet: North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. Kassabova’s Grandmother came from Ohrid and it is with her and the town of Ohrid that Kassabova’s narrative starts, with her mother’s move to Bulgaria, where Kassabova was born. But she builds up her book with stories of other exiles, sometimes economic and sometimes refugees from war. I knew next to nothing about this region, and the book provides a good introduction to the highly complex history of the area, as it moved from being an Ottoman province to becoming parts of three often warring nations. However that is only the necessary background of the book, which is more generally about conflict, forced exile and understanding the emotional longing to return, but also to move on. This may sound heavy and serious, and it is, but the writing lifts up and illuminates the subject matter, making you cautiously hopeful that not all the conflict will repeat itself, in what sounds to be a beautiful place. Zeige 3 von 3 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. Two vast lakes joined by underground rivers. Two lakes that seem to hold both the turbulent memories of the region's past, and the secret of its enduring allure. Two lakes that have played a central role in Kapka Kassabova's maternal family. As she journeys to her grandmother's place of origin, Kassabova encounters a civilizational crossroads. The Lakes are set within the mountainous borderlands of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece, and crowned by the old Roman road, the via Egnatia. Once a trading and spiritual nexus of the southern Balkans, this lake region remains one of Eurasia's most culturally diverse areas. Meanwhile, with their remote rock churches, changeable currents, and large population of migratory birds, the Lakes live in their own time. By exploring on water and land the stories of poets, fishermen, and caretakers, misfits, rulers, and inheritors of war and exile, Kassabova uncovers the human history shaped by the Lakes. Setting out to resolve her own ancestral legacy of the Lakes, Kassabova's journey unfolds to a deeper enquiry into how geography and politics imprint themselves upon families and nations, and confronts her with questions about human suffering and the capacity for change. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
Aktuelle DiskussionenKeineBeliebte Umschlagbilder
Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)914.95604History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in Europe Other European Countries GreeceKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. |
How to explain all this? Kassabova doesn't attempt a text book. Instead, she journeys round the region, looking up old family friends, making new connections, and generally getting to know a wide range of people. And she tells their stories, and those of their families. In this way she illuminates the history of the area, and more specifically shows the impact of political, religious and economic change on the lives of those involved. This is a story of people who call themselves Albanians, Macedonians, and Greeks. It's also the story of their landscapes and the towns and communities in which they live. It's fascinating. ( )