Madame Sousatzka

Description

Madame Sousatzka specialises in child prodigies. In her hands the new boy will blossom into musical genius. But the public cannot hear him yet: until his debut he belongs to Sousatzka and her bizarre hot-house tenants. One day he will be a great pianist - until that day he must play only for Sousatzka ...

Bernice Rubens (1929-2004) was born in Cardiff, Wales in July 1928. She began writing at the age of 35, when her children started nursery school. Her second novel, Madame Sousatzka (1962), was filmed by John Schlesinger, with Shirley MacLaine in the leading role, in 1988. Her fourth novel, The Elected Member, won the 1970 Booker prize. She was shortlisted for the same prize again in 1978 for A Five Year Sentence. Her last novel, The Sergeants' Tale, was published in 2003. She was an honorary vice-president of International PEN and served as a Booker judge in 1986. Bernice Rubens died in 2004 aged 76.

A story of delectable charm and wit. Passionate, comical, touchingly unaware of oddity, Madame Sousatzka is Ms Rubens' most engaging creation, inimitable and unforgettable ... * - The Times * Intense and charming, Miss Rubens makes her characters live with a degree of self-awareness that makes them peculiarly stimulating. She has a sharp ear, a penetrating eye and that kind of warm but impartial heart that is the mark of the really interesting novelist * - The Standard *