The Cellist of Dachau

The Cellist of Dachau is an acclaimed and “masterful” novel of the Holocaust— the legacy that haunts us, and the music that binds us.

In 1938, Otto Schalmik, a 19-year-old musician from a Jewish family in Vienna, is arrested by Nazi police. Transported to Dachau, he is summoned to the home of the camp’s Adjutant, who forces him to scrub the floors and play Bach on a priceless looted cello.

In 1990s California, Otto, now a world-famous composer, and a young Australian musicologist, Rosa, discover the ways in which their lives are linked through music and history. Weaving together stories from both sides of Nazi Germany, The Cellist Of Dachau explores the ongoing impact of war and the power of music as a transcending force to heal and rebuild lives.