SYMPHONY FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD: DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH AND THE SIEGE OF LENINGRAD, MT ANDERSON

In September 1941, Adolf Hitler's forces surrounded Leningrad, beginning one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. More than a million inhabitants perished in slow agony during those two and a half years of bombing and famine. Survivors remembered streets strewn with frozen corpses. Desperate citizens burned books, furniture, and wooden floors for warmth. Hunger drove them to the extreme of eating pets and, eventually, each other to stay alive. Trapped between the invading Nazi force and the Soviet government, Dmitri Shostakovich composed a piece during the siege intended to encourage and commemorate his fellow citizens: his Symphony No. 7, Leningrad. The score was copied onto a microfilm that traveled across the Middle East and the deserts of Africa on a secret mission to reach the United States, where the symphony was transcribed and performed, playing a surprising role in strengthening the bonds of the Allies against the Axis powers.
This is the true story of a besieged city, of the triumph of courage and resilience in the face of terrible opposition. It is also a story about the power of music and its meanings, of secret messages and double entendres. About how music can encourage us to endure unimaginable tragedy. About how, when we cannot raise our voices, it allows us to continue expressing ourselves. Symphony for the City of the Dead is a masterpiece about a masterpiece, impeccably researched and narrated with a gripping pulse by National Book Award-winning author M.T. Anderson.

• Hardcover with dust jacket
  
• 480 pp. 16.5 x 24 cm.
• Cover by R. Kikuo Johnson