Blackbird's Field

Blackbirds' Field, first published in 1934, recounts the author's experiences as a Serbian soldier (volunteering at age 16) in the First Balkan War of 1912-13, then again in World War I from 1914-18. Born into a good family in Montenegro, author Victor Komski (a pseudonym for Ilija Mimovic) is initially happy to enter the fighting for his country, but becomes disillusioned by the horrors of the war; he suffers serious wounds and is captured and held in an Austrian prison camp, from which he manages to escape twice to join guerrilla forces. Returning home after six years of fighting, the author finds he has lost fourteen members of his family, his sweetheart has married another, and food is scarce in his destroyed city. Komski manages to survive and would eventually make his way to the United States. The title, Blackbirds' Field, refers to the site where the Turks crushed the Serb Empire in 1389 and, according to legend, fallen Serb soldiers were turned into blackbirds to spread news of the disaster.