And The Cello Came Too: A Story of Survival
Product Details
- Format:
- Paperback
- ISBN:
- 9781919383408
- Published:
- 2nd Jun 2026
- Publisher:
- Marble Hill Publishers
- Dimensions:
- 216 pages - 229 x 152
- Illustrations:
- 53 b&w
- Categories:
Product Description
And The Cello Came Too
When Robin Lustig’s mother died in 2013, he found himself drawn back into the tangled history of his German-Jewish family -- a story of survival, exile, death and endurance. And the Cello Came Too is both a personal memoir and a family chronicle, spanning centuries of Jewish life in Europe, its near-destruction under the Nazis and its slow rebirth in the years after the Second World War.
At its heart is the award-winning journalist and broadcaster’s father, Fritz Lustig, a refugee from Berlin whose cello accompanied him through upheaval, war and a new life in Britain. From Enlightenment rabbis and pioneering journalists to the ‘Three Old Ladies’ who helped to shape his childhood, Lustig pieces together a sweeping narrative from letters, memoirs, and memory.
This is a history not just of persecution but also of resilience and continuity -- of lives rebuilt, music played, and stories reclaimed. Moving, intimate, and meticulously researched, And the Cello Came Too shows how one family’s journey can illuminate the universal struggle to survive, remember, and belong.
- A moving, truthful and relevant story of a family’s survival in the perils of the 20th century.
- Robin Lustig was a distinguished Radio 4 journalist with a devoted following. He is a wonderful writer.
- A book of consolation and hope for our times.
The story behind
The power of the human voice is an extraordinary thing. When my old friend and fellow publisher, Stephen Lustig, introduced me to his brother, the journalist and broadcaster, Robin, I didn’t recognise his face but the moment he started speaking, I recognised his voice. Why? Because I had listened to him so often presenting The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4.
As I read his manuscript, it was Robin’s voice and the voices of his forebears whose history he was chronicling that fascinated me. There have been countless books written about the Jewish diaspora, stories of courage and suffering, of lives broken and then remade. What distinguishes Robin’s beautifully written story of his family is its timing.
Day after day we read in the press shocking stories of attacks and threats to Jewish communities. Robin’s memoir demonstrates not just the suffering of his family in Berlin but the courage and fortitude of his parents, Fritz and Susan, who came to England determined to create new lives and a new future and to contribute to our national story.
Robin Lustig reminds us that that these voices need to be heard - and with all his journalistic and broadcaster’s skills he has brought them back to life and let them talk to us about how they recreated their lives in an unfamiliar context.
For me, the book is not only a reminder of how ordinary lives can find the strength and determination to overcome huge obstacles, it demonstrates the power of the human voice to establish identity and preserve a valuable history from which we can all benefit.