Symphony for the City of the Dead

Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad

By: M. T. Anderson

Narrated by: M. T. Anderson

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.

©2015 M. T. Anderson, original book published by Candlewick Press (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Critic reviews

YALSA Nonfiction finalist, 2016

Be a classical music fan. Raw info on WW2, no.

This is a semi biography on a legendary Soviet composer. It is interesting but not for someone who is looking for war specific information on Germany vs the Soviet Union during WW2.

Incredibly Moving

A nuanced and thought provoking look at Soviet politics in World War II, at the power of art in the hierarchy of human needs and at the heart of the Russian people. Read movingly by the author himself. Highly recommend.

This book blew me away

Would you listen to Symphony for the City of the Dead again? Why?

I'll have to wait a while until I listen to this again, just because it is so intense. I had to carry tissues while I listened because the tears kept coming, both from sorrow and joy. I usually avoid books read by the author, but MT Anderson did a fantastic job.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The people of Leningrad who inexplicably survived the siege really formed the backbone of the story. Anderson provided a balanced portrayal of the good, the bad and the ugly of ordinary people struggling through unimaginable horror.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The emotional denouement was the performance of the 7th symphony in a starving Leningrad still under siege. People who had been eating wallpaper paste for months found the grace to be moved by a piece of music.

Any additional comments?

This is the kind of book you force on people, begging them to read it just so you can discuss it with somebody. It's technically a young adult book, but I'm middle aged and never found it simplistic. I wish this book could replace To Kill a Mockingbird, which my kids read in high school a few years ago; the possibilities for meaningful discussion are amazing.

Great book, amazing story

Wow. An amazing, almost unbelievable story, beautifully told, about Shostakovich and his world. Highly recommend this book. 5 stars. 6 if I could.

A gruesome story beautifully written

This books help give you a glimpse of the Russian people. It intertwines the story of one man with an entire nation. Both gloomy and hopeful, the history of this city seems doomed to repeat itself and for its inhabitants to pay the price. This book speaks to the importance of honesty, humanity, and kindness in the face of great evil.

very compelling

I enjoyed the book. makes me want to go back in time and kill Stalin.

The endurance of music

For me, this book presented a new perspective on the historical events as Russia tried to exist as a Communist nation. I am a classical musician and have a strong interest in history. I had studied the era of the Bolshevik revolution and also knew about the role this symphony played during the siege of Leningrad, and this book describes these events well. What really caught my attention, however, was the narrative throughout about how the regime dictated over and over again what was the politically correct form for the arts, and the effect this had on writers, poets, artists, musicians, and composers. I would recommend that this book be included on the syllabus of any history or art history course to bring to students of both an appreciation of the role that all art forms have played since the beginning of everything we know as human beings. The narrator gets a bit excited here and there, but that's understandable.

Most excellent book I've read in a year

Would you listen to Symphony for the City of the Dead again? Why?

Symphony for the City of Dead takes its listeners back to Russia in the 1940s and lets them feel as if they're experiencing it for themselves.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the blend of history, humanism, and I enjoyed learning about music.

A entertaining education on Shostakovich .

A thoroughly entertaining education of Shostakovich and the devastation reigned on the Russian people by Lenin and Stallin.

The author is the performer.

His voice is very nice however he has a speech impediment that is very difficult to listen to.