Jean Eshnoz is one of the largest modern French novelists, each of whose books becomes a striking literary event. In 1999, his work was awarded the Goncourt Prize. The novel “At the Piano,” published in 2003, received recognition from readers and high praise from critics. The main character of the novel, a talented pianist, devoted himself entirely to music and became famous. One day he realizes that he has become a slave to his own success, but is no longer able to change anything. Soon he tragically dies. After death, a new, strange life begins for him. The afterlife in J. Eshnoz's novel is not at all similar to the ancient mythical Hades, nor to Dante's heaven and hell. An unenviable fate awaits the hero: from now on, while continuing to exist, he can no longer remain who he was before and love those whom he once loved.