The Song of Names - Softcover

'Any critic, especially one as ferocious as Norman Lebrecht, who risks putting his own head above the creative parapet needs barrel-loads of chutzpah. The temptation to aim a few slings and arrows at the thunderer just for the hell of it is almost irresistible. Sadly, his first novel, The Song of Names spoils the fun. It is too good to trash...It has a compelling humanity. The cynical symbiosis of the relationship between artist and agent is deliciously caught. The atmosphere of wartime and the aftermath is conjured with exceptional vividness. Musical influences and imagery run like a watermark through the prose. Having rounded the whole thing off with elan, Lebrecht leaves room for a final flourish, his concert encore' -- The Evening Standard 20020819 'This is an interesting tale, Lebrecht recreates the atmosphere of war-time London through a child's eyes with vigour' -- The Scotsman 20020819 'This complex and often tragic story reads entertainingly...an unusually impressive first novel' -- The Spectator 20020824 'Much to enjoy in the author's sensitive understanding of music and musicians' -- Literary Review 20020824

Two boys are growing up in wartime London. Martin is an only child, imprisoned in swottish loneliness. Then Dovidl enters his home, a refugee violinist from Warsaw. 'I am genius,' says Dovidl. 'You have information. Together we make good team.' His arrival brings merriment and love, mischief and menace. Blood-brothers, they roam the ruined city, finding tragedy and triumph, sex and crime. It is the time of their lives, their finest hour. Then Dovidl disappears, on the afternoon of his international debut. Martin is broken-hearted, his father near-bankrupted, the police dumbfounded. Where has he gone? How can a genius escape his date with destiny? How could he betray a brother? Martin is condemned to forty years of humdrum half-life until, one wintry night, an unexpected musical clue sets him on the trail to an astonishing act of self-discovery, and renewal.