Saving Mozart

A novel of one dying man's act of defiance against the Nazis. "This slender, confident debut novel is deliciously atmospheric and tense" ( Financial Times).   Raphaël Jerusalmy's debut novel takes the form of the journal of Otto J. Steiner, a former music critic of Jewish descent suffering from tuberculosis in a Salzburg sanatorium in 1939. Drained by his illness and isolated in the gloomy sanatorium, Steiner finds solace only in music. He is horrified to learn that the Nazis are transforming a Mozart festival into a fascist event. Steiner feels helpless at first, but an invitation from a friend presents him with an opportunity to fight back. Under the guise of organizing a concert for Nazi officials, Steiner formulates a plan to save Mozart that could dramatically change the course of the war.   "A dazzling, striking debut, as intriguing as its author . . . a compelling success." — L'Express   "Steiner's fictional diary is a brief but powerful story about a brave feat recorded for a son Steiner will never see again." —Historical Novel Society   "If we can imagine a part of the contents [of the intimate journal kept by Steiner], in direct relation to the somber reality of the period, it does not reserve fewer considerable surprises that situate it well beyond a simple chronicle of the time." — L'Humanité   "The strength of Saving Mozart is its focus on one man's limited experience of horror." —Three Guys One Book   "Reads like an unexpected gift." —The Big Issue