Book Two FAQ

Book Two FAQ

Q:How much of this is real?
A:Well, when you get right down to it, none of it. The only thing that exists in real life are the towns & cities named. The actual locations within those towns & cities are fictional, or used in a fictional manner. When I say that, I am thinking specifically of the Pulverturm. It does exist, but only the outside of the structure is anything like what is described in the novel. The inside as described in the narrative is completely fictional.
Zwickau obviously exists. The Hotel Saschsen Zwickau does not. The Priesterhauser, Gewandhaus, Schwanenteich, and the Marienkirche do exist. The fountain with the dancing children does exist. Ballhaus Neue Welt is real. Zwickau has an orchestra, but it is not the one named in the novel. Schumann’s house really is a museum.
Paris, Zurich, and Berlin obviously exist, but the specific locations mentioned there are fictional. The lab, the Katarovski Suite, Dmitri’s condo–all fictional.
And of course we already knew the town of Newton, Ohio was completely made-up.

Q:What about Schumann’s Violin Concerto?
A:Oh, that is absolutely real. Its backstory is real, too.
Check out Wikipedia for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_(Schumann)
Or if you are a Time subscriber, read coverage of the U.S. premiere in 1937: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758700,00.html