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Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad Paperback – Illustrated, February 7, 2017

by M. T. Anderson (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 565 ratings
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“This ambitious and gripping work is narrative nonfiction at its best. . . . The book has all the intrigue of a spy thriller. . . . A must-have title with broad crossover appeal.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

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. Trapped between the Nazi invading force and the Soviet government itself was composer Dmitri Shostakovich, writing a symphony to rouse, rally, eulogize, and commemorate his fellow citizens: the Leningrad Symphony. 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.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Candlewick
  4. Publication date
    February 7, 2017
  5. Grade level
    9 - 12
  6. Reading age
    14 - 17 years
  7. Dimensions
    6.1 x 1.12 x 9 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    9780763691004
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0763691004
  10. Lexile measure
    990L
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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

 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0763691003
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Reprint edition (February 7, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780763691004
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763691004
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 990L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.34 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.12 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 565 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
4.6 out of 5
565 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

podcastmark
5.0 out of 5 stars Much more interesting than I anticipated
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 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.
33 people found this helpful
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Georgiapoet
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb narrative history for young adults and adults
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
Absolutely magnificent book! I am a fan of M.T. Anderson's always intelligent young adult literature, but he outdoes himself with his history of the Stalinist pre-WWII era, WWII Leningrad, and Shostokovich's writing of the Leningrad symphony. I have read many histories of WWII for adults, and I would consider Anderson to be an excellent introduction not only for young adults but for adults who are unfamiliar with the subject. The YA genre works to Anderson's advantage, as he blends Shostokovich's biography with the horrific stories of Stalinist purges and Nazi atrocities. He allows many Russians who lived through the period to speak for themselves, so we hear the history first-hand. His historical information is always clear and precise, and he is careful not to speculate. What I love about this book is that Anderson asks important, essential questions about what it means to be human and about the relationships between art and suffering and survival. He isn't afraid to tackle the big, existential issues that other academic, "adult" histories, don't. I listened to Shostokovich's symphony after completing the novel, and felt that I understood it. Anderson's novel helped me hear it. I can't recommend this history highly enough.
7 people found this helpful
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Twiggy
4.0 out of 5 stars Intersection of history and music. Bravo!
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017
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Although I have read many books that described Russian life before and during WWII, this book conveyed the experience of that life better than any or all of the others. By focusing on one family, but also bringing in others' stories (e,g., composers, poets, oridinary people on the street) I really felt like I was there. It was powerful. The author also explains the composer's work and how it was reflective of the politics and events in the war of that time period. In this regard, the book might appeal slightly more to readers who already know some of the music being descrbed, along with how and why a particular symphony was different from Shostakovich's other work, as an example.

Particularly significant to history lovers is the way this author evaluates the credibility of information in the book. Just because something is included in a previous author's article or full biography, or is a commonly held belief, does not make it true. Info must be cross-checked, and original documents and other strong evidence are the gold standard towards which this author apparently aspires whenever possible.

I liked the book very much, but would have liked it even more if I cared for the specific music Shostakovich produced. He isn't my favorite composer, but I like him more now that I've read this book,
4 people found this helpful
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Wayne Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
I heard a brief reference to this book on an Australian classical music station, and since I'm interested in history and Shostakovich, it was an natural purchase. It's very good - once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down, finishing it in less than a day.

There's actually very little I hadn't read before. However, the author has arranged the information in a very accessible manner. The illustrations and images are very good. I listened to the Leningrad Symphony several times whilst reading the book, and it certainly increased my already high appreciation of it.

The author makes a very valid point - the interpretation of the meaning of music is very subjective. Western orchestras, for example, play Shostakovich symphonies as a warning. Soviet era orchestras as a triumph. As shown in his later symphonies '1905' and '1917', both strongly programmatic, as was the Leningrad symphony.
8 people found this helpful
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Christopher Branstetter
5.0 out of 5 stars Ghastly, Horrifying, Eye-Opening, Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
I have loved Shostakovich's music for years, but I had no idea the nightmare life that he endured for many decades. I will certainly never listen to his fourth, fifth, and seventh symphonies the same way again!
I found this book very difficult to put down. Other negative reviewers found it clumsy and laborious in detail. But I rather think of the pacing to be like one of Shostakovich's longer symphonies--dense, complex, and often grotesque. But the narrative is just "lyrical" enough that it kept me fully engrossed. It has been a long time since I could not put a book down. This was one!
One person found this helpful
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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 August 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
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 August 3, 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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Miguel
5.0 out of 5 stars Impactante
Reviewed in Spain on August 1, 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 February 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
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 October 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
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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Kernicterus
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
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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