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M. T. Anderson
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Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad Kindle Edition

by M. T. Anderson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 515 ratings
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A 2016 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson delivers a brilliant and riveting account of the Siege of Leningrad and the role played by Russian composer Shostakovich and his Leningrad Symphony.

In September 1941, Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history—almost three years of bombardment and starvation that culminated in the harsh winter of 1943–1944. More than a million citizens perished. Survivors recall corpses littering the frozen streets, their relatives having neither the means nor the strength to bury them. Residents burned books, furniture, and floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and—eventually—one another to stay alive. Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who would write a symphony that roused, rallied, eulogized, and commemorated his fellow citizens—the Leningrad Symphony, which came to occupy a surprising place of prominence in the eventual Allied victory.

This is the true story of a city under siege: the triumph of bravery and defiance in the face of terrifying odds. It is also a look at the power—and layered meaning—of music in beleaguered lives. Symphony for the City of the Dead is a masterwork thrillingly told and impeccably researched by National Book Award–winning author M. T. Anderson.

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  1. Print length
    425 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Candlewick Press
  5. Publication date
    22 Sept. 2015
  6. Reading age
    14 - 17 years
  7. Grade level
    9 - 12
  8. File size
    44417 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Product description

Review

The storytelling is captivating, describing how Shostakovich began composing the symphony under relentless bombardment in Leningrad and later finished it in Moscow, its triumphant performance in Leningrad during the siege, and how it rallied worldwide sympathy for Russia's plight. Music is at the heart of the story. As Anderson writes in the prologue, "it is a story about the power of music and its meanings," and he communicates them with seeming effortlessness in this brilliantly written, impeccably researched tour de force. A triumphant story of bravery and defiance that will shock and inspire.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In a gripping narrative, helped along by ample photos and shockingly accurate historical details, Anderson offers readers a captivating account of a genius composer and the brutally stormy period in which he lived. Though easily accessible to teens, this fascinating, eye- opening, and arresting book will be just as appealing for adults.
--Booklist (starred review)

This ambitious and gripping work is narrative nonfiction at its best...The book has all the intrigue of a spy thriller, recounts the horrors of living during the three year siege, and delineates the physical oppression and daunting foes within and outside of the city. This is also the story of survival against almost impossible odds. Through it all, Anderson weaves the thread of the composer's music and the role it played in this larger-than-life drama. A must-have title with broad crossover appeal
--School Library Journal (starred review)

Anderson brings his narrative A-game to this dense work of nonfiction, blending the complex strands of the story into a satisfying whole. Embellished with scores of photographs and peppered with the author's own commentary on the symphony, the text and supporting materials supply historical background for music enthusiasts and musical interpretation for history buffs. Source notes, index, and bibliography will aid report writers, but the most appreciative audience is likely to be engaged readers who settle into the tragic yet uplifting story of a suffering nation and its musical documentarian.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

A fascinating...examination of an important musical figure living in a time of extraordinary political and social turmoil.
--Publishers Weekly

It culminates in a rich and moving understanding of the intersection of culture and history, and of the power of the arts to save a nation.
--Shelf Awareness

Symphony for the City of the Dead is an intense historical account that is highly recommended reading for anyone studying World War II or readers with an interest in history or music.
--VOYA

M.T. Anderson presents a thrilling history of music and the terrible events of World War II. Extensively researched and passionately told, Symphony for the City of the Dead exposes the strengths and weaknesses of humanity through an engrossing tale of war, art and undying creativity.
--BookPage

An ambitious work of nonfiction ... sweeping and emotionally charged.
--The Horn Book

...a sweeping work of narrative nonfiction for adolescent readers.
--The Wall Street Journal

A must-have for high-school classrooms and libraries. It's the work of an author who has never jumped onto any trend-wagon, but has instead followed his own keen intelligence toward a big, essential story.
--New York Journal of Books

[Anderson's] not just parading the events of Shostakovich's life before the reader; he's by the reader's side, helping them to make sense of what they see...It's been a while since a book about Shostakovich impressed me this much. Symphony for the City of the Dead is worth reading whatever your age.
--DSCH Journal

Fans of M.T. Anderson's National Book Award-winning YA novel, "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume 1" and acclaimed dystopian novel "Feed," will not be surprised at the brilliance of the writing and the meticulous research on display in this marvelous, compulsively readable biography of composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the great city that inspired his Seventh Symphony.
--The Buffalo News

About the Author

Author of the acclaimed young adult novels Feed, Thirsty and Burger Wuss.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015754S6O
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick Press; Illustrated edition (22 Sept. 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 44417 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 425 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 515 ratings

About the author

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M. T. Anderson

M. T. Anderson

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M. T. Anderson is the author of Feed, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, as well as The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume I: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award and a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel, The Kingdom on the Waves, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Both volumes were also named Michael L. Printz Honor Books. M. T. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
515 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Kernicterus
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2020
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As a massive Shostakovich fan I thought this would be an interesting insight into his life around Symphony 7, which is one of my favourites, and the issues involving the siege of Leningrad.

Having taken a fascination with his life since I first performed Symphony 5 back in the 90’s (tympani), I have come to realise that he was so private and introvert that his real meanings for many of his works are subject to much interpretation, especially during the Stalin reign when public thought was frowned upon. This book surprised me by accepting and describing these dichotomies of emotion and opinion, but still making a book that reads very well.

The first 150 pages ‘sets the scene’, starting from his early years and I was initially disappointed that this part was excessively long, however, the next 200 pages that describe the war and the siege use the historical information to really involve the reader in the difficulties and struggles with his family, his music, his beliefs and his life. It creates a picture of life in Soviet Russia that isn’t in any way confirmed by the author, but makes the reader create their own vision and conclusion to how and why Shostakovich composed what he did.

If historical ‘fact’ is not your thing but music is, this book may be ok.

I would also recommend “The Noise of Time” by Julian Barnes, a brilliant ‘fictional’ book about his life and music.
6 people found this helpful
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Von Clausewicz
5.0 out of 5 stars The background to Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony 'The Leningrad'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2018
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An excellent account in dramatised form of the history of Shostakovich's Seventh up to and including its premiere (not its first performance, that had already happened) in Leningrad itself, at the height of the siege. A fine reconstruction of Shostakovich's life in the 1930s, during which time he had many ups and downs before the ar began and he repurposed a piece of music he was writing as the beginning of a choral symphony like Stravinsky's into the first movement of his Seventh symphony. Te author is normally associated with very good children's fiction, and it shows. There is no harm in that here.
The history of the Leningrad siege was suppressed by the Soviets and has not really been exposed until after the fall of the Soviet Union. However the premiere in Leningrad itself was widely publicised. Les publicised was the colossal struggle for a starving city to manage to complete such an extended effort. The symphony is 75 minutes long and calls for a 100+ orchestra. But they managed with a scratch orchestra (mostly military), instruments from goodness-knows where (you can't eat violins but you could trade them for food), and sheer determination.
3 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2022
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A fascinating investigation into the composer’s mind and work, especially through the astonishing WWII period, and his relationship with Leningrad.
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Tnwilk72
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant philosophical thriller of a book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2018
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This book is brilliantly written. It has the pace of a thriller while getting into some very deep issues. With regard to Shostakovich the author captures the tension in his life and work between his need to create and his need to survive, especially after Stalin walked out of a performance of “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”. With regard to the siege, the author examines what happens when civilisation collapses in a thought provoking manner. Both optimists and pessimists about human nature will find material in this book to back their beliefs. Either way it says a lot about human nature that even in the midst of such tragedy that art can triumph.
2 people found this helpful
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Richard Sanderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 May 2020
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Can't think of a better, easy to read and informative guide to the life of Shostakovich and the horrors of the Leningrad siege. Written with a disarming clarity, this could be enjoyed even if you only have a fleeting familiarity with the music of Shostakovich. First class.
2 people found this helpful
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Brian T
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2019
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Great book at a good price
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William
5.0 out of 5 stars Survival against all odds
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2020
Not an easy read as it is ln part a biography of the soviet composer Soltanovich; a history of the events that overtook Russia over his lifetime; and the siege of Leningrad; and even a section that reads like a research report into his character from the point of view of friends and acquaintances, However; it does provide an insight to the events that gave rise to his music. St Petersburg was the capital of Russia before it was renamed Leningrad and the Capital moved to Moscow. As the former capital of Russia, it was a city of the Arts, intellectuals and way out freethinkers; at odds with the Soviet view of a society of docile citizens whose thoughts and actions were as directed; like puppets on a string. The solution was the start of Stalin’s reign of terror when innocent people were arrested and tortured to implement others so that no one knew who would be next. So as Soltanovich’s friends and colleagues were bring executed one by one; he was in fear of his life and his family and kept a low profile to only giving vent to his feelings in his music. How he and the people of Leningrad also survived Hitlers siege and how Russia then overcame the German invaders makes up the rest of the story.
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Top reviews from other countries

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tanarx_123
4.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo libro, ma le pagine si staccano! Great book, but the pages come off
Reviewed in Italy on 3 August 2021
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Il libro in sé è molto bello e consigliatissimo, peccato che l'impaginazione del volume lasci molto a desiderare: le pagine si staccavano mentre lo leggevo, e alcune erano piegate e incollate alla rilegatura, e ho dovuto tagliarle per riuscire a leggerle. Peccato!
The book itself is great and I would absolutely recommend it - but the pages are so poorly glued to the spine that they were coming off as I read them. Some pages were folded in half and glued to the others, so I had to cut them to read them.
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tanarx_123
4.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo libro, ma le pagine si staccano! Great book, but the pages come off
Reviewed in Italy on 3 August 2021
Il libro in sé è molto bello e consigliatissimo, peccato che l'impaginazione del volume lasci molto a desiderare: le pagine si staccavano mentre lo leggevo, e alcune erano piegate e incollate alla rilegatura, e ho dovuto tagliarle per riuscire a leggerle. Peccato!
The book itself is great and I would absolutely recommend it - but the pages are so poorly glued to the spine that they were coming off as I read them. Some pages were folded in half and glued to the others, so I had to cut them to read them.
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One person found this helpful
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Miguel
5.0 out of 5 stars Impactante
Reviewed in Spain on 1 August 2021
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La cubierta es de por sí una preciosidad pero además el papel es de buena calidad, las fotos son excepcionales y la narración sobre la vida y música de Shostakóvich no puede ser más emocionante. Una maravilla.
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Leonne2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Erschütternd und wahr!
Reviewed in Germany on 11 February 2021
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Spannend geschrieben, erschütternd und wahr ist diese Offenbarung über Schostakovich und sein grösstes Stück,
aber auch über das was der Krieg Menschen antut, und welche Stärken aus der absoluten Katastrophe erwachsen können, Hervorragend. Empfehlenswert.
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marsha l. reid
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and moving
Reviewed in Canada on 5 October 2018
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Its a powerful and moving history of Shostakovich and the unspeakable hardships that the Russian people and lived through, from the WWI, the Russian Revolution, Stalinist purges and the horror of the siege of Leningrad in WWII. Its also speaks to the power of music to capture and express emotions, to inspire, to mourn, to hope.
Highly recommend for music lovers and/or Russian history buffs.
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podcastmark
5.0 out of 5 stars Much more interesting than I anticipated
Reviewed in the United States on 8 November 2015
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I was not really familiar with the works of Shostakovich, but having been to Saint Petersburg several times and speaking with people about the siege of Leningrad, I thought the book would provide an interesting read. It more than delivered on this and I found it hard to put down. The photographs contained in this book are truly fantastic and not just a bunch of blurry indistinguishable ones. The story was both fascinating and moving, while at the same time giving me a new level of respect and appreciation for the residents of Leningrad, while showing how despicable the communist leaders truly were.
It was also eye opening to learn about how this seventh symphony was played all over the world and universally understood. Even the Nazi soldiers (some of them) when they heard this symphony being played on loud speakers throughout the city understood that they would never be able to win this city, while also understanding that rather than the subhuman Slavs that they had been told lived there by Hitler that only the strongest and most human of humans could produce such music after such a prolonged siege and period of starvation.
I had a SPB resident tell me this past summer about her father as a child and his evacuation from Leningrad during the siege. She spoke to me about the dangerous trip across the lake in the middle of winter. To then read about this "Road of Life" within the book in great detail, brought the earlier story I heard into much sharper detail.
It was a good book that I hated to see end, although it is not a short one. After reading this book I bought the symphony to listen to and found the whole experience very enlightening after understanding the circumstances that surrounded its birth.
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