Reading history/ Carlos Pueblo

Reading history/ Carlos Pueblo

Recently, I have read Wikipedia for the history of Balkan states because I write

about handsome staff on cruise, then been brought to Ivo Andric, the Nobel

Laureate  of 1961 and his book, the Bridge on the River Drina. It was said the

book was about the 500 years of Visegrad life under the Ottoman’s rule. The

bridge has been honored the builder, Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic who was himself

taken away as a child to join the Sultan’s Janissary on a ferry passing Drina.

Andric was arrested right after his friend, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Grand

Duke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. I learned the assassination which caused the

first European War at my 10^th grade history class in Taiwan. I still remember the

short drama which was created by the teacher and his definition and explanation

of ultimatum. The history of that part of world is much clearer for me after six

decades.

By reading history makes me simplified the world. It all started before the century

that Asian Huns were roaming on the north of current day the Great Wall of China.

Han Chinese Dynasties pushed them westward to current day Eastern Turkistan and

Mongolian Genghis Khan pushed them even harder along the Silk Road to current day

Bagdad. A branch of them went into current day Turkey and diminished the Byzantine

and that was the Ottoman. The Ottoman went up to Vienna and stopped by the joint

force of Polish-Lithuania, the Holy Roman Empire, and Habsburg Monarchy, yet they

didn’t leave the Balkan Peninsula, as a matter of fact occupying most of the territory.

The Ottoman had converted many locals to be Muslim; therefore, we ran into trouble

among, the Catholic, the Muslim, and the Eastern Orthodox. It had been more than

500 years since the Ottoman occupied Balkan and Andric’s book was about that

bridge, that river, and the life of the locals under the Ottoman’s rule. He and Princip

were members of Bosnia Serbs’ secret Black Hand society which desired to join the

the  Kingdom of Serbia. Princip was arrested and sentenced to 20 years and jailed at

Terezin, current day the Czech Republic that I passed by and read about it and never

pay a visit which I regret now. He died three years later of tuberculosis. Andric died

in 1975 in Belgrade at age of 82.

Two distinguished American diplomats, the late Richard Holbrooke and Madeleine

Albright have played significant roles of the U.S. involvement to resolve the crisis

In the early 90’s under President Clinton. Both parents were immigrants from that

part of the world; therefore, we can see how dedicated and perseverance to this

crisis and at least maintain certain peace for the time being. I have admired both

especially Holbrooke for reading his books.