ch at the time was believed to be the war which would end war. Perhaps the belief that everything remains the same at its core no matter how tumultuous events of the moment appear was a way for the author to offer himself and others then and later the a way to hope for an eventual return to sanity and peace. Ironically, today, a half century after the writing of the book, Bosnia, its setting, symbolizes chaos and warfare to the world. Perhaps there is some realistic hope the reader can learn from Andric with respect to peace and harmony finally returning sooner or later to even the most war-torn time and land.
The book itself, however, is hardly idyllic or idealistic. Vast stretches of time are covered quickly, perhaps because so little of magnitude happens which profoundly affects the village, but when the author lingers the events he examines are far from pacific. Violence, death, tragedy and
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