By: Steven Galloway

1
The Cellist of Sarajevo

• By Steven Galloway

2
Albinonis Adagio in G Minor

• This piece of music is referenced in the prologue
  of the novel as a symbol of hope and the piece
  that the cellist plays in the streets of war torn
  Sarajevo

3
Steven Galloway

• Steven Galloway is a Canadian writer.
• Lets watch to a video interview with the author
  in which he discusses how and why he wrote the
  novel...

4

• Some key points to highlight about the novel from
  Galloways perspective
• He is writing about civilians war is not their
  business they are just regular people who do
  not have a great deal of power in their life.
• Love is not easy to accept from others Hate is
  a much stronger emotion and accepted more
  willingly and quickly returned to others.
• We allow others to tell us who to hate.
• The Cellist he is not as important in the text
  as an individual rather it is what he does and
  how he affects those who witness his actions that
  matter.
• During times of war we need human elements such
  as music, literature, and art to set us apart
  from the animalistic behaviour that is occurring
  we need to know that we are not animals.

5
Note

• This novel is based on actual events. It is both
  fictional and true. The character is based on an
  actual man who played his cello in the street for
  many days in a row during the war.

6
From the photographer

• This image is one of my favourites. It was taken
  during the way in 1992 in Sarajevo in the
  partially destroyed National Library. The cello
  player is a local musician Vedran Smailovic, who
  often came to play for free at different funerals
  during the siege despite the fact funerals were
  often targeted by Serb forces (Mikhail Evstafiev)

7
The Cellist of Sarajevo Initial Reactions

• Themes?
• Change
• Sacrifice
• War

• Symbols?
• Cello
• Fallen bow
• Fathers hand
• Adagio
• Himself
• Love
• Hope
• Lives changing

8
Where is Sarajevo?

• Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia.
• Why was there a war in Sarajevo?
• (see handout)