The Walnut Mansion

by Miljenko Jergovic

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An epic novel of twentieth-century Balkan life, from the decline of the Ottoman Empire through the bloodshed of the Bosnian War This grand novel encompasses nearly all of Yugoslavia's tumultuous twentieth century, from the decline of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires through two world wars, the rise and fall of communism, the breakup of the nation, and the terror of the shelling of Dubrovnik. Tackling universal themes on a human scale, master storyteller Miljenko Jergovic traces one show more Yugoslavian family's tale as history irresistibly casts the fates of five generations. What is it to live a life whose circumstances are driven by history? Jergovic investigates the experiences of a compelling heroine, Regina Delavale, and her many family members and neighbors. Telling Regina's story in reverse chronology, the author proceeds from her final days in 2002 to her birth in 1905, encountering along the way such traumas as atrocities committed by Nazi Ustashe Croats and the death of Tito. Lyrically written and unhesitatingly told, The Walnut Mansion may be read as an allegory of the tragedy of Yugoslavia's tormented twentieth century. show less

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2 reviews
Beginnend mit ihrem gewaltsamen Tod in Dobrovnik im Jahr 2002 erzählt Jergović die Geschichte der 97-jährigen Regina Delavale, geborene Sikirić. Jergović geht dabei rückwärts in der Zeit und verknüpft Reginas Leben mit den Geschichten Ihrer Familie und diverser Originale Dalmatiens, der Herzegowina, Bosniens und Montenegros.

Reginas Geschichte spiegelt die wechselhafte Geschichte des Westbalkans im 20. Jahrhundert wieder, die zahlreichen, lose zusammengefügten Episoden geben tiefe Einblicke in die Seele des Balkans und das Leben seiner Bewohner im 20. Jahrhundert.

Dem Autor gelingt es eindrucksvoll viele Geschichten in einer Großen zusammenfassen, ohne dass dem Leser auch nur einmal langweilig wird oder der rückwärtsgewandte show more Handlungsfluss gestört scheint. "Das Walnusshaus" ist ein Meisterwerk und absolutes Muss für jeden, der Interesse am Westbalkan hat. show less
historischer Roman

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Walnut Mansion
Original title
Dvori od oraha
Alternate titles*
Das Walnußhaus
Original publication date
2003
People/Characters*
Marija Kablar; Ares Vlahović; Regina Delavale; Doktor Onofri; Diana Kraljev; Mirna Kraljev (show all 7); Darian Kraljev
Original language*
Kroatisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
DDC/MDS
891.8Literature & rhetoricAsian LiteratureEast Indo-European and Celtic literaturesWest and South Slavic languages (Bulgarian, Slovene, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Serbo-Croatian, and Macedonian)
LCC
PG1620.2 .E74Language and LiteratureSlavic languages and literatures. Baltic languages. Albanian languageSlavic. Baltic. AlbanianSerbo-Croatian
BISAC

Statistics

Members
107
Popularity
302,061
Reviews
2
Rating
(4.03)
Languages
8 — Bosnian, English, French, German, Lithuanian, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
17
ASINs
3