Sarajevo

Self-sacrifice is defined as a “sacrifice of one’s interests, or desires for the duty or good of another.” In the “Cellist of Sarajevo” by Steven Galloway there isn’t a more prominent theme found then self-sacrifice. The novel tells the story of four people and their daily lives as they struggle through the siege of their hometown. All four characters are very different as they sacrifice themselves in very different ways and for different reasons. It becomes apparent by the end of the novel…

WAR AND ARCHITECTURE: The Sarajevo window Lebbeus woods wrote in his manifesto “Architecture is war, war is Architecture” as a response to the urgent situation in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was under a terrorist attack. Lebbeus at that time stated that it was clear that architecture was part of the problem. He wrote “snipers had turned streets into lethal shooting galleries and artillery gunners had turned ordinary buildings where people worked and lived into incendiary death traps” and as…

The Siege of Sarajevo was an event in which two-hundred thousand people lost their lives. The book I had the pleasure of reading was “The Cellist of Sarajevo” by Steven Galloway. The purpose of this literature was to bring light to the “Siege of Sarajevo” that occurred between 1992 and 1996 and to show the humanity/inhumanity found within. The novel elicits many ideas which can be narrowed down to: war, symbolism, structure, character developments and historical context which will all be…

reason. In the novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo” written by Steven Galloway, demonstrates the City of Sarajevo under siege. The novel follows a series of events for each character that has impossible moral choices- temptation, suffering, and fear of death. At the beginning of the Galloway’s novel, Dragon has no intentions of sacrificing anything he owned- his appearance, his words, and his possessions. Dragon does not know what to believe anymore, whether the old Sarajevo is the truth or the new…

mirage. When most people’s foremost thoughts are of their self-preservation, altruism preserves and strengthens ones integrity and humanity when one risks their life for the survival of others and keeps their honor intact. In the novel The Cellist of Sarajevo, Canadian author Steven Galloway illustrates the internal moral crisis people face when confronted with their own mortality and the pain and suffering of those worse off. Galloway brilliantly demonstrates…

“The Cellist of Sarajevo,” written by Steve Galloway, is a story that takes place in the capital of Bosnia, shedding light on the true story of Vedran Smajlovic, and touching upon the importance of shedding light in times of darkness. One of the main themes that stood out to me during the story was heroism. Despite all of the other significant themes that arose from the text, heroism was the strongest. The Cellist himself was used as symbol for heroism and another character the author used to…

stories “Killings” and “IND AFF or Out of Love in Sarajevo”. Spoken in a third person perspective is the “Killings”. However, first person perspective is used in “IND AFF or Out of Love in Sarajevo”. Revenge is understandable in one story and reprehensible in the other. One ends in regret the other avoids regrets. To vilify and humanize flashbacks are used in the“Killings”. However, a historic subplot is used in “IND AFF or Out of Love in Sarajevo”. The settings play a major role in both…

In Geraldine Brooks’s The People of the Book, the Sarajevo Haggadah a device around which all the characters revolve. This book travels through through countries, centuries, and war. In The People of the Book, though the haggadah itself is not a physical character, it acts us such, and has the ability to change outcome of the novel’s character’s stories. The Haggadah first affects Zarah. She is an artist who was originally disguised as boy, and was kidnapped and was sent work where she was…

people to endure difficult times. In Stephen Galloway’s novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo” the struggles that the citizens of Sarajevo must contend with during the Bosnian war are explored. Dragan and Kenan are put in situations in which their hopes on survival are tested. The effects of the war causes Kenan and Dragan to lose hope which changes their views on life. The consequences of the Bosnian war causes many people of Sarajevo to lose hope. Trying hard not to lose hope on survival, Kenan’s…

Arrow is a female sniper- her military life allows her an excuse to kill in order to protect the city and innocent lives of Sarajevo. She is assigned to protect the cellist because he represents hope for the civilians which makes the men on the hill a strong reason to shoot him. She is conflicted about her sense of justice and morality. Kenan fears the thought of never seeing his family again which is the reason why he fights for their survival. For example, making frequent trips for water. He…