Read & Discuss
#1
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Symphony for the City of the Dead:
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Summary
Within Symphony for the City of the Dead, M.T. Anderson tells the story of the life of a talented composer amidst one of the most difficult and trying times in Russian history. With a compelling narrative and vivid descriptions, Anderson details the grim realities of Russian life from the fall of the Romanov dynasty through emergence of Communism through the conclusion of the siege of Leningrad in 1944. For a more complete summary, click here.
Symphony for the City of the Dead has received much critical acclaim since its publication last year, including the following awards:
Anderson weaves together the fabric of Russia history with Dmitri Shostakovich's life and music to create a compelling story. From his early childhood to adulthood, through the highs and lows of his career as a composer, music remained an instrumental part of Shostakovich's life. For example, the death of his father proved especially hard. His profound grief played out through his music.
Anderson stated that:
Symphony for the City of the Dead has received much critical acclaim since its publication last year, including the following awards:
- 2016 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
- 2015 National Book Award Longlist, Young People’s Literature
Anderson weaves together the fabric of Russia history with Dmitri Shostakovich's life and music to create a compelling story. From his early childhood to adulthood, through the highs and lows of his career as a composer, music remained an instrumental part of Shostakovich's life. For example, the death of his father proved especially hard. His profound grief played out through his music.
Anderson stated that:
Shostakovich left us a document of his mourning: his "Suite for Two Pianos." It is a set of pieces to be played by him and his sister Maria. Together, they rehearse their sadness. It opens with a dark, relentless tolling of bells, a grief that will not cease. It is as if brother and sister, by playing this piece, find a way to summon the sadness itself to be with them in the family parlor, staring at them, silent and aghast. (45)
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A defining moment in Shostakovich's life took place on May 12, 1926, a date he regarded as his "second birth" (Anderson, 54). At the young age of nineteen years old, Dmitri's 1st symphony was played by the Leningrad Philharmonic. Even though Shostakovich achieved international fame early on, his career (and life) as a Russian composer would not always be so easy. With the death of Lenin came the emergence of Stalin. No one was safe. No one was out of Stalin's reach, not even Dmitri Shostakovich. According to a Kirkus review, |
"Anderson vividly chronicles the desperate lengths residents went to, including acts of cannibalism, to survive the Wehrmacht’s siege, a 3-year-long nightmare that left more than 1 million citizens dead. The richly layered narrative offers a keen-eyed portrait of life in the paranoid, ruthlessly vengeful Stalinist Soviet Union, its citizens living under a regime so capriciously evil that one could be heralded a hero of the motherland one day and condemned as a traitor the next."
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The Power of Music
Personally, I was particularly struck with Anderson's connection between Shostakovich's musical compositions and these deeply troubling times. According to Anderson, "it is worth pausing for a moment and asking how music speaks ideas" (107). The following statement was made by Shostakovich himself.
Meaning in music, that must sound very strange for most people. Particularly in the West. It's here in Russia that the question is usually posed: What was the composer trying to say, after all, with this musical work? What was he trying to make clear? The questions are naive, of course, but despite their naivete and crudity, they definitely merit being asked. And I would add to them, for instance: Can music attack evil? Can it make man stop and think? Can it cry out and thereby draw man's attention to various vile acts to which he has grown accustomed? (Anderson, 107)
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Connecting Symphony for the City of the Dead with Readers
It is important to consider the following question...How might one connect this book to traditionally fiction readers or reluctant readers?
As narrative nonfiction, Symphony for the City of the Dead would mostly likely appeal to readers who are fans of historical fiction. The writing style and structure of Anderson's book shares many similarities with fiction. It is indeed the narrative that drives the story.
Young readers who particularly enjoyed some of the titles on the following lists may want to give Symphony for the City of the Dead a chance.
As narrative nonfiction, Symphony for the City of the Dead would mostly likely appeal to readers who are fans of historical fiction. The writing style and structure of Anderson's book shares many similarities with fiction. It is indeed the narrative that drives the story.
Young readers who particularly enjoyed some of the titles on the following lists may want to give Symphony for the City of the Dead a chance.
Symphony for the City of the Dead in the Classroom
Narrative nonfiction can be great resources and tools for educators in classroom settings. Informational or explanatory nonfiction (i.e. textbooks) is often dry or boring. Encouraging young readers to explore narrative nonfiction by incorporating titles such as Symphony for the City of the Dead into classroom curriculum may prove to be extremely rewarding. The more interesting and engaging a text is for students, the more they will learn and take away from it.
Let's look at M.T. Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead. How could educators use this book in class? Intended for readers grades 9-12, Symphony for the City of the Dead could be used as supplemental reading material in history classes that focus on the following subjects:
According to Gabler, "Anderson's impressive achievement in Symphony for the City of the Dead is to make this book more than just a historical study: it's an investigation of the relationship between artists and their times."
Candlewick Press even provides educators with a Teachers' Guide. Prepared by a former school librarian, this guide features a synopsis, common core connections, discussion questions, and activities for teachers to incorporate into their classroom curriculum.
Symphony for the City of the Dead features an abundance of visual elements and reader tools for readers and educators. The book has nearly 80 pages of reader tools, including:
Within a review in Horn Book Magazine, Adams discusses M.T. Anderson's impeccably thorough research highlighted by the inclusion of such an exhaustive list of reader tools.
Let's look at M.T. Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead. How could educators use this book in class? Intended for readers grades 9-12, Symphony for the City of the Dead could be used as supplemental reading material in history classes that focus on the following subjects:
- World War II
- the Holocaust
- Communism
- Soviet Union
- Russian history
According to Gabler, "Anderson's impressive achievement in Symphony for the City of the Dead is to make this book more than just a historical study: it's an investigation of the relationship between artists and their times."
Candlewick Press even provides educators with a Teachers' Guide. Prepared by a former school librarian, this guide features a synopsis, common core connections, discussion questions, and activities for teachers to incorporate into their classroom curriculum.
Symphony for the City of the Dead features an abundance of visual elements and reader tools for readers and educators. The book has nearly 80 pages of reader tools, including:
- Author's Note
- Source Notes
- Bibliography
- Photography & Image Credits
- Index
Within a review in Horn Book Magazine, Adams discusses M.T. Anderson's impeccably thorough research highlighted by the inclusion of such an exhaustive list of reader tools.
An extensive selection of black-and-white photographs helps define the wide range of subjects and settings; meticulous scholarship is evident in the detailed source notes, bibliography, and the author’s note addressing the credibility of research material. (Adams, 124)
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An Interview with M.T. Anderson
Part 1 |
Part 2 |
Works Cited
- Adams, Lauren. "Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad." Horn Book Magazine 91.5 (2015): 123-124. Library & Information Science Source. Web.
- Anderson, M. T. Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. Somerville: Candlewick, 2015. Print.
- Gabler, Jay. "'Symphony for the City of the Dead': M.T. Anderson Tells the Story of Shostakovich for Young Readers." Classical MPR. 18 Sept. 2015. Web.
- "Symphony for the City of the Dead - Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege Of Leningrad." Kirkus Reviews 83.13 (2015): 82-83. Library & Information Science Source. Web.