From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

The Violin of Auschwitz

Maria Àngels Anglada,

Martha Tennent (Translator)

Discussion: Books Set in Europe

Why we're reading this: Poland
[close] Poland

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 57 topics — 1,681 comments total

Books Set in Europe

* European Authors
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 29 posts · 910 views

last updated May 01, 2025 06:52AM

Poland
By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 31 posts · 980 views

last updated Sep 20, 2025 09:56PM

showing 4 of 4 topics view all »

What Members Thought

May 28, 2010 Juliana Philippa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 0-own-less-than-200-pages, fiction, 0-reviewed, historical-fiction, advance-reading-copy-or-galley, 2010-reads, 0-own, 2010-jul-reads, 3-half-stars, jewish-related

Strong in its quiet simplicity, but I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters (3.5 stars)

Maria Àngels Anglada is described as "one of the most important figures of Catalan twentieth-century literature," and her talent is evident in this novel. Both the story and the writing were simple and I don't intend that as a criticism, because in my opinion this simplicity is the book's greatest strength.

The Auschwitz Violin has two frames to its central tale, so it's a story within a story within a Strong in its quiet simplicity, but I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters (3.5 stars)

Maria Àngels Anglada is described as "one of the most important figures of Catalan twentieth-century literature," and her talent is evident in this novel. Both the story and the writing were simple and I don't intend that as a criticism, because in my opinion this simplicity is the book's greatest strength.

The Auschwitz Violin has two frames to its central tale, so it's a story within a story within a story. The central one tells of Daniel, a young man in a concentration camp. He was a violin maker by trade and now "works" as a carpenter in the camp. Through a turn of events, he is assigned the task of creating a violin for Sauckel, the camp commander, who collects musical instruments. Bronislaw, a young violinist, will be the one to play the violin once it's completed.

As with everything during that horrific time, nothing is clearly defined, yet everything carries an aspect of danger, with the threat of death ever present. Daniel and Bronislaw know that their lives depend on this one instrument and this one performance, though even should they survive this test, who knows what the next one will be.

The book is a very short one (109 pages), which contributed to the feeling of simplicity, yet also to the lack of depth. I did not feel especially connected to the characters, nor implicated in and bound to what their fate would be. There were a few magical moments filled with poignancy, reflecting the utter desperation and helplessness of the prisoners' situation, and showing their amazing strength of spirit. But certain other parts did not really draw me in - most notably Daniel's process of and progress in creating the violin.

The inhumane treatment that is mentioned almost in passing and the real documents that begin each chapter add to the starkness of the story and the characters' reality. Anglada's language is also at times poetic and it often contrasts with what it is she is describing. Writing of the SS officers: "From their serene (or fanatical) eyes and delicate, heinous hands hung a thin thread: life or the illusion of it" (p18). And describing the morning after several prisoners have been murdered: "The sun began shamelessly to unravel the fog, banishing it from the sky, and the names of the murdered were swept away by the wind, removed to nothingness" (p66).

Anglada is talented with words, but for the most part the book didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. The exception to this was the ending, in which the story comes full circle. These last few pages were poignant, delicate, and beautiful, and make what came before them worthwhile. I would recommend this as a library check-out though, and not a purchase.
[This review is of an advanced copy format of the book:] ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2014 Karen rated it liked it

The Violin of Auschwitz is the story of a violin, made in Auschwitz, by an inmate as a result of a bet between the commandant and the sadistic camp doctor. It isn't the most powerful story of the Holocaust, but I think it is worth reading. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2010 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: 2010

I'm so torn as to how I should rate this book. It's simple and beautifully written, and I loved it. It was hard to put down. On the other hand, it's just too short. I felt like the story took some big jumps, and those jumps didn't need to be there. I wanted to get to know the characters more, and in a way which is just too hard to make happen in the span of 100 or so short pages.

This book told a beautiful story, and I do highly recommend it to everybody. ...more

Like · see review