And
After The Fire by
Lauren Belfer has an historical component to the mystery.
The settings alternate between Berlin in the late 1700s to
mid-1800s, and 2010 in New York and Germany. Readers follow
the dual storylines: the rape of the Jewish people by an anti-Semitic
Bach composition and the literal rape of the main character
Susana in the present day.
Belfer formulated the idea after taking a course about Bach.
She commented to blackfive.net, “Some of his music had
a lashing out against the Jews. The idea came to me as I thought
about the Nazis stealing masterpieces of art: ‘what
if I had found a manuscript stolen during the war?’
As I did the research I was introduced to people I never heard
of including the real-life Sara. I knew I had to write about
her and this propelled two narratives, one in the present
with Susana, and the other in the past with Sara.”
The plot begins with Susana Kessler struggling to rebuild
her life after she experiences a devastating act of violence
on the streets of New York City. When her Uncle Henry dies
soon after, she uncovers the long-hidden Bach manuscript.
Determined to return it to its rightful owner she enlists
the help of Dan, a Bach musical expert who is not Jewish.
Because his Lutheran faith is rocked by a personal loss he
forms a kinship with Susana who is also questioning her beliefs
about mankind in the wake of the Holocaust.
Readers will be taken on a journey with the characters as
they try to solve the mystery behind this lost cantata of
Bach that has unmistakable anti-Semitism in the recitatives.
This is where Belfer introduces Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned
musician in the 1800s, who receives an unsettling gift from
her teacher, Bach’s son. This work’s disturbing
message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to
come. Both Susana and Sara face the same dilemma, what should
be done with a music manuscript, which has been carefully
concealed from the world since 1783. If revealed it could
bring danger upon the Jewish culture.
According to Belfer, “the context of the music is relevant.
Critics say that the aesthetic beauty is all that counts and
composers’ personal thoughts should not be considered.
I don’t buy that. I don’t think these anti-Jewish
beliefs came out of nowhere. I also touch in the book how
the Lutheran religion has in its Bible that ‘Jews should
go to hell,’ and there is Martin Luther’s book
that is extremely anti-Semitic. These feelings were simmering
for hundreds of years. I was surprised when I learned through
my research how Lutherans did not disavow these anti-Jewish
thoughts until the 1990s. Bach chose the lyrics from several
poets that worked with him, and they lashed out at Jews in
very contemptuous ways. He was an ordained Minister of Music
responsible for choosing the Librettos for the Church pieces;
although the piece in the book is fictional.”
Composers Felix and Fanny’s Mendelssohns’ great
aunt is Sara. It is with these characters that the author
explores the treatment of women during the 1800s. Felix Mendelssohn,
during most of his sister Fanny’s lifetime, had the
power to prohibit her from publishing her music and, in fact,
took credit for some of her work.
Belfer noted, “The music of Fanny Mendelssohn was depressed
for so many years. People are now beginning to rediscover
it. To this day I just cannot figure out what was going through
Fanny’s mind, refusing to publish her works. Some have
said that during the time period she lived society would have
disavowed the family. Yet, it seems to me because her husband,
mother, and great aunt strongly encouraged her to publish
her music those excuses could not be true. I doubt they would
have encouraged her if it were going to destroy their position
in society. Right before she died she did get the courage
and finally published her works.”
But the core of the story has the manuscript seeming like
a secondary character. Through it readers learn historical
facts about Germany, how music can affect people’s views,
and what should be done with such a piece of work.
And After The Fire is a brilliant novel. It intertwines
history and music with likeable characters, both real-life
and created. It transports the reader to a world seldom visited,
with a mystery that keeps the pages turning.
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