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Mendelssohn Is on the Roof is a novel by Jiří Weil written in 1959 and first translated into English by Marie Winn in 1991. The book took 15 years to write. It is an exploration of the many forms of corruption in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia and embeds historical events, such as the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague in 1942, among fictional stories concerning the Holocaust, Nazi careerism and the rise of Nazism.

It is set in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. The book starts with a story about some municipal workmen who are tasked to remove a statue of the Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn from the roof of the Prague Academy of Music. The book continues with a collection of interlinked stories about Jewish life in Czechoslovakia during the war, including a tale similar to Anne Frank's. The stories of most of the characters end unhappily, with the exception of Richard Reisinger (effectively the protagonist) whose fate we do not explicitly or implicitly learn.

The English translation of the novel was originally published in 1992 by HarperCollins in the U.K. and Penguin Books in the U.S. It was reprinted in 2011 by Daunt Books with a foreword by Philip Roth which was originally written for and accompanies the translation of Weil's novel Life with a Star.

References

MICHIKO KAKUTANI. "Books of The Times; Life in Prague Under Nazi Rule". archive.nytimes.com.
"Mendelssohn is on the Roof". Daunt Books Publishing. Daunt Books. Retrieved 24 May 2021.

Felix Mendelssohn

Vocal

Stage	A Midsummer Night's Dream "Wedding March" Antigone Oedipus at Colonus Die beiden Neffen Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde Die Hochzeit des Camacho
Sacred	Oratorio: St. Paul / Paulus Elijah / Elias Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen Wer bis an das Ende beharrt Christus Other: "Psalm 42" Vom Himmel hoch (chorale cantata) Drei Motetten Lobgesang (Symphony No. 2) Verleih uns Frieden "Hear my prayer" Lord, have mercy upon us Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (Psalm 100) Mitten wir im Leben sind
Other	Die erste Walpurgisnacht "On Wings of Song" Festgesang Festgesang an die Künstler

Orchestral

Symphony	13 String Symphonies No. 1 No. 2 (symphony-cantata Lobgesang) No. 3 (Scottish) No. 4 (Italian) No. 5 (Reformation)
Concerto	Violin and Strings Violin Piano, Violin and Strings Piano: No. 1 – No. 2 Two Pianos: in E major – in A♭ major
Other	Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage The Hebrides Die schöne Melusine

Chamber

String quartet	String Quartet in E♭ major No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 Four pieces for string quartet
Other	Violin Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3 Viola Sonata Cello Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2 Assai tranquillo for cello and piano Clarinet Sonata Piano Trio: in C minor – No. 1 – No. 2 Piano Quartet: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3 String Quintet: No. 1 – No. 2 Piano Sextet String Octet

Solo

Piano: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs Without Words) – Variations sérieuses – Fantasie, Op. 28 – Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35
Organ: Six Organ Sonatas

People

Daniel Itzig (mother's side great-grandfather)
Moses (father's side grandfather)
Bella Salomon (mother’s side grandmother}
Sara Levy (née Itzig) (mother’s side great aunt)
Abraham (father)
Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy (mother)
Fanny and Rebecka (sisters)
Paul (son)

Other

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