At the end of 1903, the British traveller and writer Edith Durham (1863-1944) departed for a five-month stay in the Balkans to take part in humanitarian work on behalf of the Macedonian Relief Committee. This journey and the appalling situation in the rebellious region are the focus of her book 'The Burden of the Balkans' (published initially in London in 1905). It also includes an account of her first lengthy expedition, on horseback and on foot, through the wilds of southern and central Albania. With the many dashes of irony and humour, at which Edith Durham was a master, 'The Burden of the Balkans' is a work that can still be savoured by all.