Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
4/10/14
Review of Knife by Vuk Draskovic
As this class has progressed through the most notable literary works to come from the Balkan
area, the focus has mainly been Ivo Andric’s works which had an unconven$onal take on story telling.
Draskovic’s novel departed from the track that Andric had set in his novels with multiple characters.
Draskovic took a more conven$onal route in focusing on central character and the quest he undertook.
This work gained popularity with controversy as it created an uproar when it was published in 1982,
some$me before the opening of the Balkan Wars. The novel was condemned by the ruling Communist
Party and was consequently banned. This novel was the .rst of Draskovic’s narra$ves to be translated
into English. It is notable that this cri$cal commentary of the state of his country was published as
Draskovic got his start in the political world of Serbia. Because of this history, it is interes$ng to see how
the author’s political stance a1ects the tone of the novel. Although it seems to be just another tale of
revenge, there is more in between the lines and the underlying political in3uence gives the story a
greater depth of meaning.
As this narra$ve opens, the massacre of a Serbian village by a Muslim faction on Christmas Day
