Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars

Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars is a chronicle of poet and critic Christopher MerrillOs ten war-time journeys to the Balkans from the years 1992 through 1996. At once a travelogue, a book of war reportage, and a biography of the imagination under siege, this beautifully written and personal narrative takes the reader along on the authorOs journeys to all the provinces and republics of the former Yugoslavia and surrounding countries. This literary meditation on war is a fascinating portrait of the poetry, politics and the people of the Balkans which will provide insight into the past, present, and future of those war-torn lands.

Christopher Merrill is a poet and critic and is the author or translator of more than a dozen books, including the highly praised The Old Bridge: The Third Balkan War and the Age of the Refugee. He reviews regularly for the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. His writings have appeared in such publications as Sierra, Sports Illustrated, The Nation, DoubleTake, Orion, and The Paris Review. He holds the William H. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters at the College of the Holy Cross and lives in Connecticut.