Foto dell'autore
10 opere 114 membri 3 recensioni

Sull'Autore

Andy McSmith is Political Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.

Opere di Andy McSmith

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Non ci sono ancora dati nella Conoscenza comune per questo autore. Puoi aiutarci.

Utenti

Recensioni

The author covers poets, novelists, film directors and composers who suffered under Stalin: Pasternak, Babel, Ahkmatova (a favorite of mine, along with Pasternak), Eisenstein, Shostakovich, Prokofiev. While his writing does not match Orlando Figes (Natasha's Dance, Revolutionary Russia, A People's Tragedy), he is thorough. We read not only what happens to the artist, but to his/her persecutor -- often the same fate, the Gulag or the firing squad. Stalin respected genius, though dogma prevented him from always recognizing it. Consequently, Pasternak never got arrested. Nor Sholokov. Tragically, those party officials who had the depth to recognize artistic talent, and who had conscience enough to oppose Stalin and his policies, were fated for the bullet. McSmith renders their fates in a dozen and more brief details. Tsvetaeva's long-term exchange of letters with Pasternak gets a succinct but fine rendering. Catherine Ciepiela wrote a fine book on this correspondence, "The Same Solitude." McSmith devotes space to the danger Eisenstein experienced for being gay. Sadly, the same danger exists in Russia today, as Masha Gessen has documented in her book, How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia. One of the clerks at the medical clinical I have been blessed to attend is Russian. Whenever I mention the current book/s about Russia and the Soviet Union I am reading, she reveals an immediate familiarity with the poets and writers of her mother country. She is a living testimony to her generation of how Soviet citizens knew and loved their poets, novelists and composers. In spite of having fallen into disfavor, when one of Shostakovich's symphonies was performed, not only was the house sold out, but the audience stood to applaud for half an hour at its conclusion. This during Stalin! During one of the most evil regimes in history, great works of art came out of Russia from the pens and camera and ear of her artists. Andy McSmith has done a fine job of documenting the tragedy which befell these artists during an evil time. I add one critical addendum to my review. What I missed throughout this book was an author's voice, let alone the proverbial, "distinctive voice." I would have liked to have gotten a sense, now and then, of the author's own outrage and horror at the evil and tragedy he unfolds for me, the reader. I never got it.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
forestormes | 1 altra recensione | Dec 25, 2022 |
A relatively concise and fairly wide ranging guide to the 1980s. This sense is mainly on politics and personality, particularly the towering figure of Margaret Thatcher. Naturally a lot of the political discourse is centred around or involving her and her government. There are interesting smaller diversions, with chapters on the new romantics and international football, in particular the World Cup‘s. The marked social and economic changes that rocks Britain throughout these 10 years are documented in some detail, which at times can appear dry. This is not a social commentary in the form of the rock ‘n’ roll years TV series, but rather a more academic and considered opinion. This is interesting for those that live through the decade but probably won’t be used as a reference to that period.… (altro)
½
 
Segnalato
aadyer | Apr 29, 2021 |
A look at how many of (as the title notes) 20th century Russian masters of music, poetry, cinema and the like fared under the Stalinist regime from the late 1920s to 1953. If you've read "Arrested Voices," some of this material is already familiar, but in general, I found this to be a very fluid and engaging recounting of the (horrific) tales. One of my usual pet peeves is the relative paucity of illustrations; a lot of what's going on here cries out for illustration, and right next to the relevant text. Recommended.… (altro)
½
 
Segnalato
EricCostello | 1 altra recensione | Jan 11, 2021 |

Statistiche

Opere
10
Utenti
114
Popolarità
#171,985
Voto
½ 3.5
Recensioni
3
ISBN
13

Grafici & Tabelle