Symphony for the City of the Dead
Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
Age 14+
Armed Forces People & Places, Battles, Music: General Interest History & The Past: General Interest Warfare
“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.
Creators
M. T. Anderson is the author of the award-winning Feed, as well as The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume I: The Pox Party, a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel The Kingdom on the Waves, which was also a New York Times bestseller. M. T. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Follow him on Twitter under the handle: @_MTAnderson.
