Julian
Barnes on the traces of one of Russia’s greatest composers: Shostakovich. In
1936, he waits for his arrest and possible execution. Twelve years later, the
country is ruled by another man, but life is not much easier for musicians and
yet he has to represent power on trips abroad. Another twelve years later, he
continues to arrange his life within the narrow borders of the political system
where he at the same time makes a career and is suppressed. Again the same time
leap and he only wishes to finally leave the earth.
The author
chose an interesting way of writing a kind of biography. Based on the available
facts – which seems to have been much harder than one might think – Barnes composed
a novel around major events in Shostakovich’s life and focuses on his feelings rather
than on real action. In this way, the strings that Shostakovich was attached to
become much more obvious and palpable and you can get a real idea of the time
in Russia and the later Soviet Union. Especially the fact that no matter who rules
and what this person’s opinion on music or composing, you were never free to
express what is inside you and misinterpretation – either on purpose or not –
was something you just had to accept.
This novel
again can convince me not because there is much action and an interesting plot,
but because Barnes manages to convey an atmosphere which slightly shifts but
always stays tense and this keeps you, too, vigilant.
