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Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson
cornmaven's review against another edition
5.0
Marvelous biography of Dmitri Shostakovich and the role he played to inspire the weak and starving residents of Leningrad during the WWII siege. This is written for a YA audience, and Anderson does not dummy it down, but adjusts the "academia" to suit that younger audience, while also appealing to interested adults.
As Shostakovich was born a little over a decade before the Russian Revolution, we get some history on that era, and how the communist state came to be. Then we make our way through the Stalin purges, tortures, gulags, executions, etc. I learned a lot about Stalin through this book, and he was even more horrid than I had thought.
The rise of Hitler and Stalin's failure to face reality left Leningrad on its own in the beginning of WWII. The siege and its effects are not sugar coated, which is good because it raises a question about how humans respond to severe circumstances. Some turned to animal behaviors, while others rose above it.
Shostakovich himself is an interesting figure, one that Anderson acknowledges is clothed in a lot of mystery as to what he really believed. He takes us through Shostakovich's various symphonies, including the Seventh, which was begun in Leningrad at the start of the siege and finished after he was evacuated. Microfilm copies take a long journey to the West so it can be performed in New York and London, and the U.S. copy almost doesn't make it.
There are so many stories in this story - of bravery and cowardice, of kindness and brutality, of hope and despair, of strength and weakness, of survivors and victims. Lots of questions to ask, including one for the reader: who would you have been had you experienced this?
I hope that music and history buffs alike will pick this one up. It is quite an achievement for Anderson, and worlds away from his other YA offerings, including Feed.
As Shostakovich was born a little over a decade before the Russian Revolution, we get some history on that era, and how the communist state came to be. Then we make our way through the Stalin purges, tortures, gulags, executions, etc. I learned a lot about Stalin through this book, and he was even more horrid than I had thought.
The rise of Hitler and Stalin's failure to face reality left Leningrad on its own in the beginning of WWII. The siege and its effects are not sugar coated, which is good because it raises a question about how humans respond to severe circumstances. Some turned to animal behaviors, while others rose above it.
Shostakovich himself is an interesting figure, one that Anderson acknowledges is clothed in a lot of mystery as to what he really believed. He takes us through Shostakovich's various symphonies, including the Seventh, which was begun in Leningrad at the start of the siege and finished after he was evacuated. Microfilm copies take a long journey to the West so it can be performed in New York and London, and the U.S. copy almost doesn't make it.
There are so many stories in this story - of bravery and cowardice, of kindness and brutality, of hope and despair, of strength and weakness, of survivors and victims. Lots of questions to ask, including one for the reader: who would you have been had you experienced this?
I hope that music and history buffs alike will pick this one up. It is quite an achievement for Anderson, and worlds away from his other YA offerings, including Feed.
erine's review against another edition
5.0
It's long. But the arrangement of photos interspersed throughout the book (as opposed to clustered all together) visually breaks up the narrative, and the path of the story allows for breaks and changes in tone and subject as appropriate. I certainly found enough here to hold my interest for the entire 379 pages.
Russian history in the 20th century fascinates me, not in the least because of its generous dose of horror. And as in most historical tragedies, the extremes of evil and good live side by side here, both in the life of Dmitri Shostakovich and in the society around him. Cannibalism, torture, and irrational dictatorship live side by side with sacrifice, compassion, and courage.
Anderson's treatment of source material is frank and interesting. He breaks into the story several times to discuss whether an anecdote is likely to be completely true, and doesn't shy away from telling the tale while acknowledging the problems with it. He also dives into how the stories we tell shape ourselves. Whether the story is told through music, propaganda, poetry, or another medium altogether, stories powerfully shape reality. This train of thought connects deeply with the world today as we witness and hear about so much terrorist tragedy in the world. Response to these events ranges from fear to hostility to compassion, just as people responded during the Siege of Leningrad or Stalin's Terror.
So much to digest, so much to discuss. The world is an amazing and terrible and wonderful place.
I just came across this keynote speech from M.T. Anderson. About halfway through he describes a bit of his process for writing this book, particularly the importance of truth (or the lack of it).
Russian history in the 20th century fascinates me, not in the least because of its generous dose of horror. And as in most historical tragedies, the extremes of evil and good live side by side here, both in the life of Dmitri Shostakovich and in the society around him. Cannibalism, torture, and irrational dictatorship live side by side with sacrifice, compassion, and courage.
Anderson's treatment of source material is frank and interesting. He breaks into the story several times to discuss whether an anecdote is likely to be completely true, and doesn't shy away from telling the tale while acknowledging the problems with it. He also dives into how the stories we tell shape ourselves. Whether the story is told through music, propaganda, poetry, or another medium altogether, stories powerfully shape reality. This train of thought connects deeply with the world today as we witness and hear about so much terrorist tragedy in the world. Response to these events ranges from fear to hostility to compassion, just as people responded during the Siege of Leningrad or Stalin's Terror.
So much to digest, so much to discuss. The world is an amazing and terrible and wonderful place.
I just came across this keynote speech from M.T. Anderson. About halfway through he describes a bit of his process for writing this book, particularly the importance of truth (or the lack of it).
bananabell's review against another edition
4.0
i must go to st petersburg this minute
i can't believe this is nonfiction
i can't believe this is nonfiction
cloudedleopard's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
nichebooks's review against another edition
5.0
First off, this was such an excellent and detailed exploration of Shostakovich's life around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution through the end of WWII (and a bit beyond). The discussion of tyranny and how it impacts people, how desperation affects humanity, how music affects a national consciousness, and what war does to a nation was so well-researched, thorough, and powerful.
I LOVE THAT THIS IS FOR TEEN READERS. The content was high-level but with plenty of context and some pauses to discuss why something was significant. It expected teens to dig in with a spade in each hand, but it also provided tools for understanding. This is a book that reminds us that history is interesting, important, and accessible.
Highly, highly, highly recommended to both teens and adults. I learned so much from this that my history classes skimmed over!
I LOVE THAT THIS IS FOR TEEN READERS. The content was high-level but with plenty of context and some pauses to discuss why something was significant. It expected teens to dig in with a spade in each hand, but it also provided tools for understanding. This is a book that reminds us that history is interesting, important, and accessible.
Highly, highly, highly recommended to both teens and adults. I learned so much from this that my history classes skimmed over!
ainsley's review
5.0
This book is AMAZING, though very bleak, and I just want to talk about all the things it made me feel.
cardiac_cat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
mywaitisu's review against another edition
5.0
Initially, I had picked up this book because I got into Shostakovich as a composer late 2023 & naturally, wanted to learn more about him. I expected a plain biography, but fell down into another rabbit hole; (shamefully) when thinking about WWII, I find that I rarely think about the civilians as all the events occur. Anderson is a powerful writer and perfectly conveys the brutality of Stalin's regime, the purges, and the siege itself. I absolutely loved the way Anderson brought life and feeling to Shostakovich's symphonies. Beyond knowing the context behind each symphony discussed, Anderson balanced history, music, and storytelling so well. I'm looking forward to reading his other books.