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