Der Derwisch und der Tod

"The Dervish and Death" takes us back to 18th century Bosnia. The devout Sheikh Ahmed Nurudin is torn from the peaceful tranquility of the dervish monastery; his brother Harun has been arrested by the Ottoman authorities, who also govern the province of Bosnia. In an attempt to help his brother, the dervish falls into the clutches of the Ottoman justice system; later, he is placed at the forefront of a Bosnian uprising, but, trapped in an old religious delusion, he betrays the cause of the rebels and ultimately even his best friend. The novel reflects the brutal history of a region in stark imagery; at the same time, it expands into a grand treatise on the issues of power and rebellion, trust and betrayal, life and dogma. The historical novel by the great Bosnian storyteller Mesa Selimovic is considered one of the outstanding works.