Cellist of Sarajevo seeks legal action against author

Vedran Smailović made the headlines during the 1992 Bosnian conflict when he played his cello on a pile of rubble for 22 consecutive days - in plain view of snipers - to commemorate those killed in a mortar attack while queueing for bread.

Steven Galloway's novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, is a war tale centred around three characters and their reaction to a cellist inspired by Smailović. Although the author openly admits the character - who only appears in the first five pages and has no dialogue - is based on the real-life cellist, he points out that most of the information he used was readily available online.

Smailović - whose likeness also appears on the novel's cover - compared Galloway's unauthorised portrayal to theft and believes he is entitled to a share of the author's profits. 'Friends force me to take legal action,' he told The Times. 'I expect damages for what they have done, an apology and compensation.'

Smailović was principal cellist at the Sarajevo Opera before the siege of Sarajevo and now lives in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland.

www.stevengalloway.com

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