Introduction: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
“The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison, first published in 1995 in his collection Square Accounts, recounts the brutal realities of the Bosnian War through vivid imagery and contrasts. Harrison doesn’t shy away from the dangers of everyday life, with threats of snipers and mortar shells looming. Yet, even amidst the darkness, the poem finds flickers of hope, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love.
Text: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
After the hours that Sarajevans pass
Queuing with empty canisters of gas
to get the refills they wheel home in prams,
or queuing for the precious meagre grams
of bread they’re rationed to each day,
and often dodging snipers on the way,
or struggling up sometimes eleven flights
of stairs with water, then you’d think the nights
of Sarajevo would be totally devoid
of people walking streets Serb shells destroyed,
but tonight in Sarajevo that’s just not the case–
The young go walking at a strollers pace,
black shapes impossible to mark
as Muslim, Serb or Croat in such dark,
in unlit streets you can’t distinguish who
calls bread hjleb or hleb or calls it kruh,
All takes the evening air with a strollers stride,
no torches guide them, but they don’t collide
except as one of the flirtatious ploys
when a girl’s dark shape is fancied by a boy’s.
Then the tender radar of the tone of voice
shows by its signals she approves his choice.
Then mach or lighter to a cigarette
to check in her eyes if he’s made progress yet.
And I see a pair who’ve certainly progressed
beyond the tone of voice and match-lit flare test
and he’s about, I think, to take her hand
and lead her away from where they stand
on two shells scars, where, in 1992
Serb mortars massacred the breadshop queue
and blood-dunked crusts of shredded bread
lay on this pavement with the broken dead.
And at their feet in holes made by the mortar
that caused the massacre, now full of water
from the rain that’s poured down half the day,
though now even the smallest clouds have cleared away,
leaving the Sarajevo star-filled evening sky
ideally bright and clear for the bombers eye,
in those two rain-full shell-holes the boy sees
fragments of the splintered Pleiades,
sprinkled on those death-deep, death-dark wells
splashed on the pavement by Serb mortar shells.
The dark boy-shape leads dark-girl shape away
to share one coffee in a candlelit café
until the curfew, and he holds her hand
behind AID flour-sacks refilled with sand.
Annotations: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
| Text | Annotations |
| After the hours that Sarajevans pass | The poem begins by setting the scene in Sarajevo, a city under siege during the Bosnian War (1992-1995). |
| Queuing with empty canisters of gas | Sarajevans wait in long lines with empty gas canisters, highlighting the scarcity of resources during the siege. |
| to get the refills they wheel home in prams, | They wait to refill their gas canisters, which they then transport back home in prams (baby carriages). |
| or queuing for the precious meagre grams | Alternatively, they may wait in line for scarce amounts of food, such as bread, which is rationed. |
| of bread they’re rationed to each day, | Food, particularly bread, is rationed, emphasizing the struggle for basic necessities. |
| and often dodging snipers on the way, | Sarajevans face the danger of sniper fire while carrying out everyday tasks like getting food and water. |
| or struggling up sometimes eleven flights | Climbing numerous flights of stairs, often without electricity, to reach their homes. |
| of stairs with water, then you’d think the nights | Despite the hardships during the day, one might expect the nights in Sarajevo to be devoid of people. |
| of Sarajevo would be totally devoid | The poet anticipates that Sarajevo would be empty and devoid of life during the night due to the war’s impact. |
| of people walking streets Serb shells destroyed, | Sarajevo’s streets have been damaged and destroyed by Serb shells, making them hazardous to walk. |
| but tonight in Sarajevo that’s just not the case– | Contrary to expectations, the streets of Sarajevo are not empty; people are out and about despite the danger. |
| The young go walking at a strollers pace, | Young people are depicted leisurely walking through the streets at a relaxed pace. |
| black shapes impossible to mark | The darkness makes it difficult to discern the identities of individuals. |
| as Muslim, Serb or Croat in such dark, | Ethnic identities are blurred in the darkness, emphasizing their common humanity. |
| in unlit streets you can’t distinguish who | Without lighting, it’s challenging to identify individuals based on their ethnicity. |
| calls bread hjleb or hleb or calls it kruh, | Different ethnic groups may use different terms for bread, but in the darkness, these distinctions are lost. |
| All takes the evening air with a strollers stride, | Everyone enjoys the evening air while walking at a leisurely pace. |
| no torches guide them, but they don’t collide | Despite the darkness, people navigate the streets without colliding, suggesting a sense of order and civility. |
| except as one of the flirtatious ploys | Collisions may occur intentionally as part of flirtatious interactions between young men and women. |
| when a girl’s dark shape is fancied by a boy’s. | A boy might intentionally bump into a girl he finds attractive as a way of initiating contact. |
| Then the tender radar of the tone of voice | The tone of voice becomes crucial in indicating mutual attraction between the two individuals. |
| shows by its signals she approves his choice. | The girl’s response to the boy’s advances is indicated by her tone of voice. |
| Then mach or lighter to a cigarette | The boy uses lighting a cigarette as an excuse to check the girl’s reaction to his advances. |
| to check in her eyes if he’s made progress yet. | He looks into her eyes to gauge whether she’s receptive to his advances. |
| And I see a pair who’ve certainly progressed | The narrator observes a couple who have advanced in their flirtatious interaction. |
| beyond the tone of voice and match-lit flare test | They have moved past the initial stages of flirtation involving tone of voice and lighting a match. |
| and he’s about, I think, to take her hand | The boy is on the verge of taking the girl’s hand, indicating a deeper level of connection. |
| and lead her away from where they stand | He plans to lead her away from their current location, suggesting a desire for privacy. |
| on two shells scars, where, in 1992 | They stand in a place marked by scars from shell explosions, symbolizing the city’s traumatic past. |
| Serb mortars massacred the breadshop queue | This location was the site of a massacre where Serb mortars killed civilians waiting in line at a bread shop. |
| and blood-dunked crusts of shredded bread | The aftermath of the massacre is depicted with bloodied pieces of bread scattered on the ground. |
| lay on this pavement with the broken dead. | The pavement is littered with the bodies of those killed in the mortar attack. |
| And at their feet in holes made by the mortar | The poet describes holes in the ground caused by mortar explosions. |
| that caused the massacre, now full of water | These holes are now filled with rainwater, symbolizing the passage of time since the massacre. |
| from the rain that’s poured down half the day, | Rain has fallen heavily, filling the holes with water. |
| though now even the smallest clouds have cleared away, | The rain has stopped, and the sky is clear, indicating a tranquil moment in the midst of war. |
| leaving the Sarajevo star-filled evening sky | The night sky in Sarajevo is clear and filled with stars, contrasting with the violence on the ground. |
| ideally bright and clear for the bombers eye, | The clear sky provides optimal conditions for aerial bombardment, highlighting the ongoing danger. |
| in those two rain-full shell-holes the boy sees | The boy notices something remarkable in the rain-filled holes created by shell explosions. |
| fragments of the splintered Pleiades, | He sees reflections of stars in the water, resembling fragments of the Pleiades constellation. |
| sprinkled on those death-deep, death-dark wells | The star reflections appear on the surface of the water in the shell craters, juxtaposing life and death. |
| splashed on the pavement by Serb mortar shells. | The contrast between the beauty of the stars and the destruction caused by Serb mortar shells is stark. |
| The dark boy-shape leads dark-girl shape away | The boy and girl, shrouded in darkness, depart from the scene together, continuing their evening together. |
| to share one coffee in a candlelit café | They go to a café illuminated by candlelight, suggesting a moment of intimacy amidst the darkness. |
| until the curfew, and he holds her hand | They spend time together until the curfew, with the boy holding the girl’s hand, symbolizing closeness. |
| behind AID flour-sacks refilled with sand. | They sit behind sacks filled with sand, a precaution against potential |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
- Alliteration: “strollers stride” (repetition of the “s” sound)
- Allusion: “Pleiades” (reference to the constellation, symbolizing beauty and fragility)
- Amplification: “eleven flights of stairs” (emphasizing the difficulty of daily life)
- Anaphora: “or queuing… or queuing” (repetition of “or” at the beginning of successive clauses)
- Assonance: “meagre grams” (repetition of the “e” sound)
- Enjambment: “and often dodging snipers on the way, / or struggling up…” (continuation of a sentence or phrase into the next line without a pause)
- Hyperbole: “totally devoid” (exaggeration to emphasize the unexpected nature of the scene)
- Imagery: “black shapes impossible to mark” (vivid description of the scene)
- Irony: “bright lights” (contrast between the title and the dark, unlit streets)
- Juxtaposition: “death-deep, death-dark wells / splashed on the pavement” (contrast between the beauty of the stars and the horror of the mortar shells)
- Litotes: “not totally devoid” (understatement to emphasize the unexpected nature of the scene)
- Metaphor: “tender radar” (comparing the tone of voice to a radar system)
- Mimicry: “hjleb or hleb or calls it kruh” (imitation of the sounds of different languages)
- Onomatopoeia: None (but “mach” and “lighter” could be argued to be onomatopoeic)
- Oxymoron: “death-dark wells” (combination of opposing words)
- Personification: “evening air” (giving the air human-like qualities)
- Repetition: “queuing” (emphasizing the monotony of daily life)
- Simile: “like one of the flirtatious ploys” (comparing the boy’s actions to a flirtatious move)
- Symbolism: “Pleiades” (symbolizing beauty and fragility), “bread” (symbolizing sustenance and life)
- Synecdoche: “dark shapes” (using a part of something to represent the whole)
Themes: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
- Theme 1: Resilience and Hope: Despite the devastation and hardship, the people of Sarajevo find ways to maintain hope and resilience. The poem shows this through the young couples strolling in the dark, unlit streets, and the boy and girl who find love amidst the ruins. The lines “All takes the evening air with a stroller’s stride, / no torches guide them, but they don’t collide” (lines 11-12) illustrate this theme, highlighting the determination and adaptability of the Sarajevans.
- Theme 2: War and Destruction: The poem vividly depicts the brutal effects of war on civilians, particularly in Sarajevo. The lines “and often dodging snipers on the way, / or struggling up sometimes eleven flights of stairs with water” (lines 5-6) convey the daily struggles and dangers faced by the people. The image of the “breadshop queue” massacre (line 23) and the “blood-dunked crusts of shredded bread” (line 25) poignantly illustrate the devastating consequences of war.
- Theme 3: Unity and Human Connection: Despite the ethnic divisions and conflicts, the poem highlights the human connections that transcend these differences. The lines “in unlit streets you can’t distinguish who / calls bread hjleb or hleb or calls it kruh” (lines 13-14) show that, in the darkness, people are united in their shared struggles and humanity. The boy and girl’s love story, which ignores ethnic boundaries, further emphasizes this theme.
- Theme 4: Beauty and Fragility: The poem contrasts the beauty of the star-filled sky with the ugliness of war and destruction. The lines “leaving the Sarajevo star-filled evening sky / ideally bright and clear for the bomber’s eye” (lines 29-30) highlight the fragility of beauty in the face of violence. The image of the “splintered Pleiades” (line 33) in the mortar shell holes poignantly illustrates this theme, symbolizing the destruction of beauty and innocence.
Literary Theories and “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
| Literary Theory | Explanation | Example in “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” |
| Postcolonial Theory | Postcolonial theory examines the cultural, economic, and political effects of colonialism and imperialism. It explores themes of power, identity, and resistance in colonized societies. | In the poem, the ethnic tensions and divisions in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War reflect the legacy of Yugoslavia’s complex history, including its experience of being a multiethnic state. The portrayal of the city under siege highlights the impact of external forces on the lives of its inhabitants. |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | Psychoanalytic theory, developed by Sigmund Freud, explores the subconscious motivations and desires that influence human behavior. It delves into the psychological dimensions of characters and their actions. | The flirtatious interactions between the young couple in the poem can be analyzed through a psychoanalytic lens. Their behavior may be driven by unconscious desires for connection and intimacy amidst the chaos and danger of war. |
| Ecocriticism | Ecocriticism examines the relationship between literature and the natural environment, exploring themes of nature, ecology, and environmental degradation. It considers how human actions impact the natural world depicted in literary works. | The imagery of the rain-filled shell holes reflecting the stars can be analyzed ecocritically. It symbolizes the intersection of human violence with the natural world, highlighting the destructive impact of war on both human lives and the environment. |
Critical Questions about “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
- How does the poem navigate the complexities of identity amidst conflict? Harrison portrays the residents of Sarajevo as unified by their shared experiences of hardship, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. For example, he describes the young people walking through the streets as “black shapes impossible to mark as Muslim, Serb, or Croat in such dark,” emphasizing their common humanity in the face of war. This blurring of ethnic distinctions challenges the notion of rigid identity categories and highlights the universal struggle for survival in times of crisis.
- In what ways does the poem use imagery to convey the trauma of war? Harrison employs vivid imagery to depict the physical and emotional scars left by the conflict in Sarajevo. For instance, he describes “two shell scars” on the pavement where a breadshop queue was massacred, with “blood-dunked crusts of shredded bread” and “broken dead” laying on the ground. This imagery evokes a sense of horror and devastation, emphasizing the brutality of war and its impact on civilian life.
- How does the poem explore the themes of resilience and resistance? Despite the bleakness of the wartime setting, Harrison portrays the inhabitants of Sarajevo as resilient and defiant in the face of adversity. For example, he depicts young couples engaging in flirtatious interactions and enjoying moments of intimacy amidst the danger, such as sharing coffee in a candlelit café. These acts of everyday resistance symbolize the refusal to let war completely extinguish the human spirit, demonstrating resilience in the midst of despair.
- What role does memory play in shaping the narrative of the poem? Memory is a central theme in the poem, as Harrison reflects on the traumatic events that have scarred the city of Sarajevo. He juxtaposes the present moment with memories of past violence, such as the massacre at the breadshop queue in 1992. Additionally, the imagery of the rain-filled shell holes reflecting the stars evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time before the war. These memories serve to deepen the emotional impact of the poem and underscore the enduring legacy of conflict on the collective consciousness of the city.
Literary Works Similar to “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
- “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae: This famous poem reflects on the devastation of war and the sacrifices made by soldiers. Like Harrison’s poem, it explores themes of loss, memory, and resilience in the face of conflict.
- “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen: Owen’s poem provides a vivid and haunting portrayal of the horrors of World War I. It delves into the brutal realities of warfare and the psychological toll it takes on soldiers, similar to Harrison’s depiction of the trauma of war in Sarajevo.
- “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot: Eliot’s modernist masterpiece explores themes of fragmentation, disillusionment, and cultural decay in the aftermath of World War I. Like Harrison’s poem, “The Waste Land” grapples with the effects of war on society and individuals.
- “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke: This poem reflects on the concept of patriotism and the nobility of dying for one’s country. While it adopts a more idealized view of war compared to Harrison’s portrayal of the grim realities of conflict, both poems engage with themes of sacrifice and national identity.
- “Casualty” by Seamus Heaney: Heaney’s poem reflects on the violence and political turmoil in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Like Harrison’s poem about Sarajevo, “Casualty” explores the impact of conflict on civilian life and the resilience of communities in the face of adversity.
Suggested Readings: “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
Books:
- “Selected Poems” by Tony Harrison: This collection includes “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” along with other notable poems by Tony Harrison. It provides a comprehensive overview of his work and themes.
- “Sarajevo: A Biography” by Robert J. Donia and John V.A. Fine Jr.: This book offers an in-depth historical account of Sarajevo, exploring its rich cultural heritage and tumultuous history, including the Bosnian War.
- “Witness to War: A Biography of Marguerite Higgins” by Antoinette May: Marguerite Higgins was a renowned war correspondent who covered the Bosnian War, including the siege of Sarajevo. This biography provides insights into her experiences and observations during the conflict.
Articles:
- Remembering the Bosnian Genocide through the Srebrenica Oral History Preservation Project: This projectexamines the representation of the Bosnian War in literature and film, including works that address the siege of Sarajevo. It offers critical insights into the cultural memory of the conflict.
Weblinks:
- BBC News – Bosnia-Herzegovina Profile: This webpage provides an overview of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s history, including the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo. It offers concise information for readers seeking background context.
- How Four Survive, Alone in Sarajevo: This account of Chuck Sudetic was published in 1993 and presents a good first-hand experience of the war.
Representative Quotations “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “The young go walking at a stroller’s pace” | Line 9 | Youth and Resilience: Despite the war, young people find ways to maintain a sense of normalcy and hope. (Psychological perspective) |
| “black shapes impossible to mark / as Muslim, Serb or Croat in such dark” | Lines 13-14 | Unity in Darkness: In the absence of light, ethnic divisions are temporarily suspended, highlighting the shared human experience. (Postcolonial perspective) |
| “tender radar of the tone of voice / shows by its signals she approves his choice” | Lines 17-18 | Intimacy and Human Connection: The poem highlights the importance of human relationships and intimacy in times of crisis. (Feminist perspective) |
| “and lead her away from where they stand / on two shell scars” | Lines 21-22 | Trauma and Memory: The poem confronts the physical and emotional scars of war, emphasizing the need to acknowledge and move forward. (Trauma theory) |
| “blood-dunked crusts of shredded bread / lay on this pavement with the broken dead” | Lines 25-26 | War and Destruction: The poem vividly depicts the brutal effects of war on civilians, emphasizing the senseless destruction of human life. (Marxist perspective) |
| “leaving the Sarajevo star-filled evening sky / ideally bright and clear for the bomber’s eye” | Lines 29-30 | Beauty and Fragility: The poem contrasts the beauty of the natural world with the ugliness of war, highlighting the fragility of human existence. (Ecocritical perspective) |
| “fragments of the splintered Pleiades” | Line 33 | Beauty and Destruction: The image of the broken constellation symbolizes the destruction of beauty and innocence in war. (Symbolic perspective) |
| “behind AID flour-sacks refilled with sand” | Line 38 | Humanitarian Aid and Politics: The poem critiques the limitations and politics of humanitarian aid in conflict zones. (Postcolonial perspective) |