An intimate portrait of genius, love, and betrayal at the end of Gustav Mahler’s life. 

In the spring of 1910, Gustav Mahler—wrapped in a wool blanket—sits on the deck of the Amerika, sailing back to Europe. The ocean around him is gray and endless, the air sharp with wind and steel. Not yet fifty, Mahler is already a legend: in Vienna and New York, audiences fight for tickets to see the restless, small man who commands the most stubborn orchestra in the world. 

Yet his fame is shadowed by illness. His body is failing, his wife Alma has fallen in love with another man: the young architect Walter Gropius. Mahler has begged, humiliated himself, tried everything to keep her. Nothing worked, except the certainty of his approaching death. Alma has stayed, tending to him with care, perhaps to ease his final passage. 

On board, Mahler reflects on life, art, and above all, love. Finalist for the Deutscher Buchpreis and one of the most acclaimed German novels of recent years, Robert Seethaler’s The Last Movement is a haunting, tender portrait of a great artist confronting his farewell to life. 

TARGET READERSHIP
- For readers of biographical and historical novels about artists, composers, and cultural icons (such as Thomas Bernhard’s Old Masters or Colm Tóibín’s The Master).
- For fans of Robert Seethaler’s previous novels (The Café with No Name, A Whole Life, The Tobacconist), and contemporary European literary fiction.
- For classical music enthusiasts and those interested in Gustav Mahler, fin-de-siècle Vienna, and early 20th-century cultural history.
- For readers drawn to intimate, reflective novels about mortality, legacy, and the creative process.
- For book clubs and literary readers who appreciate short but profound works with philosophical and musical themes.

KEY SELLING POINTS
- A perfect introduction to Robert Seethaler for readers new to his novels.
- A luminous and poignant short novel by internationally acclaimed author Robert Seethaler, whose works (A Whole Life, The Tobacconist) have been translated into more than 30 languages.
- Offers a moving fictionalized portrait of Gustav Mahler in the final days of his life, weaving memories, regrets, and music into a meditation on mortality and artistic legacy.
- Richly atmospheric evocation of early 20th-century Vienna, New York, and the transatlantic world, filtered through Mahler’s inner voice.
- Continues Seethaler’s reputation for finely crafted, spare, and emotionally resonant prose.
Ideal crossover appeal: literary fiction with strong hooks for readers of historical fiction, biography, and music writing.
- Compact length and lyrical style make it accessible to general readers while offering depth for scholars and classical music aficionados.
- Strong potential for adoption by reading groups, universities, and cultural institutions (concert halls, opera houses, Mahler societies).