Balkans – The Answer Wall

Why do so many countries in the Balkans hate each other? Where can I read more about this?

That’s a big topic, and there are a bunch of ways you could approach it. Here are a few suggestions for things to read. Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts (O’Neill Library DR16 .K36 1993) is a classic history, or you could try something like Mazower’s The Balkans: A Short History (O’Neill DR36 .M39 2000). If you want something comprehensive you could try Jelavich’s History of the Balkans (O’Neill DR36 .J37 1983). And Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (O’Neill DR366 .W3) is still a classic piece of travel writing and cultural observation.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.