Sparkly crowns, music, and books

Sparkly crowns, music, and books

Last weekend I went to a dear friend’s surprise 50th birthday party. She was actually turning 51, but the party was cancelled last year due to Covid. My friend enjoyed her big day wearing the saved 50th birthday regalia, including a sparkly pink crown and birthday banner.

In order for the guests to get to know each other, we were asked to name the first album we ever purchased. This caused a minor crisis for me, especially when the expected answers accrued—Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Abba, etc. In truth, I couldn’t remember a first album, but I did recall one that either my sister or I had purchased: the great Russian violinist David Oistrakh playing Sergei Prokoviev’s Second Violin Concerto. It is a function of my stage in life that I stated this publicly, and a testament to the company that I wasn’t laughed out of the room (well, I nearly was).

The great Russian violinist David Oistrakh.

The truth is, I was and am a classical music nerd, if by nerd we mean someone who adores classical music. I played viola seriously through my early twenties (and semi-professionally through my early thirties), performing much of the standard orchestral and chamber repertoire in myriad ensembles.

When I started writing fiction, I did so with the goal of getting music on the page, both an impossibility and a lifelong goal. So it is always a pleasure for me to discover a book that attempts the same. Pauls Toutonghi’s THE REFUGEE OCEAN, is soaked in music, opera and piano. The novel recounts two refugee’s stories, fifty years apart—one from Lebanon and one from Syria. These characters cross oceans to Battista’s Cuba and contemporary America. The book grapples with what it means to be an immigrant, how physical and emotional wounds can heal, and highlights the role of music and art in the resilience of the human spirit.

I am excited to share my conversation on the History, Books, and Wine podcast. Join me for “a happy hour chat” with Eliza Knight and Lori Ann Bailey as we discuss post World War II New York, survivors of the Holocaust, and the ballet. Here’s a link, or listen to it wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

I hope there are plenty of books and music in your life. Please take care during this holiday season.

Love,
Martha