Music, obsession, and memory.

The story unfolds through the recollections of a violinist attempting to piece together the life of a mysterious virtuoso whose talent—and disappearance—left a deep mark on those who heard him play. Like the musical form referenced in the title, the narrative moves in mirrored passages and reversals, gradually revealing the emotional architecture behind a life shaped by art.

Set against the cultural upheavals of twentieth-century Europe, the novel blends historical atmosphere with psychological inquiry. Maurensig treats music not simply as a language of inheritance and rivalry, where devotion to craft can become indistinguishable from possession.

Originally published in Italian in 1996, Canone Inverso became Maurensig’s best-known work and was later adapted into a film. It sits comfortably alongside other European literary novels concerned with the darker interior worlds of musicians and artists.

First English translation, first edition hardback.