Andy McSmith

Fear And The Muse Kept Watch: The Russian Masters - from Akhmatova and Pasternak to Shostakovich and Eisenstein - Under Stalin Andy McSmith

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Can great art be produced in a police state? Josif Stalin ran one of the most oppressive regimes in world history. Nevertheless, Stalinist Russia produced an outpouring of artistic works of immense power--from the poems of Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam to the opera Peter and the Wolf, the film Alexander Nevsky, and the novels The Master and Margarita and Doctor Zhivago. More than a dozen great artists were visible enough for Stalin to take an interest in them--which meant he chose whether they were to live in luxury and be publicly honored or to be sent to the Lubyanka for torture and execution. Journalist and novelist Andy McSmith brings together the stories of these artists--including Isaac Babel, Boris Pasternak, Dmitri Shostakovich, and many others--revealing how they pursued their art often at great personal risk. It was a world in which the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, whose bright yellow tunic was considered a threat to public order under the tsars, struggled to make the communist authorities see the value of avant garde art; Babel publicly thanked the regime for allowing him the privilege of not writing;and Shostakovich's career veered wildly between public disgrace and wealth and acclaim. An extraordinary work of historical recovery, Fear and the Muse Kept Watch is also a bold exploration of the triumph of art during terrible times--; Provided by publisher. Review Quotes: The author has a deep affinity for these artists, and his portrayal of their struggles makes our appreciation of them even stronger. Lovers of Russian literature and music will find this valuable, and history buffs will get a fearsome picture of life under Stalin. "Kirkus Reviews""Review Quotes:"The author has a deep affinity for these artists, and his portrayal of their struggles makes our appreciation of them even stronger. Lovers of Russian literature and music will find this valuable, and history buffs will get a fearsome picture of life under Stalin."--"Kirkus Reviews"Publisher Marketing: Can great art be produced in a police state? Josif Stalin ran one of the most oppressive regimes in world history. Nevertheless, Stalinist Russia produced an outpouring of artistic works of immense powerfrom the poems of Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam to the opera "Peter and the Wolf," the film "Alexander Nevsky," and the novels "The Master and Margarita" and "Doctor Zhivago." More than a dozen great artists were visible enough for Stalin to take an interest in themwhich meant he chose whether they were to live in luxury and be publicly honored or to be sent to the Lubyanka for torture and execution. Journalist and novelist Andy McSmith brings together the stories of these artists including Isaac Babel, Boris Pasternak, Dmitri Shostakovich, and many others revealing how they pursued their art often at great personal risk. It was a world in which the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, whose bright yellow tunic was considered a threat to public order under the tsars, struggled to make the communist authorities see the value of avant garde art; Babel publicly thanked the regime for allowing him the privilege of not writing; and Shostakovich s career veered wildly between public disgrace and wealth and acclaim. An extraordinary work of historical recovery, "Fear and the Muse Kept Watch" is also a bold exploration of the triumph of art during terrible times." Review Citations:

Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2015 (EAN 9781595580566, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 05/18/2015 (EAN 9781595580566, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  McSmith, Andy Andy McSmith is Political Editor of the Independent on Sunday. His previous books include John Smith: Playing the Long Game, Kenneth Clarke: A Political Biography and Faces of Labour.