• Is it autobiographical?

 

 

Not directly. The author is too young to have lived through World War Two, but he was brought up by three elder sisters who survived the Blitz.

---

 

• Is Dovidl a real character?

 

 

No, he’s wholy invented.

---

 

• Was there ever a violinist who disappeared on the day of his debut?

 

 

Yes, but his is a very different story.

---

 

• Are there real people in the novel?

 

 

Yes: the violinists Fritz Kreisler, Albert Sammons, Joseph Hasid and Ida Haendel.

---

 

• Was there a real Song of Names?

 

 

No, it’s an invention.

---

 

• Is the book going to be made into a film?

 

 

It’s under discussion.