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.

"Most moving and impressive. Martin Goodman manages an original stance on what has become all too familiar – the ‘Holocaust’ novel – and has created something really worthwhile as a result. It is beautifully structured and has a distinctive and haunting tone. Altogether a very clever and memorable piece of work."– Simon Mawer, author of The Glass Room "There is much to explore, from the orchestras established in the camps to the special treatment sometimes accorded to to talented musicians and the impact the Nazis had on Europe’s rich musical culture. The parts of the novel set in Dachau, Buchenwald, Terezín and Auschwitz ring with a visceral truth, and real figures such as Herbert Zimmer, who established a secret orchestra at Dachau, and Hans Krása – composer of the children’s opera Brundibár get respectful supporting roles." - The Financial Times "Looks squarely at the horrors of the 20th century, and old divisions that still fester…This is one powerful story that dares to hope, and shows the way to love."– Bonnie Greer "A subtle novel that treads delicately around identity, values and life purpose."– The Hackney Citizen "A wonderful story. A beautiful book about the unimaginable and what can grow from it." - Marina Mahler, granddaughter of the composer and founder and president of the Mahler Foundation.

Martin Goodman’s debut novel On Bended Knees, shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, heralded a major theme of his writing: the aftermath of wars. His nonfiction picked up the theme when his biography of the scientist who worked to counter WW1 gas attacks, Suffer & Survive, won 1st Prize, Basis of Medicine in the BMA Book Awards. In Client Earth, which won the Jury’s Choice Business Book of the Year Award 2018, and the Green Book Award from Santa Monica Libraries, he told the story of ecolawyers who battle to rescue the planet from human destruction. He is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Hull.