It was July 1995. David had already said on the telephone that he couldn’t make it too late, but had come straight to the pub in Korenmarkt, one of the main squares in town, when Tijmen rang.
      David took the two glasses the waitress had brought from the bar.
      ‘Have you heard?’ asked David.
      Tijmen nodded. There was something conspiratorial about their meeting. Srebrenica had fallen. An unstoppable stream of rumours had began to flow. The Minister of Overseas Development had already talked of thousands of dead. He had used the word genocide.
      ‘We all knew this could happen,’ said David, ‘a year ago, when I was there. It doesn’t surprise me one bit.’
      For a second Tijmen felt a hint of painful affinity with the men who were now in Bosnia: soldiers of Dutchbat, airmobile, red-beret, blue-beret. But the affinity was no longer really there. The last CO of Dutchbat had failed hopelessly. There was only David left. The one person he still saw, a last link with his past.
      Tijmen almost blurted out, ‘The reports attract me and repel me at the same time. I follow everything, but at times it all gets too much for me and there are days I don’t want to know any more, when I throw the Army newspaper, which is still delivered, straight in the bin.’
      David shook his head and bent forward towards the notebook Tijmen had put on the table.

About the English edition

'If you want proof that literature has the power to change lives then this illustrates it on every level.' - Simon Quicke on his blog inside books
 
'The novel is worth reading for these cameos alone'

'with reflection the novel ends with more gravitas than a thousand cheap plot twists could give you' - Watching the Coast blog

‘King of Tuzla is a thinly-fictionalised account of the Bosnian War, infused with pathos and wit and the blackest of comedy.’

‘It is this empathy  for the victims, as well as the witnesses, that makes King of Tuzla both a brutally honest coming-of-age novel and an important addition to the literature of modern war.’ - BookTrust Translated Fiction

‘King of Tuzla is a thought-provoking story about the conflict in Bosnia. The author uses beautiful prose to create a vivid feeling of the time and place, and an intense emotional narrative about the realities of war.’ - Bookish Magpie

‘In King of Tuzla Arnold Jansen op de Haar has successfully used fiction to tell a greater truth.’ - Emma Lee's Blog

 

‘King of Tuzla tells the story of service in the Balkans vividly, as only a soldier who served there can relay. The book is a must for the library of any military enthusiast or historian. - Stephen Phillips Blog

 

‘The book is a cracking read and I flew through it in a couple of days. Arnold Jansen op de Haar has obviously written this book from the heart...’

 

‘What Arnold has wonderfully done is included little stories from the locals about their lives and the effect the wars have had on them.’ - Winstonsdad’s Blog

‘A book which hits us with the reality of war’
 
‘Well written, the narrative  has quite eloquent qualities and makes it very easy to picture the characters and the war-ravaged former Yugoslavia.’ - Contrary Life
 

‘The characterisation of Tijmen and his fellow officers is effective. Tijmen himself is an intriguing character...’

 

‘There are ... some lovely images and gorgeous rhythms ... this poignant description of Tijmen’s flat: "Eight years in the same flat, where time’s mechanism had jammed. No-one had been loved there."’ - Whispering Gums Blog

 

Also promoted on Novel Suggestions.

 

About the Dutch edition

 

‘A great addition to Dutch literature.’ – Hans Warren in several regional newspapers

 

‘A great debut.’ – Trouw (main quality Dutch newspaper)