Hunting the Tiger: The Fast Life and Violent Death of the Balkans' Most Dangerous Man

by Christopher S. Stewart

Mass murderer and folk hero Zeljko Raznatovic, better known as Arkan, was one of the key figures in Yugoslavia's chaotic descent into madness in the 1990's. This text is a behind-the-scenes look at one man who became a symbol of an intensely combustible and illicit age, and at a profound historical moment.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312356064
• ISBN13: 9780312356064
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Great Book that covers Arkan's fascinating life with great detail and research.

Christopher Stewart does an absolutely commendable job with this book. I say this as history student finishing up his master's degree who is totally entranced with the Serbia. In essence, this is the book I realized I wanted to write back in 2003 - when Stewart was already knee-deep in his adventurous and entertaining research. The book is great, and by the very nature of its subject matter, reinforced with Stewart's writing style, is an entrancing and entertaining read for nearly anyone - regardless of their interest in 1990s Serbia. In my opinion, Stewart's most commendable job is his great research for Arkan's pre-1991 life. In order to get half the information Stewart provide for the early half of Arkan's life, a reader would need to read in detail practically every English source written on the man. The very nature of the man's wild lifestyle make tracing his steps enormously difficult, but Stewart did a comprehensive job. Even moments Like Arkan and Kostovki's daring rescue of Fabiani from a Swedish courthouse is well researched. I have heard of his this breakout before - but simply regarded it as a fanciful tale, but Stewart tracked down the sources and can verify if with rational certainty is actually happened. Another part of the book I was exceptionally impressed with was the analysis of Arkan near the last month's of his life. The interviews with his close friends concerning his behavior humanize what is essentially a war criminal - and that is interesting. I found that part of the book very touchy, which is in itself interesting because the target/victim/whatever is 'the Balkan's most dangerous man.' Even his interview with Ceca proved some wielding results. Lots of people have interviewed Ceca - she is normally very tight-lipped. But I found her quote about 'waving a wand' to undo the past quote touching. Touching, even with the knowledge that she is not the most innocent of women. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was extremely satisfied and impressed with its quality. If I must make criticisms, I wish the author was able to make a more definitive stance on Arkan's role in in Kosovo. I will fully admit - this is a period of general flux and fog when it comes to the Tigers, Red Berets, JSO, etc. But anyone who read the newspapers of the time came to the same conclusion: he'd be reported in Kosovo but would be sippin tea in the Hyatt or some other place the next day. And when it comes to the minor...I didn't appreciate Milosevic as 'Mr. Suicide.' I hate the man, I take no pleasure in degrading his person because of his tragic upbringing. GREAT BOOK. BUY IT. READ IT. ENJOY IT.

Excellent

Great book on a complicated, violent, murdering, thieving, mad-man. Arkan's story is incredible really and unbelievable.

Fills an important gap

Although I have read numerous books on the Balkan wars none ever offered a broad picture of Arkan. Some books offer a rather journalistic view of the conflict. I'm referring to works like Alan Little and Laura Silber's "The death of Yugoslavia" which is a rich chronicle of political and military events before and during the war. A similar book is David Rohde's "Srebrenica", although this one deals with a particular conflict (Bosnia) and with events taking place in one specific town. Other books' dwelve deeper on the historical roots of the conflict (some elaborate on the Turkish period more than others; some examine the interwar period with detail, the Second World War or the Titoist regime). I first heard of Arkan and his exploits in newspaper reports, back in the late 1990s. News reports spoke of a certain fellow (Arkan) which they put on a par with Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic and Milosevic). These reports mentioned Arkan's previous history of delinquency in Sweden. Books that I read also mentioned Arkan. However, these books didn't elaborate much on his person; there was a repetitive mention of the tigers, of Swedish bank robberies and there was also some mention of Arkan's post-war life --such as his marriage to Ceca and ultimately his assassination in Novi Beograd's Hyatt Hotel. Hunting the Tiger: The Fast Life and Violent Death of the Balkans' Most Dangerous Man is the first book I read where Arkan is not only an anecdote. I am very grateful to this book for filling a gap of knowledge. I have travelled to Belgrade on two separate occassions (the last time in 2001) and I remember having taken pictures of a big compound on Knez Mihaila street. One of the soldiers guarding the building forbade me to take any more photos. That building, now I know thanks to this book, once housed offices of the powerful UDBA. I also remember Zoran Djindjnc's death and at the time I didn't connect this event to Nicola Kavaja (because I had never heard of him, there's not a mention of Kavaja in any of the books I cite). I also knew how bad things turned out for Belgrade (especially the rise of criminal activities after communism) but I had never heard of the policeman who wanted to put Arkan behind bars, whose story is told in the book with some detail. Why did I ignore all of this? There could be a number of reasons, maybe the language, since I don't read nor understand Serbian, books printed in Belgrade were out of my reach --as were valuable B92 documentaries. Secondly, books I read (and in this case books printed in Western European countries or in America) seemed more concerned with the broad picture of the war: the dispatching of UN or European emissaries, the voting of resolutions at the UN level, the maneouvers of the Clinton administration, the international reactions to bloody events in Sarajevo, etcetera, etcetera... I'm not saying that other authors are wrong in their approach, I'm not saying either that those books are incomplete. What I

A Balanced Biography

Zeljko Raznatovic was an unusual man; not many people have turned football hooligans into death squads and then married a silicone stuffed folk-singer. Given the epic proportions of his actions, there is the danger that an author can fall into some kind of admiration. Given that Christopher Stewart, the author, has legitimately feared for his life at the hands of Arkan at one time, I think he is the perfect person to write a balanced biography. The author shows Arkan for what he is - a psychopath in a very unique historical situation.

Tracking Murder

We have all had at least one of those moments when we know we have made a really big mistake and we may well die from it. Somehow, we survive, rescued by the least likely or sources. In "Hunting the Tiger," invesigative reporter, Chris Stewart takes us through some of his terrifying moments and leads us into the the horrifying and riveting story of "Arkan," a bank robber and racketeer who murderously rode the troubled waters of Yugoslavia to a violent end as a "rock star" war criminal. For me, a retired judge, with military experience and time in Cambodia and Iraq, the book is not only a "page turner" but also a remarkable reflection of how vulnerable any culture can be to one determined and sober sociopath. Arkan's story is unfortunately by no means unique, but the fact that Stewart had the courage and the intiative to tell it is unique. The lessons in "Hunting the Tiger" will stay with me--sometimes, even in my dreams.