The Cello Player

by Michael Krüger, Andrew Shields (Translation)

The narrator of this wonderfully perceptive, highly entertaining tale of love and loss is a middle-aged German composer who writes serious avant-garde music, but makes a living writing theme music for television. When Judit, an ambitious young cello player from Budapest (whose mother was once the composer's lover and who may or may not be his daughter), shows up on his doorstep, he agrees to take her in while she studies at the conservatory in Munich.
Judit's presence evokes memories of a far different time for the composer, when life was about art and his biggest concern was finding a room for an afternoon tryst. When our protagonists set out for the composer's house in southern France, where he will finish his opera and she will master her instrument, it gradually becomes clear that this young woman is playing more than the cello. Funny, ironic, and oddly illuminating.

Genres: Music, Romance, Fiction

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Michael Krüger ist ein deutscher Schriftsteller, Dichter, Verleger und Übersetzer. Er ist seit Juli 2013 Präsident der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste.

Reviews

[Federica Norberti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non è che abbia capito molto questo libro. A partire dal fatto che parte della sinossi non corrisponde al vero: maschilista, aggressivo, ipocondriaco, ironico e sprezzante... non mi risulta nulla di tutto ciò. Ci vengono posti degli interrogativi che non trovano risposta. Judit è la sua figlia naturale? Qual è la vera motivazione dietro la permanenza di Judit? Non ho trovato risposta. Le relazioni, i rapporti, le intenzioni dei personaggi non sono chiari. Tutto questo mistero non viene risolto, tutto il libro sembra un viavai di ricordi, salti temporali e skiptime. Ad essere onesta, non credo di averlo capito. Sicuramente alcune riflessioni sono piacevoli.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book that was only 200 pages, it took me forever to finish this.
In my humble opinion, The Cello Player had no rhyme or reason. I kept looking for some sort of plot, anything that would make this book interesting....alas I found nothing but a 50 year old man that seemed to be having a mid life crises and complained about life in general.
There were a few small parts of the book that had some interest, but in all the book was about 100 pages to long. Very boring. The only redeeming thing about this book was the cover, which is why a friend picked the book up for me.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to admit, I got this book for free, and picked it mainly because its cover (beautiful) and title (I play the cello, too). But this book was disappointing. This book didn't have much of a plot, and nothing of significance really happened. Mainly, the characters sat around and discussed modernism in music, etc. Although the book alluded to painful and/or interesting experiences in the characters' lives, the book didn't go into detail about these events.

[Piotr Kopka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Współczesny postawangardowy kompozytor, zbijający niezłe kokosy na tworzeniu muzyki do seriali telewizyjnych, staje w obliczu niesłychanego dylematu – czy piękna młoda dziewczyna, która się wprasza do jego mieszkania, może być przypadkiem jego córką? Nie jest to całkiem nieprawdopodobne, gdyż kompozytora łączył niegdyś z jej matką, olśniewającą węgierską artystką, bardzo intensywny romans. Jak poradzić sobie z tak dwuznaczną sytuacją – zwłaszcza, że wszyscy wokół uważają dziewczynę za młodziutką kochankę muzyka? Co gorsza, Judith robi wszystko, by podsycać erotyczne napięcie. Pełna humoru pikanteria – tak głosi cytowana na okładce niemiecka gazeta „Passauer Neue Presse”. Czy można się jej oprzeć?

Niestety, Wiolonczelistka Michaela Krügera zapowiada się nieźle, ale rozczarowuje pod każdym względem. Zapowiadanej na okładce pikanterii jest tyle, co na lekarstwo (są ukłony dla autora Lolity w relacjach bohatera z matką i córką, ale to tylko cień narracji Nabokova). Natomiast fabuła co chwila grzęznie w intelektualnych dysputach na temat muzyki współczesnej, literatury i kultury. W związku z czym powieść staje się trochę nudnawym rozliczeniem ze spuścizną pokolenia ’68 (tego paryskiego ’68) i pełną humoru pikanterię trafia szlag.

Recenzja ukazała się na: Literatura sautée

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful find. Translated from German so a nice reprieve from the usual novel formula. The main character's life is trodden upon by a cast of hysterical characters and events and he captures each moment and twist with a writing style that is so crafty and pithy that I found myself rereading entire sections just for the sheer pleasure of it. Otherwise a pretty short book. I love stumbling across 5-star treasures like this!

[Briynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I picked this one up becuase I thought the cover was pretty. It did turn out to be a pretty decent read, though. It wasn't a typical story, which I appreciated, but I also was all that effected by it.

[Marvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

After 50 pages, I quit this chaotic story of an amoral, failed composer, who's thoroughly unlikeable & uninteresting.