Robinson pre-empts de Bastion’s ‘powerful’ story of a piano and its player

Robinson has pre-empted The Piano Player of Budapest: A True Story of Survival, Hope and Music by Roxanne de Bastion, described as “a story about a piano and its most prodigious player – how it, along with him, survived".

Editorial director Emma Smith acquired UK and commonwealth rights in a “swift pre-empt” from Kirsty McLachlan at Morgan Green Creatives. The Piano Player of Budapest will publish in hardback, e-book and bespoke audio edition in June 2024.

The synopsis reads: “When her father died, singer songwriter Roxanne de Bastion inherited a piano she knew had been in her family for over 100 years. But it is only when she finds a cassette recording of her grandfather, Stephen, playing one of his compositions, that the true and almost unbelievable history of the piano, this man and her family begins to unravel.

"Stephen was a man who enjoyed great fame, a man who suffered the horrors of concentration camps in the Second World War, a man who ultimately survives – along with his piano.

“By piecing together his cassette recordings, unpublished memoirs, letters and documents, Roxanne sings out her grandfather’s story of music and hope, lost and found, and explores the power of what can echo down through generations.”

Smith said: “We were all swept away by the story of Stephen and his piano. Publishing this book is an act of posterity, for the de Bastion story to be read, heard and shared for generations to come. Being able to acquire such a special book is what editors dream about.”

De Bastion said: “I’m so incredibly grateful to Kirsty, Emma and her team at Little, Brown for providing me with the opportunity to share my family’s story. It’s been an incredibly emotional and meaningful journey for me to undertake – one of self-discovery and generational healing.”