The Cellist of Sarajevo: October 2011

Article Summary 1

Tripathi, Salil. "Frailty in Sarajevo." New Statesman [1996] 11 Aug. 2008: 50+. General OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2011

This article focuses on comparing two novels, and the major events that both made an impact on the author`s. Aleksander Hemon wrote a moving piece about the city`s siege which lasted over four years and killed more than 10,000 people. Even though he was based in America at this time he wanted to hold onto Sarajevo`s integrity. As Steven Galloway wrote about an adagio playing on his cello for 22 days in memory of the people that were killed at the market by a shell. Both novels focus on a major event that should catch the eye of every human. Both novels bring back the history by inserting fictional characters to reignite those tragic historical moments in a touching way.

Article Summary 2

Flanders, Judith. "A dying fall." Spectator 31 May 2008: 42+. General OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.

In general, many war novels deal with the front line horrors and the terrors of battle. Steven Galloway accomplished a gripping novel by exploring what happens to the people who are caught up in the war`s actions. A true, small incident during the siege of Sarajevo was Steven`s starting point. A mortar shell hit the market and killed 22 people, men and women. A cellist, formerly with the Sarajevo symphony orchestra, witnessed the mass carnage and appeared outside the bakery for the next 22 days to play for their loses. Although he was being targeted and being protected he continued on to raise the awareness and to mourn on not only he lose of those people but the death of their city. Galloway creates fictional characters that have jobs to do every day to stay alive. By the end the only thing that is left is the Albinoni Adagio, a four bar phrase found in the ruins of Dresden`s Music Library after the allied bombing. Galloway`s characters believe that something can be done to rebuild their city and crushed lives.

Article Summary 3

"The Cellist of Sarajevo." Publishers Weekly 4 Feb. 2008: 34. General OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.

This book review summarizes the main events in the book and how Galloway brings to life a distant conflict. Galloway delivers a tense novel following four characters that are affected by the war in Sarajevo. After a mortar shell kills 22 people at the market a cellist plays outside the bakery for 22 days. Arrow is a sniper that is working for Sarajevo to protect the city and the cellist. Kenan makes a dangerous trek to supply water for his family and his elderly neighbour and Dragan works at a bakery in exchange for shelter. Each character must make the correct decisions or let fate take the wheel.

Survey of Authors & Secondary Sources

Author: Steven Galloway

Title: The Cellist of Sarajevo

To be honest I had never heard of Steven Galloway until Ms. Breivik presented us the list of all the books and authors. I asked Ms. Breivik what book would be interesting and she referred this novel to me. I searched up some reviews and they all had great responses to the novel so I thought that it would be a great choice for myself.

Steven Galloway was born July 1975 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is married and has 2 daughters. He attended the University College of Cariboo and the University of British Columbia. He is currently living in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. As a career he was an instructor in creative writing at the University of British Columbia and a mentor for the Writer’s Studio of Simon Fraser University.

In this photo "Steven Galloway"

Steven has published 3 books:

- Finnie Walsh (2000)

- Ascension (2003)

- The Cellist of Sarajevo (2008)

Steven Galloway has written all of his novels on true historical events with his touch of fiction. He was inspired to write the Cellist of Sarajevo because he was always interested in how war affects people. The Cellist of Sarajevo was inspired by a mortar attack on 22 people waiting in line at the market, and the cellist’s reaction to this tragedy. The mortar attack and the cellist are the true events and the characters and their stories are the fiction.

In this photo " the cellist playing for the 22 people who lost their lives."

His first two books are focused on more personal tragedy as The Cellist of Sarajevo is focused on the public. Finnie Walsh was written about two childhood friends that grew up playing hockey together. This book showed some events that happened in Steven Galloway’s early life. Ascension follows the same them of The Cellist of Sarajevo, focusing on tragedies in peoples’ lives.

Since Steven has only written 3 novels he could be considered a fairly new author, making it difficult to compare him to other authors’. One thing that I can relate to is World War 2 and how there is an area you may be killed in. In The Cellist of Sarajevo there is sniper alley where all of the characters fear of passing through. In World War 2 there was No Man’s Land, where you were almost guaranteed to die if you ventured into that area.