76 pages 2 hours read

The Cellist of Sarajevo

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008

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Introduction

The Cellist of Sarajevo

  • Genre: Fiction; realistic/historical
  • Originally Published: 2008
  • Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
  • Structure/Length: 4 sections consisting of chapters named for characters; approx. 235 pages; approx. 5 hours, 23 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Based on a true story about Vedran Smailovic, a cellist who played in the war-torn city for 22 days during the 1990s siege of Sarajevo after witnessing 22 citizens killed standing in a bread line. It follows the cellist vis-á-vis three characters living in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, including Kenan, a young man whose perilous daily task is to cross the city and fetch water for his family; Dragan, an older man afraid of dying, whose family has long since fled the city, and who must leave his house to work at a local bakery to eat; and “Arrow,” the young sniper who has been called upon to protect him from a hidden killer, and who begins to doubt her deadly missions.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: War violence; wartime struggle to survive

Steven Galloway, Author

  • Bio: Born in 1975 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; studied and later taught writing at the University of British Columbia, where he became a tenured professor and chaired the creative writing program; was fired in 2016 for allegations of sexual misconduct and maltreatment of students, which several fellow Canadian authors including Margaret Atwood protested, claiming lack of due process; reportedly later admitted to having an affair with a student but eventually sued her for defamation, alleging that her sexual assault claims were false
  • Other Works: The Confabulist (2015); Ascension (2003); Finnie Walsh (2000)
  • Awards: George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature, Evergreen Award, Borders Original Voices Award