Narrative
The Terezín Requiem
Terezínské rekviem
Josef Bor · 1963
Synopsis
In the Terezín ghetto, the pianist and conductor Raphaël Schächter sets out to have the prisoners sing Verdi's Requiem, with one hundred and fifty choristers, four soloists and two pianos in place of the orchestra. He rehearses for months, twice sees his choir leave in a transport and each time starts again with other voices, in order to have the work heard by those who guard them.
Context
The narrative follows a real event: Rafael Schächter had the Requiem performed in the ghetto some fifteen times, notably before a Red Cross delegation, before being deported to Auschwitz. The book appeared in 1963 from Československý spisovatel, two years after its author's first book, was adapted for radio the same year and translated into about ten languages; a second, corrected edition appeared in 1993.
Who it is for
A short narrative of about one hundred and twenty pages, built on the verses of the Requiem. In French, translated by Zdenka and Raymond Datheil.
Prizes and reception
The author's work with the greatest international resonance; in France, readers' prize in 2008 on its reissue.