Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories Allusions & Cultural References

When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.

Shout-Outs - "The Ballad of the Sad Café"

Place References

  • Cheehaw refers to what is now Albany, GA

Shout-Outs - "Wunderkind"

Music, Composer and Musician References

  • "Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon" Wunderkind.5
  • Beethoven, Ludwig van Wunderkind.24, 77
  • Beethoven Concerto (unspecified) Wunderkind.24
  • Bach, Johanna Sebastian Wunderkind.29, 54
  • Debussy, Claude Wunderkind.29
  • Prokofieff, Sergei Wunderkind.29
  • Brahms, Johannes Wunderkind.29
  • Second Hungarian Rhapsody (Liszt) Wunderkind.34
  • Bach Inventions Wunderkind.36, 53
  • Schumann, Robert Wunderkind.36
  • Mozart Sonatas Wunderkind.40
  • Bloch, Ernest Wunderkind.40, 45
  • Powell, John Wunderkind.46
  • The Sonate Virginianesque (Powell) Wunderkind.46
  • Fantasia and Fugue (Bach) Wunderkind.54
  • Hess, Myra (British pianist) Wunderkind.68
  • Menuhin, Yehudi (American violinist) Wunderkind.68
  • Schnabel, Artur Wunderkind.72
  • Huberman, Bronislaw Wunderkind.72
  • The Variation Sonata, Opus 26 (Beethoven) Wunderkind.75
  • Harmonious Blacksmith (Handel) Wunderkind.95

Place References

  • Carnegie Hall Wunderkind.72
  • The Russian Tea Room Wunderkind.72

Art References

  • Age of Innocence (likely referring to the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, circa 1785) Wunderkind.30

Shout-Outs - "The Jockey"

Place References

  • Miami (FL) Jockey.10
  • Saratoga (NY, site of famous racetracks) Jockey.18
  • Hollywood (CA) Jockey.20
  • Wall Street (NYC) Jockey.20

Shout-Outs - "Madame Zilensky and the King of Finland"

Music References

  • Buxtehude, Dietrich Madame.2
  • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Madame.3
  • Scarlatti, Domenico Madame.14
  • Bach, Johannes Sebastian Madame.14

Shout-Outs - "The Sojourner"

Place References

  • Johns Hopkins (famous hospital in Baltimore, MD) Sojourner.42
  • Tuileries, The (gardens in Paris) Sojourner.74, Sojourner.87, Sojourner.92
  • Scribe Hotel (Paris hotel built in the 19th century) Sojourner.75
  • Place de la Concorde Sojourner.82

Music References

  • Bach, Johannes Sebastian Sojourner.62

Misc. References

  • crepe de chine (silk fabric) Sojourner.29
  • Guignol (any French puppet theatre) Sojourner.93

Shout-Outs - "A Domestic Dilemma"

Place References

  • George Washington Bridge (spans the Hudson River, from NY to NJ) Domestic.1
  • 9-W Highway (NY/NJ route) Domestic.1
  • Hudson River (runs north-to-south in NY) Domestic.2
  • Paris City (AL) Domestic.36

Shout-Outs - "A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud"

Place References

  • Tulsa (OK) Tree.49
  • Mobile (AL) Tree.49
  • Atlanta (GA) Tree.49
  • Chicago (IL) Tree.49
  • Cheehaw (refers to what is now Albany, GA) Tree.49
  • Portland (OR) Tree.69, Tree.81
  • San Diego (CA) Tree.81

Literary References

  • Romeo (slang, referring to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet) Tree.65