Books: Literature - Imagining the Balkans
Author: Maria Todorova Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 1997, 272pp ISBN: 0195087518 ISBN: 978-0195087512 Todorova’s book is a study on the literature about the Balkans written by western authors. Through her analysis of narratives written by a number of diplomats, journalists and travel writers, she argues that the ‘Balkans’ is not only a geographical area but is also a concept often filled with negative inferences and judgements. Put very simply, her main line of argument takes a fairly similar form to that offered by Edward Said in his book “Orientalism”, where she suggests that the effect of presenting the Balkans as an area guided by primitive passions is that Europe is made to look more civilised. Irrespective of whether one accepts her argument or not, by questioning the motives of western authors as to why they are writing about the Balkans as they do, this book compels readers to not take the literature written by western authors as being a ‘true’ representation of the Balkans. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in reading more widely on the break up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
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