The novel by renowned Croatian writer Miljenko Jergović (b. 1966) sheds light on life and the state of society in Yugoslavia between the two world wars. The main character of the novel is based on the child prodigy actress Lea Deutsch, who lived in Zagreb and became a victim of the Holocaust at the age of 15. She was deported to a concentration camp, where she perished. However, her short life was, in every sense, the life of a theatrical star.

Jergović's novel about the tragic fate of Rufe Tannenbaum sparked controversy. The fate of Croatian Jews during World War II remains a sensitive topic for both Jews and Croats.

Miljenko Jergović was born and raised in Sarajevo, where he lived through the first year of the Bosnian War (1992) when the city was under siege. In 1993, Jergović moved to Zagreb.

For the novel "Rufe Tannenbaum," the author was awarded the Meša Selimović Literary Prize (2007). In addition, he has received numerous awards and prizes for his other novels and short story collections.

The book was published with financial support from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.