The Bridge on the Drina

In the middle of the 19th century, “the Turkish Empire was consumed by a slow fever” (95). The town of Višegrad is increasingly defined by the border between Bosnia and Serbia. The border is becoming bureaucratically outlined and mapped, leading to disagreements and fights. As the years pass, the Turks are forced to leave Serbian territories and they cross over the Višegrad bridge as refugees. Salko Ćorkan, also known as One-eyed Salko, is the son of “a gipsy woman and some Anatolian soldier” (98) who had been stationed in Višegrad. Salko grew up an orphan, fed by the whole town, only to become a drunk who takes odd jobs; a group of merchants’ sons play “crude jokes” (98) on him. Even Salko is saddened when one Turkish refugee warns the men on the bridge to worry about whether the same will happen to them. In this period, Sarajevo is hit twice by plague and once by cholera. Travel restrictions are implemented and guards return to the bridge over the Drina, checking anyone travelling to or from Sarajevo. The guards block everyone from passing through though are susceptible to bribes.