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.

Part 1 August-September 1992 Chapter 2 Journey Chapter 3 Pohorje Chapter 4 Ljubljana I Chapter 5 Triglav Chapter 6 Ljubljana II Chapter 7 Venice Chapter 8 Vilenica Part 9 December 1992-February 1993 Chapter 10 Croatia Chapter 11 Dalmatia Chapter 12 Serbia Chapter 13 Montenegro Chapter 14 Macedonia Chapter 15 Kosovo Chapter 16 Flight Part 17 May 1993-April 1996 Chapter 18 Sarajevo I Chapter 19 Sarajevo II Chapter 20 Mostar Chapter 21 Sarajevo III Chapter 22 Albania Chapter 23 Expedition Chapter 24 Barcelona Chapter 25 Epilogue

Christopher Merrill has published six collections of poetry, including Watch Fire, for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets; many edited volumes and books of translations; and five works of nonfiction. His latest prose book, The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War, chronicles travels in Malaysia, China and Mongolia, and the Middle East. His writings have been translated into nearly forty languages; his journalism appears widely; his honors include a Chevalier from the French government in the Order of Arts and Letters. As director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, Merrill has conducted cultural diplomacy missions to more than fifty countries. He serves on the US National Commission for UNESCO, and in April 2012 President Obama appointed him to the National Council on the Humanities.