The Mozart Question Michael Morpurgo, ill. Michael Foreman, Walker Books, 2008, 72 pages, hardback, NZ $ 29.99
ISBN 978-1-4063-0648-4
“Someone once told me that all secrets are lies. The time has come, I think, not to lie any more.” A world-famous violinist, Paolo Levi, takes pity on Lesley, an embarrassed, young reporter who is floundering her way through an interview with him. All the reporter knows is that she mustn’t ask the Mozart question. When she nervously blurts this out, Paolo tells her his life story, as an explanation of why he never plays Mozart.
It is a tale that runs from his childhood in Venice, through his early infatuation with the violin to the terrible secret his mother and father kept from him. Although the story has love of music at its heart, it also tells of some of the suffering involved in the Nazi death camps and the agonising role played by Mozart’s music. The truth, when revealed, is moving.
The Mozart Question, which is an illustrated story rather than a novel, has superb water colour illustrations by Michael Foreman, many showing the splendours of Paolo’s Venice. Morpurgo’s words show the splendour of the music.
Trevor Agnew
This review first appeared in The Press, Christchurch New Zealand on 23rd August 2008
Showing posts with label Michael Morpurgo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Morpurgo. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Friday, 21 March 2008
War stories of Conflict
WAR: STORIES OF CONFLICT, ed. Michael Morpurgo, Macmillan, 277 pages, hardback, $29.95.
ISBN 1-405-04744-5
To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War 2, Michael Morpurgo, the third Children’s Laureate, has commissioned 14 other top children’s authors to write short stories about war and its effects. The resulting anthology, War: Stories of Conflict covers a vast range of time and human experience, from the Crusades to the Iraq War but concentrates firmly on the cost of such conflict, especially for young people. While most authors are British, two New Zealanders are represented. Margaret Mahy describes the Fall of Singapore striking into a Northland classroom, while Elizabeth Laird creates a timeless moment of understanding in the Palestinian conflict. This is a moving and rewarding anthology.
Trevor Agnew
This review was first published in The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand on 21st January 2006.
ISBN 1-405-04744-5
To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War 2, Michael Morpurgo, the third Children’s Laureate, has commissioned 14 other top children’s authors to write short stories about war and its effects. The resulting anthology, War: Stories of Conflict covers a vast range of time and human experience, from the Crusades to the Iraq War but concentrates firmly on the cost of such conflict, especially for young people. While most authors are British, two New Zealanders are represented. Margaret Mahy describes the Fall of Singapore striking into a Northland classroom, while Elizabeth Laird creates a timeless moment of understanding in the Palestinian conflict. This is a moving and rewarding anthology.
Trevor Agnew
This review was first published in The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand on 21st January 2006.
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