This succinct novel reveals and chronicles Auschwitz prisoner Daniel’s skill as a crafter of fine violins and subsequent creation at the demands of this captors. The camp’s two most dangerous men make a cruel wager: If Daniel can build an acceptable violin within a certain number of days, the Kommandant wins a case of the finest burgundy; if not, the camp doctor, a torturer, gets to do with Daniel as he pleases. Without knowing how much time he is allowed, driven only pride of workmanship and fear of failure, Daniel tries to recapture his lost art to create an exquisite instrument against all odds.
Although this novel is brief, the emotion is evokes is no less poignant that any tome about World War II. I can’t say it better than the book jacket: “Written with lyrical simplicity and haunting beauty—and interspersed with chilling, actual Nazi documentation—The Violin of Auschwitz is more than just a novel: It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of beauty, art, and hope to triumph over the darkest adversity.”
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