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St. Petersburg: A Cultural History
The city of St. Petersburg became the center of liberal opposition to the dominating power of the state, whether czarist or communist. Acclaimed Russian historian and emigre Volkov writes the definitive "cultural biography" of that famed city, sharply detailing the well-known figures of the arts whose works are now part of the permanent fabric of Western high culture. Photos.
624 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 1995
About the author
Solomon Volkov
20 books26 followersSolomon Moiseyevich Volkov (born 17 April 1944 in Uroteppa, Tadzhik SSR) is a Russian journalist and musicologist. He is best known for Testimony, which was published in 1979 following his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1976. He claimed that the book was the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich, as related to himself.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 1, 2017
The first time I went to St Petersburg, I found myself one night huddled against the low and dark wall of an attic, with about 30-4o other people, watching an actor, in full-on period costume read out loud and act out loud the scene from "Crime and Punishment" when Raskolnikov, agonizing and determined all at once, sets out to kill the old lady. At the end, he quietly walked out, down the stairs and out into the street, where the audience was directed to follow. He vanished around the corner. We all stood there, stunned. Should we have stopped him?
It was then that I pretty much decided Pete was the best city on the planet. For a reader or fan of any art, it's one of the most wonderful places to drown in culturally. Volkov's book is a thickly detailed history of that culture.
From the beginnings up to Gergiev assuming conductorship of the Kirov in the 90s, he digs deep, discussing all the various arts and their various schools and various individuals, their relation to the tsarist, then Soviet governments and basically introducing you to a lot of outstanding literature, poetry, painting, and music that you've probably never heard of. My favored period of literature is 20th century Russian literature and even I discovered authors I've never heard of.
More, Volkov paints a wide canvas of how the city itself was perceived by artists: Gogol and Dostoevsky's dark and forbidding and wonderful nightmare city; the crushed post-Revolution city; the martyr city under siege; the rebellious city...
The only part where the book falls flat is the sections on ballet, which are taken to ridiculous lengths, but I'm not a fan, so, there.
All around a wonderful history of art and a city.
It was then that I pretty much decided Pete was the best city on the planet. For a reader or fan of any art, it's one of the most wonderful places to drown in culturally. Volkov's book is a thickly detailed history of that culture.
From the beginnings up to Gergiev assuming conductorship of the Kirov in the 90s, he digs deep, discussing all the various arts and their various schools and various individuals, their relation to the tsarist, then Soviet governments and basically introducing you to a lot of outstanding literature, poetry, painting, and music that you've probably never heard of. My favored period of literature is 20th century Russian literature and even I discovered authors I've never heard of.
More, Volkov paints a wide canvas of how the city itself was perceived by artists: Gogol and Dostoevsky's dark and forbidding and wonderful nightmare city; the crushed post-Revolution city; the martyr city under siege; the rebellious city...
The only part where the book falls flat is the sections on ballet, which are taken to ridiculous lengths, but I'm not a fan, so, there.
All around a wonderful history of art and a city.
August 31, 2022
You can’t go wrong with a book by the musician and great Russian cultural historian, Volkov. And surely he has no better subject than his home city—and my favorite city in the world (though I know it only from a couple of visits, from literature, and books like this)—St. Petersburg.
Want to Read
June 9, 2024San Pietroburgo fu fondata nel 1703 dallo zar Pietro il Grande su un territorio di paludi infestate dalla malaria, alla foce della Neva. È sopravvissuta agli estremi tentativi dell'uomo e della natura di distruggerla: carestie, inondazioni, epidemie, guerra civile, purghe staliniane, novecento giorni di assedio nazista. Simbolo dei conflitti apocalittici della Russia imperiale, con la caduta degli zar divenne centro di sperimentazione d'avanguardia e ardita sfida allo statalismo. Stravinskij e Prokof'ev, Nabokov e Brodskij, Chagall e Mejerchol'd sono solo alcuni dei grandi protagonisti di una delle più belle città del mondo.
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January 2, 2022I usually love cultural histories, especially ones dealing with Russia. But this one will put you to sleep.
February 27, 2019
Getting into Russian literature and art can be daunting, mercifully this introduction limits the scope of the dive to Saint Petersburg. Of course that still leaves a mountain of names to sort through, but Volkov curates the material nicely by threading the names around city’s history.
As expected he covers the greatest hits including Dostoevsky, Gogol, Brodsky, Malevich and Shostakovich, but there are plenty of lesser known figures as well such as Konstantin Vaginov, Maria Yudina, Pavel Filonov, and Aleksandr Kushner. Finally, there is a whole slew of names I never heard of, and I was born and raised there.
I suspect the book may be somewhat disorienting if one is unfamiliar with Russian and particularly Soviet history. Russian art of 20th century is tightly bound and necessarily reflective of the horrors that the country had to go through. 60 million citizens killed by their own government and a regime that optimized for equality in slavery will and did permanently damage country’s demographics and cultural psyche.
In addition, Stalin always had a knife out for Leningrad, as the city was often perceived to be the seat of political rivalry. “The crime of the century” (1934 Kirov’s assassination) and Leningrad Affair are merely the most obvious examples. And Stalin’s sacrifice of the city’s population to the Nazis resulted in a 900-day blockade, where a third of city starved to death.
Given this extreme codependence of culture and history Volkov is forced to walk a fine line between covering history while ostensibly writing about culture, and vice versa. Sometimes the narrative gets away from him, but overall he holds the fort.
Luckily the book is not as Russian-centric as I make it sound. The constant reappearance of America and the West makes the arc of the story pretty relatable. You get to find out why Sartre wrote to the Chairman of Soviet Presidium Mikoyan, why “New Yorker” refused to publish a chapter of Nabokov’s “Speak, Memory”, and who was the pianist behind the opening scene of “Death of Stalin”.
You also get to collect a good number of cultural brownie points. For example, did you know that Tchaikovsky joined an anti-terrorist organization in 1881? And while you may be familiar with the infamous midnight chat between Anna Akhmatova and Isaiah Berlin in 1945, Volkov’s take on it is unique since he personally knew the poet.
In full disclosure I read the Russian edition, but I did glance over the English translation which looked perfectly reasonable, with exception of quoted poetry of course.
As expected he covers the greatest hits including Dostoevsky, Gogol, Brodsky, Malevich and Shostakovich, but there are plenty of lesser known figures as well such as Konstantin Vaginov, Maria Yudina, Pavel Filonov, and Aleksandr Kushner. Finally, there is a whole slew of names I never heard of, and I was born and raised there.
I suspect the book may be somewhat disorienting if one is unfamiliar with Russian and particularly Soviet history. Russian art of 20th century is tightly bound and necessarily reflective of the horrors that the country had to go through. 60 million citizens killed by their own government and a regime that optimized for equality in slavery will and did permanently damage country’s demographics and cultural psyche.
In addition, Stalin always had a knife out for Leningrad, as the city was often perceived to be the seat of political rivalry. “The crime of the century” (1934 Kirov’s assassination) and Leningrad Affair are merely the most obvious examples. And Stalin’s sacrifice of the city’s population to the Nazis resulted in a 900-day blockade, where a third of city starved to death.
Given this extreme codependence of culture and history Volkov is forced to walk a fine line between covering history while ostensibly writing about culture, and vice versa. Sometimes the narrative gets away from him, but overall he holds the fort.
Luckily the book is not as Russian-centric as I make it sound. The constant reappearance of America and the West makes the arc of the story pretty relatable. You get to find out why Sartre wrote to the Chairman of Soviet Presidium Mikoyan, why “New Yorker” refused to publish a chapter of Nabokov’s “Speak, Memory”, and who was the pianist behind the opening scene of “Death of Stalin”.
You also get to collect a good number of cultural brownie points. For example, did you know that Tchaikovsky joined an anti-terrorist organization in 1881? And while you may be familiar with the infamous midnight chat between Anna Akhmatova and Isaiah Berlin in 1945, Volkov’s take on it is unique since he personally knew the poet.
In full disclosure I read the Russian edition, but I did glance over the English translation which looked perfectly reasonable, with exception of quoted poetry of course.
Read
August 3, 2011So much that was great in applied art, in dance and ballet, in music composition, in art and art appreciation came from St. Petersburg (and I don't mean Florida...). The author is a native and knows his subject well. This is a city that will never let go of culture, no matter what it may cost it in other things, a trait worth emulating.
February 16, 2023
This is a splendid, wonderful and exceptional well written history of St. Petersburg's place in Russian history and culture and the way it has and influenced both. I can not pretend to have read all this history, particularly the chapters dealing with the early years of St. Petersburg. But of the later chapters I read with fascination and in particular the split in Russian and St. Petersburg culture brought about by the revolution and the emigration of so many creative people. Russia abroad and Russian at home remained separated by politics until the collapse of the Soviet Union. This book was written just as that division was ending and the remnants of the first emigration and later figures who fled or were exiled had begun to return. The book is fascinating on this period when the two different Russia's met and learnt about each other.
A splendid cultural history.
A splendid cultural history.
October 30, 2014
I went back and forth about giving the book 3 or 4 stars. Ideally, 3 and a half. The parts about people or genres which interested me were fascinating, but other parts seemed to drag on a bit long. Also, Volkov has a tendency to jump around in time and the chronology of events became somewhat confusing at times. For example, in one paragraph he might have Shostakovich writing a symphony in the '40s and in the following paragraph he is a young man ten to twenty years earlier.
Overall, interesting and offers an array of Russian writers, artists and musicians for the reader to check out. Also, very respectful and informative concerning Anna Akhmatova and anyone who gives the poet her due is worthy of an extra star.
Overall, interesting and offers an array of Russian writers, artists and musicians for the reader to check out. Also, very respectful and informative concerning Anna Akhmatova and anyone who gives the poet her due is worthy of an extra star.
August 1, 2015
I chose this book as part of the research for a historical novel. From the title and description, I expected to find a boring history of esoteric cultural concepts. Instead I found an incredibly well written history of the lives, motive, art, music, poetry and prose of all of modern St. Petersburg / Petrograd / Leningrad and finally back to St. Petersburg. ai learned so much history, and so much about the lives of these people. It's worth a read if you have any interest in Russian history, world history, and how artists of all types live, work, and deal with adversity.
April 24, 2020
see oli kõik nii huvitav!
Volkov jutustab Peterburi ajaloo päris algusest (linna asutamisest, õnneks see ei olnud nii kohutavalt ammu) kuni 1990ndate alguseni. raamat on esmailmunud 1995 ja hirmsasti tahaks nüüd järge viimase 25 aasta kohta ka, aga samas kuidagi kenasti saavad otsad kokku mu enda jaoks, sest just 1992. aastal käisin esimest korda Piiteris ja sealtmaalt kujutan vähemalt natuke ise ka ette. (siiski, loomulikult tekitas selle raamatu lugemine vastupandamatu soovi taas kord kohapeale minna ja asjad üle vaadata.)
aga kuigi siin muidugi on ajalooraamatule kohaselt juttu ka valitsejatest ja sõdadest ja poliitikast, siis seda lugu räägitakse meile läbi kultuuri, täpsemalt Peterburi päritolu ja seal tegutsenud kultuuritegelaste kaudu. Kirjanikud, kunstnikud, muusikud-heliloojad, näitlejad, tantsijad-koreograafid saavad kõik enamvähem ühepalju ruumi. mul lugedes kogu aeg Youtube huugas kõrval, sest oli ju vaja kuulata muusikat Glinkast Akvariumini, vaadata üle Balanchine'i vähemtuntud balletid ja jupiti Padaemandat... ja mis värk nende Stravinski ja Šostakovitšiga siis oli? (isiklik lemmikleid lisavaatamise kategooriast oli vist see, et esimest korda nägin neid polovetside tantse "Vürst Igorist", mida olen mitme koori koosseisus _laulma_ juhtunud, aga polnudki nagu mõelnud, et keegi võiks taustal tantsida ka.)
kultuurile lisaks saab siit ikkagi ajaloost ka palju teada. mulle said alles nüüd enamvähem selgeks Peterburi erinevate nimevahetuste asjaolud. ja üllatusena tuli, kuidas seda linna tegelikult eriti keegi ei sallinud - ei Lenin, ei Stalin. kuidas keegi ei tea, kui palju inimesi blokaadi ajal tegelikult hukkus, sest mitte kellegi huvides ei olnud seda avalikustada. kuidas see revolutsioonijärgne elu seal oli. ja nii edasi.
ainus, mida sellele raamatule ette heita, on veider struktuur, et mitte öelda struktuuripuudus. (mul on tunne, et mu ingliskeelses e-raamatus oli jälle osa formaatimist ka kaduma läinud, tsitaate oli muust tekstist raske eristada, aga see selleks.) sisukord lubab paljutõotavalt igas peatükis erineva inimese Peterburi (Ahmatova, Balanchine'i, Šostakovitši, Brodski) ja üldjoontes ajas loogilist liikumist, aga tekst ise on üsna segapuder ja teadvuse vool algusest lõpuni, ajaliselt hüpeldakse muudkui ringi ja alailma ilmuvad uuesti välja mingid tegelased, kes minu arvestuse kohaselt pidid ammu surnud olema. ma ei tea, kui raske oleks olnud... lihtsalt järjest rääkida?
ja kui oleks lihtsamini kättesaadav, siis seda raamatut sooviksin ise ja soovitaksin teistel vist küll pigem eesti keeles lugeda, see vene isiku- ja teostenimede väänamine inglise keele kaudu tundub ikka kuidagi imelik ja tarbetu. kahjuks tundub, et poodides pole enam saada ja raamatukogudes ka väga vähestes ja e-raamatut muidugi pole.
Volkov jutustab Peterburi ajaloo päris algusest (linna asutamisest, õnneks see ei olnud nii kohutavalt ammu) kuni 1990ndate alguseni. raamat on esmailmunud 1995 ja hirmsasti tahaks nüüd järge viimase 25 aasta kohta ka, aga samas kuidagi kenasti saavad otsad kokku mu enda jaoks, sest just 1992. aastal käisin esimest korda Piiteris ja sealtmaalt kujutan vähemalt natuke ise ka ette. (siiski, loomulikult tekitas selle raamatu lugemine vastupandamatu soovi taas kord kohapeale minna ja asjad üle vaadata.)
aga kuigi siin muidugi on ajalooraamatule kohaselt juttu ka valitsejatest ja sõdadest ja poliitikast, siis seda lugu räägitakse meile läbi kultuuri, täpsemalt Peterburi päritolu ja seal tegutsenud kultuuritegelaste kaudu. Kirjanikud, kunstnikud, muusikud-heliloojad, näitlejad, tantsijad-koreograafid saavad kõik enamvähem ühepalju ruumi. mul lugedes kogu aeg Youtube huugas kõrval, sest oli ju vaja kuulata muusikat Glinkast Akvariumini, vaadata üle Balanchine'i vähemtuntud balletid ja jupiti Padaemandat... ja mis värk nende Stravinski ja Šostakovitšiga siis oli? (isiklik lemmikleid lisavaatamise kategooriast oli vist see, et esimest korda nägin neid polovetside tantse "Vürst Igorist", mida olen mitme koori koosseisus _laulma_ juhtunud, aga polnudki nagu mõelnud, et keegi võiks taustal tantsida ka.)
kultuurile lisaks saab siit ikkagi ajaloost ka palju teada. mulle said alles nüüd enamvähem selgeks Peterburi erinevate nimevahetuste asjaolud. ja üllatusena tuli, kuidas seda linna tegelikult eriti keegi ei sallinud - ei Lenin, ei Stalin. kuidas keegi ei tea, kui palju inimesi blokaadi ajal tegelikult hukkus, sest mitte kellegi huvides ei olnud seda avalikustada. kuidas see revolutsioonijärgne elu seal oli. ja nii edasi.
ainus, mida sellele raamatule ette heita, on veider struktuur, et mitte öelda struktuuripuudus. (mul on tunne, et mu ingliskeelses e-raamatus oli jälle osa formaatimist ka kaduma läinud, tsitaate oli muust tekstist raske eristada, aga see selleks.) sisukord lubab paljutõotavalt igas peatükis erineva inimese Peterburi (Ahmatova, Balanchine'i, Šostakovitši, Brodski) ja üldjoontes ajas loogilist liikumist, aga tekst ise on üsna segapuder ja teadvuse vool algusest lõpuni, ajaliselt hüpeldakse muudkui ringi ja alailma ilmuvad uuesti välja mingid tegelased, kes minu arvestuse kohaselt pidid ammu surnud olema. ma ei tea, kui raske oleks olnud... lihtsalt järjest rääkida?
ja kui oleks lihtsamini kättesaadav, siis seda raamatut sooviksin ise ja soovitaksin teistel vist küll pigem eesti keeles lugeda, see vene isiku- ja teostenimede väänamine inglise keele kaudu tundub ikka kuidagi imelik ja tarbetu. kahjuks tundub, et poodides pole enam saada ja raamatukogudes ka väga vähestes ja e-raamatut muidugi pole.
June 14, 2021
A sprawling and dense book. Over five hundred pages loosely organized into six chapters, each one built around a central artist. But the focus in really on Volkov’s memories of these people. If you stick with him, you’ll learn plenty and get.a feel for the city from its beginnings right up to Yeltsin’s time in office. But if you’re not interested in the artists or their artistic disciple then the chapters become difficult to read through. It took me over a month to read this book. Akhmatova and Brodsky were my favorite sections. Volkhov also writes movingly about several composers. He also describes Stalin’s reign of terror. How both Stalin and Hitler wanted to obliterate the city. Best read if you are already knowledgeable about Russian history and culture.
February 23, 2020
A fascinating study of culture in a great city, intertwined with history. The material about music is memorable. Sometimes the detail could be daunting, but there is a wealth of anecdote which is of particular interest. The Russian passion for poetry is unfortunately not shared in the United Kingdom.
January 31, 2018
A thoroughly researched panopticon of great artistic personages that created the Petersburg mythos and how they did it. Very well written and with a personal touch, only at times a bit too exhausting with detail.
May 8, 2017
A perfect introduction to read when you are visiting St Petersburg!
May 17, 2018
I'm going to St Petersburg and this book gave me terrific background.
Read
July 10, 2019Beginning only
February 23, 2021
Originalmente publicado em 1995. Obra discorre sobre a origem e os principais artistas e poetas da cidade. Também sobre a vida política e seu desenvolvimento como centro cultural da Rússia.
abbandonato
November 17, 2011Niente, ho fallito.
Io avevo davvero intenzione di leggere per intero questo libro. La mole mi spaventava, visto che non era una passeggiata, era un saggio storico, ma mi dicevo "ma sì, ma con i miei tempi posso fare tutto!".
Peccato di non aver pensato al fatto che è Novembre, che la scuola mi esaurisce, e che leggere nel tempo libero un trattato di storia di 500 pagine non è esattamente un piacere.
Posso parlare delle misere centodieci pagine che sono riuscita a reggere prima di decidere di lasciar perdere e rimandare a un'altra volta.
Devo dire che la cosa più entusiasmante è stata la copertina. Non era ironico, parlo seriamente. Che meraviglia non è.
Comunque, Vòlkov non è assolutamente pesante, ma ha scelto di trattare il suo argomento in modo..sensato, ma confusionario. Invece che andare in ordine cronologico, divide la storia di San Pietroburgo in capitoli dedicati ad autori, poi a pittori, musicisti e così via.
Non è male come idea, ma non fornisce un'idea chiara della successione degli eventi. Tant'è vero che in treno sono sbottata ed ad alta voce ho detto "Ma Gogol' non muore mai?!".
Da alcune cose per scontate, ad esempio la conoscenza di termini che, a meno che non si è del campo, difficilmente si conosce. E nel trattare dei singoli personaggi salta un po' dall'uno all'altro, senza che il lettore abbia un'idea precisa della vita del tipo di turno.
Però nel complesso mi sembrava molto carino, solo che..no, leggere storia per diletto con almeno due interrogazioni al giorno..chi me lo fa fare?!
Io avevo davvero intenzione di leggere per intero questo libro. La mole mi spaventava, visto che non era una passeggiata, era un saggio storico, ma mi dicevo "ma sì, ma con i miei tempi posso fare tutto!".
Peccato di non aver pensato al fatto che è Novembre, che la scuola mi esaurisce, e che leggere nel tempo libero un trattato di storia di 500 pagine non è esattamente un piacere.
Posso parlare delle misere centodieci pagine che sono riuscita a reggere prima di decidere di lasciar perdere e rimandare a un'altra volta.
Devo dire che la cosa più entusiasmante è stata la copertina. Non era ironico, parlo seriamente. Che meraviglia non è.
Comunque, Vòlkov non è assolutamente pesante, ma ha scelto di trattare il suo argomento in modo..sensato, ma confusionario. Invece che andare in ordine cronologico, divide la storia di San Pietroburgo in capitoli dedicati ad autori, poi a pittori, musicisti e così via.
Non è male come idea, ma non fornisce un'idea chiara della successione degli eventi. Tant'è vero che in treno sono sbottata ed ad alta voce ho detto "Ma Gogol' non muore mai?!".
Da alcune cose per scontate, ad esempio la conoscenza di termini che, a meno che non si è del campo, difficilmente si conosce. E nel trattare dei singoli personaggi salta un po' dall'uno all'altro, senza che il lettore abbia un'idea precisa della vita del tipo di turno.
Però nel complesso mi sembrava molto carino, solo che..no, leggere storia per diletto con almeno due interrogazioni al giorno..chi me lo fa fare?!
May 17, 2013
Large chunks recycled from Volkov's "The Magical Chorus" which is a very thorough study of Russian literature. I must say, though, that I have really enjoyed reading the book as background to my first visit to the city. The review below about Volkov "slobbering over Ahkmatova's figurative cock" raised an eyebrow ... drivel!... This is a very good book about St Petersburg, especially if you are familiar with the artists of the period or intend reading, viewing, listening to them before you go or while you are there.
January 4, 2014
There are a few points where it started rambling (especially the sections on composers, which I know far too little about), but in general the book was very well-paced, beautiful, educational, and at times deeply haunting. Reading about the history of the arts is a fantastic way to approach dramatic historical events, and to get a real feel for a city.
January 25, 2020
Discursive, learned, exhaustive--and occasionally exhausting, but not to worry. If you're interested in St. Petersburg, music, Russia, and/or conflicts between art and politics, the book will satisfy you, most likely. Volkov's narrative voice is appealing and unpretentious.
June 29, 2007
not too good. slobbers all over akhmatova's (figurative) cock while disregarding huge chunks of space, time, & more important people.
October 23, 2010
The city tends to get lost especially in Volkov's gossipy biographical sketch of Anna Akhmatova and the bitchy world of the pre-war symbolists.
March 12, 2010
I can't get into this book...why? I love St. Petersburg, but this book reads like a scholarly paper. Too bad!
Read
May 16, 2016DNF
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews