In 1936, Stalin left during a performance of composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
As a result, Shostakovich was condemned as an “enemy of the people” and hauled before the KGB. Julian Barnes’ latest novel, The Noise of Time, is a fictionalised biography of the Soviet composer. Barnes is interested in Shostakovich’s compromises with the authorities, and in the conflict between artistic integrity and survival. Barnes concentrates on three key moments — 1936, 1948 when Stalin decides to send the composer on a propaganda tour of America, and 1960, when Shostakovich is required to become a party member. Shostakovich’s compromises tainted him in many eyes, but the novel asks us to consider what happens to the self when confronted by an invincible power. If you’ve enjoyed Barnes’ previous works, you’ll love this.

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