The Miracle of Stalag 8A (Stalag VIII-A) - Beauty Beyond the Horror: Olivier Messiaen and the Quartet for the End of Time

Fans of Messian's music, and he is an acquired taste, will value this biography which reveals something of the personal struggle of the man behind the music. Well written and accessible to the non specialist.

I recommend this book to Christians, musicians/composers and students of World War II history. Olivier Messiaen was an organist and com,poser who was drafted into the French army in 1940, shortly before the Germans defeated the French and subsequently occupied France. This book tells a story of the power of faith and music to lift the human spirit above the harshest prison conditions of starvation, hopelessness and extreme cold. Messiaen composed his famous Quartet for the End of Time while he was a prisoner, and he enlisted three fellow prisoners to perform it with him before an audience of Nazi officers and soldiers, and fellow prisoners. The miracle in the title will be revealed to those who open the books pages. A very absorbing story. .

John McMullen's powerfully descriptive narrative about Olivier Messiaen's experience, while confined in a Nazi prison camp, is both compelling and inspiring. Messiaen's survival seemed to lie within his desire to complete an other worldly spiritual and musical message. His accomplished work Quartet at the End of Time allows the listener an opportunity to contemplate the mystery of creation, timelessness and the phenomenon of eternity. I've listened to this unique composition twice and I will listen to it again and again. It is mesmerizing and the book is outstanding.

**** Updating this review from 2 to 4 stars because, like I said, i wanted to read it so much that a couple of weeks ago I went back to it and started reading it silently in spare moments. It's a really interesting story and actually forced me to learn at last to use the highlighting function on my kindle (I usually buy a paper copy of any book I really want to "thumb" for future reference, but I had the impression, for some reason, that this book didn't exist yet in paper) becuase it is also a wonderful testimony to faith and the way faithful artists co-create. Since I'm not reading aloud to someone else as I was before (and maybe also because I am now caught up into the events, not looking at the narration of them with a critical eye?) I'm no longer being troubled by failings of style. Love the book and very glad I went back. I will listen to Messiaen in future with deepened appreciation and understanding.Now that I see the book does exist in paper form, I think I'll buy it. And wouldn't it pair nicely as a gift with a CD I really like called "Olivier Messiaen: The Mystical Colors of Christ" ... a wonderful way to introduce others to a truly inspiring artist.==================================(Old review below)Have encountered some of Messiaen's music and found it stunning; therefore would really love to be able to read this book. The storyline is enticing and the straight run of eleven five-star reviews make the book sound truly excellent!However, the experience of actually reading this book put me off it completely. Just read this aloud, if you would: "Klaxon air-raid horns sounded forth as the shrill whine of German bombers approached; the lightening-like flash and rumble of dropping bombs approached like a swift moving montrous thunderstorm. The German planes filled the sky like a murder of crows; the screaming Stuka bombers dove to the treetops, strafed with machine gun fire, and bombed the French troops and French countryside. The howling madness and exploding ammunition was deafening as flame and smoke and a hail of rock and mud enveloped Olivier Messiaen and companions."This is the book's first paragraph. You can actually get to this in the amazon previews, if you scroll on through pages and pages of glowing recommendations, first ... makes me understand why we say at Chick-fil-A (I work there part-time) that the best kind of advertising is to "lead with the product."But back to our introductory paragraph. Count the "the"s. Count the "and"s. Count the "like"s. Count the "French"s. Heck, count the semicolons! Look at word order. Subject, verb, object. Never once a prepositional phrase to open the idea, but too many such phrases weighing down the action words that come later. See, you might not notice this kind of thing if you were scribbling away madly, or even if you were reading silently over what you had written. But just read it aloud and it hits you in the face. Again and again.I kept reading to the end of the prologue. It didn't get better. Sadly, because I really would like to read the story, I retired the book.Amazon says 2 stars mean "I don't like it." I'd like to give it 2 1/2 stars, because I really want to like it. Kudos on the concept of the book and doubtless on the research that went into it. The rest ... well, I think it could be fixed, and if it ever is fixed, I would pay more than $3 for it.

This a true story novelized beautifully, using primary documents (diaries, legal records, etc.) that give us a sense the of the person of Olivier Messiaen, and how, in the midst of the horror of WWII POW camp, he could descend into the depths of hell and come back with something beautiful--the "Quartet for the End of Time."It reveals the differential treatment by German captors of the French, English, and Western allied soldiers (not so bad) as opposed to their horrific treatment of Polish and Russian POWs (we all know how the non-combatant Jews were dealt with). The camp guards were, for the most part, civilized in their treatment of Messiaen and his musician fellow prisoners.The book quotes much from Messaien's diary to reveal a mind immersed in the "other-worldly" reality of the timelessness of God's love--Messiaen's psycho-spiritual means for dealing with the dire conditions of his imprisonment and estrangement from his beloved wife who was descending into mental illness as she awaited his release.I've read three of McMullen's works, now, and while the other two were good, this was a most accomplished work--sensitive, lyrical and dramatic. If you care about beauty, are interested in the subject of how one can find God--and dignity-- in the midst of the hell of human suffering, this is a good read.

It is very detailed. Mr. McMullen makes a strong plea for peace through graphic detail, similar to "All Quiet On the Western Front." One day there will be peace on earth when Christ returns to rule and reign with all those who have put their trust in him alone for their salvation. Titus 3:3-7

Inspiring story but dull, dull, dull. Too much musical theory, biblical quotes, religious preaching. Bears a strong resemblance to an exceedingly boring textbook. I only finished it because I wanted to discover what happened to the main characters after they were released from the prison camp. Religious tracts might be a better subject for this author.