Yiyun Li with Jennifer Egan: Music Against the Night

Yiyun Li’s latest book is Music Against the Night. In Dublin, as the 18th century nears its end, a young virtuoso named John Field comes of age as his family nurtures visions of him becoming the next Mozart. His talent takes him to England, France, and Russia, where he becomes a famous pianist and composes dreamy, languorous melodies that enchant the night air. John calls them nocturnes, but the prodigy who immortalizes them is Chopin. Oceans away in French India, Adelaide Percheron has a startling rise of her own. Orphaned and raised by her grandmother, Adelaide is driven by her secret love of music and a desire to see the world. She engineers her exodus, escaping to Paris and later to Moscow, as Napoleon’s army sets out to conquer the continent. As John and Adelaide each try to chart a path between talent and genius, success and legacy, profit and passion, they must decide what, and even who, is worth sacrificing along the way.

Li talks with Jennifer Egan about depicting two aspiring musicians in pursuit of success and bringing to life the sweep and dimension of the Romantic era.