Peter Handke is an Austrian writer. One of his ancestors came from Slovenia, which was then a province of Austria. The north-western part of the Yugoslavian federation, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the Voivodina were once part of the Habsburg Empire, the Austro-Hungarian double monarchy. It seems, as such Handke feels tied to the recent history of these lands.

The war in Yugoslavia has altogether been very hard to understand, especially because of the ambiguous role of the United States. I never really understood the whole conflict. However, in this vacuum of comprehension, Austrian author Peter Handke has stepped in to make an apology for and side with Slobodan Milošević, who is otherwise seen as one of the main culprits.

In Die Tablas von Daimiel Handke describes his visits to Milošević is prison in The Hague，the Netherlands, and tries to make a plea. However, this slim booklet cannot even clarify the situation to me, and it never becomes clear why Handke thinks he is justified.

It seems Handke uses his unique position as a renowned writer to get access to this war criminal and against all others take a position, as a lone gainsayer. ( )