In this mesmerising novel from the award-winning author of Nagasaki, a journalist in 1990s Prague investigates a story of a woman with no musical education who produces masterful compositions claiming to be dictated to by Frédéric Chopin.
Prague, 1995: journalist Ludvik Slany is assigned to make a documentary about a truly bizarre case.
Vera Foltynova, a middle-aged woman with no musical training, claims she has been visited by the ghost of great composer Frederic Chopin - and that he has been dictating dozens of compositions to her, to allow the world to hear the sublime music he was unable to create in his own short life.
With media and recording companies taking the bait, Ludvik enlists the help of ex-Communist secret police agent Pavel Cerny to expose Vera as a fraud. Soon, however, doubt creeps in, as he finds himself irrationally drawn towards this unassuming woman and the eerily beautiful music she plays. Could he be witnessing a true miracle?
An intricately plotted mystery imbued with the dusky atmosphere of autumnal Prague, The Ghost of Frederic Chopin is an engrossing story of art, faith and the quiet accompaniment of the past.
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781782277224
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
In this mesmerising novel from the award-winning author of Nagasaki, a journalist in 1990s Prague investigates a story of a woman with no musical education who produces masterful compositions claiming to be dictated to by Frédéric Chopin - Waterstones
[The Ghost of Frédéric Chopin] has the depth and elegance of a nocturne... Éric Faye makes his hero and his story alternate between the meticulous realism of the investigation and a delicate fantasy, quietly opening an unlimited field of possibilities - La Croix
A noir novel imbued with mystery and elegance... invites us to discover a Prague, rainy and unsettling, but terribly bewitching - ActuaLitté
Éric Faye plays with suspense brilliantly in this novel... Taking inspiration from classic spy novels, the metaphysical and reflections on truth in art, the author enchants us with his elegant style - Études
The Ghost of Frederic Chopin is the third book in the Walter Presents series and like its predecessors it is another unique and enjoyable story. This novel is set in 1990s Prague and follows the travails of Ludvik... More
Another charismatic and intriguing mystery in the Walter Presents library. Ludvik Slany's obsessive mission to prove the self-claimed medium to Chopin is a hoax, creates a compelling exploration of what... More
Not your run of the mill mystery here - this is a unique story, partly based on real happenings and all the more engrossing for that. It is set in Prague and is the story of journalist Ludvik Slany being tasked with... More
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