The Cellist of Sarajevo

Steven Galloway

2008 • 264 pages

Ratings24

Average rating3.7

A spare and haunting, wise and beautiful novel about war and the endurance of the human spirit and the subtle ways individuals reclaim their humanity. In a city under siege, four people whose lives have been upended are ultimately reminded of what it is to be human. From his window, a musician sees twenty-two of his friends and neighbors waiting in a breadline. Then, in a flash, they are killed by a mortar attack. In an act of defiance, the man picks up his cello and decides to play at the site of the shelling for twenty-two days, honoring their memory. Elsewhere, a young man leaves home to collect drinking water for his family and, in the face of danger, must weigh the value of generosity against selfish survivalism. A third man, older, sets off in search of bread and distraction and instead runs into a long-ago friend who reminds him of the city he thought he had lost, and the man he once was. As both men are drawn into the orbit of cello music, a fourth character—a young woman, a sniper—holds the fate of the cellist in her hands. As she protects him with her life, her own army prepares to challenge the kind of person she has become. A novel of great intensity and power, and inspired by a true story, The Cellist of Sarajevo poignantly explores how war can change one’s definition of humanity, the effect of music on our emotional endurance, and how a romance with the rituals of daily life can itself be a form of resistance.

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Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Elizabeth Tai

This book is simple, and yet so complex and profound. It's based on a real-life incident in Sarajevo during the awful war that was going back then. During those awful times, a man would brave snipers and bombs in the middle of the street to play the cello. The book is centred around the individuals who were affected by his reckless but brave act.
The writing was beautiful, unpretentious and filled with pathos. I was particularly arrested by the chapter where a character remembered how Sarajevo was like before the war ... while he walked the streets to work. Such a simple, normal act was fraught with danger because there is a sniper in the hills who randomly choses his victims. Yet, he had no choice as if he didn't get to work, he didn't get to eat. And as he braved the streets, hoping that he won't be sniper's chosen target today, he remembers how it was like before evil took over the world.
This book will make you ponder about humanity, about the love we're capable of and the casual cruelty we inflict on the world and on others.

August 2, 2016

JEAN MELEK

Beautiful, brutal, intertwined story. I'd like to add it to my teaching rotation sometime soon.

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Melanie

Sorry...I know this is a favourite of many. Although I did believe that there were some poignant moments with 2 of the main characters: Dragon and Kenan, I was truly only interested in Arrow and the Cellist. I really enjoyed Arrow's Chapters and feel that at the end I knew her story and wished that there had been more of her included in the book. Dragon and Kenan's characters just dragged on for me. I found myself simply wading through their portions and wondering about Arrow. I wanted to know more about the Cellist....Or perhaps I wanted more on Dragon and Kenan so that I was involved in their stories.
I did love the writing...I just needed more...found it a bit lacking for me.
I feel guilty, as though I have missed something here...not only because everyone appears to LOVE this book but also I think because I in NO WAY HATED the book.
So many positives...just not my favourite.

November 24, 2015

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