Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-95
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- Author：Joe Sacco
- ISBN：022408089X
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Summary
In late 1995 and early 1996， cartoonist/reporter Joe Sacco travelled four times to Gorazde， a UN-designated safe area during the Bosnian War， which had teetered on the brink of obliteration for three and a half years。
Still surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces， the mainly Muslim people of Gorazde had endured heavy attacks and severe privation to hang on to their town while the rest of Eastern Bosnia was brutally 'cleansed' of its non-Serb population。 But as much as Safe Area Gorazde is an account of a terrible siege， it presents a snapshot of people who were slowly letting themselves believe that a war was ending and that they had survived。
Since it was first published in 2000， Safe Area Gorazde has been recognized as one of the absolute classics of graphic non-fiction。 We are delighted to publish it in the UK for the first time， to stand beside Joe Sacco's other books on the Cape list - Palestine， The Fixer and Notes from a Defeatist。
Still surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces， the mainly Muslim people of Gorazde had endured heavy attacks and severe privation to hang on to their town while the rest of Eastern Bosnia was brutally 'cleansed' of its non-Serb population。 But as much as Safe Area Gorazde is an account of a terrible siege， it presents a snapshot of people who were slowly letting themselves believe that a war was ending and that they had survived。
Since it was first published in 2000， Safe Area Gorazde has been recognized as one of the absolute classics of graphic non-fiction。 We are delighted to publish it in the UK for the first time， to stand beside Joe Sacco's other books on the Cape list - Palestine， The Fixer and Notes from a Defeatist。
Reviews
Rohan R
，
If you like Graphic novels， history and military conflicts， definitely read this。
Claire
，
I have been a fan of Joe Sacco ever since I heard him speak and learned to value well done graphic journalism。 This book did not disappoint。 One is drawn gradually into the horror of the final offensive， the UN inaction perceived as betrayal of the safe area。 The conflict is retold through experiences of survivor Sacco interviews and those who became his friends。 It is a personal look at an international event， much more meaningful than the day to day reporting that was contemporary。
Wei Han Lau
，
Sacco's hard-edged journalism in this work had such an impact on my eighteen-year-old self that I can still remember the particular smell from the pages of the first copy that I got my hands on， loaned out from the public library。 Sacco's hard-edged journalism in this work had such an impact on my eighteen-year-old self that I can still remember the particular smell from the pages of the first copy that I got my hands on， loaned out from the public library。 。。。more
Jenny King
，
***EUROVISIONATHON 2021 - MALTA***When I started looking for non-fiction graphic novels， Joe Sacco’s name frequently came up as an award winning investigative journalist who then wrote his experiences in graphic form。 I then discovered that Joe Sacco was born in Malta， so I immediately picked it up for Eurovisionathon。 First off this is not a part of Europe or history that I was familiar with - I was born when the war took place but was far too young to really take any notice of it， so this book ***EUROVISIONATHON 2021 - MALTA***When I started looking for non-fiction graphic novels， Joe Sacco’s name frequently came up as an award winning investigative journalist who then wrote his experiences in graphic form。 I then discovered that Joe Sacco was born in Malta， so I immediately picked it up for Eurovisionathon。 First off this is not a part of Europe or history that I was familiar with - I was born when the war took place but was far too young to really take any notice of it， so this book was incredibly eye-opening。 Joe Sacco’s narrative style is absolutely fascinating - he actually draws himself in the story interviewing different people and recording their experiences。 For starters， his art style is absolutely amazing。 The panels are all black and white， and the illustrations are all really detailed pen/line drawing which make the story so hard hitting as you really see the emotions of the different people telling their stories。 And as ever， particularly for a non fiction book I think that the graphic format of this was absolutely inspired for telling this story， and really showing the atrocities that happened during the war。 Through the illustrations you get to see the desolation and the absolute horrors from the mass murders to the destruction of the town and the homes of the people。 This book is not for the faint hearted- it is incredibly difficult to read at times （even more pronounced as it is actually shown to you in images）。 There are some lighthearted moments which you see as the author spends more and more time with the people， but overall the story is absolutely eye-opening and gripping。 I did give this 5⭐️ - and my only real complaint is that the cover is really not great， and does not properly showcase the amazing art inside。 。。。more
Stephen Chase
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The worst civil war book ever！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！
Jenny （Reading Envy）
，
I can't remember who recommended this to me （sorry！） but I'm glad I was able to find this at the library， a journalist's account of the war in Bosnia， specifically Gorazde， from 1992-95， as well as the immediate aftermath。 I appreciated the point of view of the Muslims left in the city when their Serbian neighbors left suddenly and then became their enemies， and the graphic treatment captures the wide ranging emotions from bewilderment to betrayal。 And then trying to understand the decisions mad I can't remember who recommended this to me （sorry！） but I'm glad I was able to find this at the library， a journalist's account of the war in Bosnia， specifically Gorazde， from 1992-95， as well as the immediate aftermath。 I appreciated the point of view of the Muslims left in the city when their Serbian neighbors left suddenly and then became their enemies， and the graphic treatment captures the wide ranging emotions from bewilderment to betrayal。 And then trying to understand the decisions made by the UN and Nato， and the worry about being "traded" in the final resolution。 The image focus allows for extras like maps， which aids in my understanding for sure。 How Gorazde connects to Sarajevo， or doesn't， is really important。This story connects directly to The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric， which is on my shelf but maybe should be my follow-up read。 The author also recommends some nonfiction reads in the back that look helpful in providing some broader context。I once worked at a bakery with one Bosnian refugee and one Serbian refugee and they refused to interact。。。I'm starting to get it。This is for my Europe2021 project， and of course CW for all war related topics， possibly more disturbing because they are portrayed and brains might remember images differently。 。。。more
Anne
，
Gripping but horrifying to read， even by this artist's standards。 He did not hold back on the pain and tragedy。 A significant improvement on his work in Palestine with more personal reflection and less poverty tourism。 Gripping but horrifying to read， even by this artist's standards。 He did not hold back on the pain and tragedy。 A significant improvement on his work in Palestine with more personal reflection and less poverty tourism。 。。。more
Sam
，
This is an account of the horrifying situation that arose from the splintering of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s。 It's not for the faint of heart， because the artist depicts accounts of civilian murders， warfare， and combat hospitals。 That being said， I would consider it to be a really effective means of informing people about this war and its atrocities。 There is enough context given to understand what's going on， and the epilogues hint at how things， in their awkward way， began to move forward This is an account of the horrifying situation that arose from the splintering of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s。 It's not for the faint of heart， because the artist depicts accounts of civilian murders， warfare， and combat hospitals。 That being said， I would consider it to be a really effective means of informing people about this war and its atrocities。 There is enough context given to understand what's going on， and the epilogues hint at how things， in their awkward way， began to move forward after the war ended。The art is all black and white， and more realistic than， say， X-Men （or other super hero comics， which are my main experience with this medium）。 The artist does a very good job of conveying horror without every panel dripping in blood。 In particular， the eyes he draws are very telling。 I'm very glad that I read this， and it was very tough to put down。 That being said， the author/protagonist is very aware of his privileged position in Gorazde and （essentially） his protection from the violence and deprivation that （had） afflicted the city's residents and refugees。 It shines a light on the mostly-toothless threats from the international community， as well as how the rest of the world watched the conflict as a TV show。 I heard about this from Cristina Rivera Garza's "Grieving，" which is also centers on horror-driven inaction in the face of unthinkable violence--both books are a call to action。 "But the awful and frightening fact about fascism is that it 'takes' only a few gestures （a pig's head in a mosque; a rumor of the kidnap of a child; an armed provocation at a wedding） to unsettle or even undo the communal and human work of generations。 Normally the fascists don't have the guts to try it; they need the reassurance of support from superiors or aid fro an outside power and the need to know that 'law，' defined nationally or internationally， will be a joke at the expense of the victims。 In Bosnia they were granted all three indulgences" （from the introduction by Christopher Hitchens）。 。。。more
Oriol Gili
，
Masterpiece
Dolly
，
This is a brutally vivid depiction of the author's experiences living in the community and sharing the stories of those who lived through the horrific events that occurred during the war in Eastern Bosnia。 The narrative is told through the perspectives of the many people who contributed to the book， and the black and white illustrations do not spare the reader of the tragedy， the resilience， the cruelty， and the savagery of war。Wrapped up in all of this is the strength of humanity's will to surv This is a brutally vivid depiction of the author's experiences living in the community and sharing the stories of those who lived through the horrific events that occurred during the war in Eastern Bosnia。 The narrative is told through the perspectives of the many people who contributed to the book， and the black and white illustrations do not spare the reader of the tragedy， the resilience， the cruelty， and the savagery of war。Wrapped up in all of this is the strength of humanity's will to survive and the perseverance of the human spirit。interesting quotes:"Everyone here is a hardship case。" （p。 96）"Goražde had become a symbol of the meaninglessness of the safe area concept specifically and the impotence of the international community generally。" （p。 184） 。。。more
Sergey Lebedenko
，
Невозможно читать， невозможно не читать。 Жесткая и очень честная журналистская работа и доказательство того， что комикс-журналистика – действенный формат。
Ben Truong
，
Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia， 1992-1995 is a journalistic graphic novel about the Bosnian War written and illustrated by Joe Sacco。 It describes Sacco's experiences during four months spent in Bosnia and is based on conversations with Bosniaks trapped within the enclave of Goražde。Joe Sacco is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist dealing mainly in conflict and war。In 1995， Sacco rode in a supply convoy into the U。N。-designated safe area of Goražde， a small Bosnian Muslim Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia， 1992-1995 is a journalistic graphic novel about the Bosnian War written and illustrated by Joe Sacco。 It describes Sacco's experiences during four months spent in Bosnia and is based on conversations with Bosniaks trapped within the enclave of Goražde。Joe Sacco is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist dealing mainly in conflict and war。In 1995， Sacco rode in a supply convoy into the U。N。-designated safe area of Goražde， a small Bosnian Muslim town deep within Serb territory and under military siege by Orthodox Christian Serb nationalists。 Sacco spent the next four months among the 57，000 residents of this imperiled enclave。 His new work of comics reportage brings exceptional historical context to the tragic individual stories produced by the dissolution of Yugoslavia。During his stay， Sacco befriends Edin， a Muslim school teacher who becomes his guide and translator， who tells Sacco his own family's story of war suffering。 The graphic novel captures both the minor difficulties of life under siege to ever more harrowing accounts of Serb nationalist atrocities。Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia， 1992-1995 is written and constructed rather well。 It is an extraordinary work of both journalism and comic book artistry as it attempts to make sense of a conflict that many in the West find too confusing or too gruesome to follow。 Sacco strikes up friendships with Goraždens， interviews dozens of refugees and retells， in their words and his drawings， the horrific events of the three-and-a-half-year war that led to the town's isolation and near destruction。Sacco's compulsively detailed， realistic drawings provide tremendous emotional information beyond his powerful text coupled with the personal stories。 Although Sacco's depictions of Serb-inflicted degradations and atrocities are uncompromising and at times excruciating， the graphics are neither gratuitous nor sensational。All in all， Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia， 1992-1995 is a sobering account of what happened during the Bosnian War in the supposedly safe zone of Goražde。 。。。more
Veerlibros Jeaque Vargas R。
，
Si algo me impresionó fue la brutalidad， la crueldad de este enfrentamiento por parte de los implicados; y lo más triste， es la indiferencia de los observadores， empezando por la mía， que en mi juventud solo me limité a escuchar las noticias sin ahondar en el conflicto， sus causas， sus implicaciones。。。En esta historieta， es evidente la barbarie， pero también las grandes cosas que el hombre puede lograr， desde la solidaridad， la esperanza， la reconciliación。。。Increíble que después de todo el horr Si algo me impresionó fue la brutalidad， la crueldad de este enfrentamiento por parte de los implicados; y lo más triste， es la indiferencia de los observadores， empezando por la mía， que en mi juventud solo me limité a escuchar las noticias sin ahondar en el conflicto， sus causas， sus implicaciones。。。En esta historieta， es evidente la barbarie， pero también las grandes cosas que el hombre puede lograr， desde la solidaridad， la esperanza， la reconciliación。。。Increíble que después de todo el horror de la IIGM， hayamos tenido que volver a ser testigos de otra guerra producto del odio racial y la codicia de algunos。 No ha sido no será el único que debimos presenciar， pero no debemos perder la fe en que es posible convivir con todos， sin importar nada。 。。。more
Trajanovski
，
Why did you come to Gorazde？ Why？ Because you are still here。。。The War in Bosnia is still a haunting memory to me， experiencing as a kid the shooting on live TV and thousands of refugees， many of them kids that lived in my town， in the south of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia。 The best comedy crews we loved were from Bosnia， the progressive rock bands， key figures in sport， art， culture， literature。 The heart of the former federation， all of a sudden devastated by war。 Deep wounds that Why did you come to Gorazde？ Why？ Because you are still here。。。The War in Bosnia is still a haunting memory to me， experiencing as a kid the shooting on live TV and thousands of refugees， many of them kids that lived in my town， in the south of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia。 The best comedy crews we loved were from Bosnia， the progressive rock bands， key figures in sport， art， culture， literature。 The heart of the former federation， all of a sudden devastated by war。 Deep wounds that will probably never heal。 Although I wanted to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina as a kid， the chance only came a decade after the Dayton peace agreement。 Travelling towards Ključ， a small town near Jajce， the birthplace of socialist Yugoslavia， I have seen many ruins， burnt houses， buildings with bullet scars， dark sections of the road， checkpoints， a divided country。 To this day I feel sad for all the lost lives， for all the disabled by war， the victims of rape， the displaced。 From time to time the subject of War in Bosnia returns to me， I don't know why。 There are many films， documentaries， books， articles， and comics as well that use segments of that conflict as their main subject。 And I often wonder why these sad stories and destinies attract interest in audience。 Probably the contents are produced to witness the turmoil of war， to make a statement or to be some kind of a reminder to future generations what happened in a small country in the south of Europe。 Joe Sacco is probably one of my favorite comic book authors。 Through the decades， from the Disney comics through the European ones， French and Italian production， to the American superheroes， I ended up reading comic books about real lives， about people and events。 And I love this segment of the comic art mosaic。 One of the best storytellers is certainly Joe Sacco。 I love his comic books， how are they written， how are they drawn。 In "Safe Area Goražde" he tries to find a little spark in the worst times for people。 He portrays people， their struggles， their habits， wishes。 He documents the environment， the streets， architecture。 The prehistory of the conflict。 The narration left a strong impact on me。 。。。more
George Orton
，
（4。5）Not really sure how to review this。 Sacco's interviews， analyses and illustrations provide such a devastating and visceral journalistic account of a war I knew too little about。 （4。5）Not really sure how to review this。 Sacco's interviews， analyses and illustrations provide such a devastating and visceral journalistic account of a war I knew too little about。 。。。more
Jeison Rubiano
，
Primer libro que leo de Joe sacco， me encantó la forma en que nos cuenta la problemática que se maneja entre musulmanes， croatas， serbios y su gente en general en Bosnia， un libro en el cual aprendí demasiado sobre esta guerra que se generó。 Calificación 5/5
Adwait Kulkarni
，
This is one gut wrenching story told by way of graphic novel which is quite unique。The author has put in his best efforts in communicating the hardships faced by the people in Goradze。
Falenazul
，
Este es un libro difícil de digerir。 No es la típica novela gráfica que se puede leer en dos o tres sentadas。 Hay que observar con cuidado cada detalle， cada sombra y cada textura del dibujo para tratar de comprender las dimensiones de este genocidio macabro que tuvieron que sufrir los bosnios en la década de los 90。 También hay que salir de la zona de confort y vivir junto con Joe Sacco la rabia， la impotencia y la angustia de cada uno de los personajes， mientras relatan cómo lograron sobrevivi Este es un libro difícil de digerir。 No es la típica novela gráfica que se puede leer en dos o tres sentadas。 Hay que observar con cuidado cada detalle， cada sombra y cada textura del dibujo para tratar de comprender las dimensiones de este genocidio macabro que tuvieron que sufrir los bosnios en la década de los 90。 También hay que salir de la zona de confort y vivir junto con Joe Sacco la rabia， la impotencia y la angustia de cada uno de los personajes， mientras relatan cómo lograron sobrevivir la guerra en medio de bombardeos， lluvias de metralla y todo tipo de vejaciones y crímenes atroces。 La intensidad del relato， la sinceridad de las entrevistas， la calidad de los retratos， y la excelente labor periodística del autor hacen que uno se sienta que hablando cara a cara con los protagonistas de la historia。 Pero es duro。 Hay que llorar。 Esto jamás debió haber pasado。 Esto nunca debe volver a pasar en ningún lugar mundo。 Nunca más。 。。。more
Mateen Mahboubi
，
One of the masters in comics journalism， Sacco has proven himself to be an expert at reporting from war-torn areas in such a unique way。 Perfectly embedding himself with the locals and really getting the full story in a way that most cannot。 I'm sure that some can criticize volumes like this for not showing "both sides" but in most cases， that's not the point。 This is the lived experience for so many people every day and Sacco is showing it。The Bosinan War was a real low point in the late 20th c One of the masters in comics journalism， Sacco has proven himself to be an expert at reporting from war-torn areas in such a unique way。 Perfectly embedding himself with the locals and really getting the full story in a way that most cannot。 I'm sure that some can criticize volumes like this for not showing "both sides" but in most cases， that's not the point。 This is the lived experience for so many people every day and Sacco is showing it。The Bosinan War was a real low point in the late 20th century and really made many question what we had learned from the many atrocities of the past。 Sacco shows us how quickly friends can turn to enemies and refuse to lend a hand to a suffering person。 A sad but necessary book that I'm better for having read。 。。。more
PETRUS Ferraz
，
Relato sobre o cerco de Sarajevo que deixa qualquer um com raiva dos líderes políticos do mundo！ Sublime e esclarecedora！ Guerras são estranhas
Naomi Reid
，
Joe Sacco gives you a look at war from the inside。 The images are gritty and the connections he makes are real。 This book is hard to take at times but also very inspiring。 The drawings are amazing。
Lily McDonnell
，
---read for class---the format of a graphic novel （？） / illustrations humanized the story
J
，
Woof ！ i have a renewed faith in the power of graphic novels to tell difficult stories！ This is really harrowing and intense， with laborious， shimmering， technical drawings that require as much attention as the difficult words。 So strange realising how recent this was。 How ineffectual the UN。 How bizarre war is。 And made readable and even page turning by the humour and survival of those living in this small town while hell was visited upon them。
O
，
Masterpiece
Paula
，
Cuenta el conflicto bosnio con profundidad y sencillez。 Lo recomiendo a quienes les gusten las novelas gráficas y quieran aprender sobre las guerras balcánicas。
D Willson
，
Really nice work！
Nacho Oliva
，
Imperdible
Sreeraag Mohan
，
The crisis in the Balkans and the rise of Balkan nationalism and ethnic sentiment is something that I have always been curious to learn more about。 Unfortunately， unlike other major geopolitical crises， the events of Srebrenica and the rhetoric of Milosevic， Mladic and Arkan seem largely forgotten。 Joe Sacco's Safe Area: Gorazde stands out in this regard， as it is one of the most-easily accessible troves of information and reportage that exists about the Bosnian War。 Combined with splendidly dra The crisis in the Balkans and the rise of Balkan nationalism and ethnic sentiment is something that I have always been curious to learn more about。 Unfortunately， unlike other major geopolitical crises， the events of Srebrenica and the rhetoric of Milosevic， Mladic and Arkan seem largely forgotten。 Joe Sacco's Safe Area: Gorazde stands out in this regard， as it is one of the most-easily accessible troves of information and reportage that exists about the Bosnian War。 Combined with splendidly drawn illustrations in Sacco's trademark 'loud monochrome' style， this graphic novel is for me a primer on the Balkan Wars， and a testament to journalistic brilliance。 。。。more
Zafra Usman
，
How did my History books forget to mention this。。。
David Turko
，