Akira Mizubayashi – författare

“A sweeping and moving story about music, war, being true to our roots, friendship, and the beauty of the silence that follows a Schubert sonata.”—Tahar Ben Jelloun, Le PointAwarded the Prix des libraires by France’s booksellers, a universal story about music and restoring one’s faith in others amid the aftermath of tremendous loss.Tokyo, 1938. An amateur quartet, led by the compassionate Yu, gathers to practice. Suddenly, their rehearsal is brutally interrupted by military police. In the ensuing skirmish, Yu’s violin is smashed while his son, Rei, witnesses his father’s arrest. He will never see him again. Salvaging his father’s instrument, Rei escapes thanks to a mysterious lieutenant.Paris, 2003. Raised in France, Rei–now Jacques–has dedicated his life to the broken violin’s repair: studying music, becoming an apprentice, and, eventually, a luthier. However, despite his effort to rehabilitate the damage of years ago, he struggles to reconcile his past with the present.Yet, when a world-class violinist, connected to the lieutenant that helped him as a boy, appears, Jacques’ past is rekindled and he perseveres in a final bid to heal. Fractured Soul is a parable of what once was lost and what there stands to be gained–a story of immense beauty and ferocious courage.Translated from the French by Alison Anderson

Awarded the Prix des libraires by Frances booksellers, a universal story about music and restoring ones faith in others amid the aftermath of tremendous loss.Tokyo, 1938. An amateur quartet, led by the compassionate Yu, gathers to practice. Suddenly, their rehearsal is brutally interrupted by military police. In the ensuing skirmish, Yus violin is smashed while his son, Rei, witnesses his fathers arrest. He will never see him again. Salvaging his fathers instrument, Rei escapes thanks to a mysterious lieutenant.Paris, 2003. Raised in France, Reinow Jacqueshas dedicated his life to the broken violins repair: studying music, becoming an apprentice, and, eventually, a luthier. However, despite his effort to rehabilitate the damage of years ago, he struggles to reconcile his past with the present.Yet, when a world-class violinist, connected to the lieutenant that helped him as a boy, appears, Jacques past is rekindled and he perseveres in a final bid to heal. Fractured Soul is a parable of what once was lost and what there stands to be gaineda story of immense beauty and ferocious courage.Translated from the French by Alison Anderson

En 1938, gobernado por una dictadura nacionalista, Japón emprende una guerra para expandirse en Asia. La xenofobia está a la orden del día. En ese mismo momento, en Tokio, cuatro músicos aficionados, Yu, de origen japonés y tres estudiantes chinos, amantes de la música clásica occidental, se reúnen regularmente para ensayar Rosamunda, la sonata de Schubert. Son sesiones idílicas, que acaso los hace olvidar brevemente el clima de terror e intolerancia que los rodea.El amparo de Schubert dura poco.En medio de un ensayo, ingresa una patrulla militar, los maltrata, los detiene y ya no se volverá a saber de ellos. El hijo de Yu, Rei, observa todo escondido en un armario. Un teniente abre la puerta y lo descubre. Cruzan miradas en una larga y tensa escena, donde lo peor puede suceder. Sin embargo, el teniente le entrega el magnífico violín de su padre, destruido por los soldados, y se marcha, sin delatarlo. Es un momento que marcará su vida, el momento de la piedad y el perdón que interrumpen la crueldad y la violencia homicida. Será adoptado por una familia francesa, se mudará a Francia, adoptará un nuevo nombre, Jacques Maillard, se convertirá en un destacadísimo luthier. Pero no olvidará. Tras años de paciente trabajo, restaurará el violín de su padre y volverá a Japón, a cerrar el círculo que la compasión del teniente abrió.Con una prosa sugerente y exquisita, Akira Mizubayashi, escribió una novela conmovedora sobre el poder de la evocación y la memoria. Ganadora en 2020 del Premio de los Libreros de Francia, el mismo que en su momento obtuvieran La elegancia del erizo y Nada se opone a la noche, Alma partida narra con delicadeza y sobriedad una historia signada por el duelo imposible, el desarraigo y el renacimiento.