The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Human Genius

Dmitri Shostakovich is a human being. Really. He's a hero at the very same time he's a coward, a steadfast lover and a cad, a musical genius and a hack, a prodigy and a parvenu. He is what he has to be to survive in a society that considers him a tool. And who of us escapes that fate or the personal and professional compromises demanded by it? Nevertheless at least some, like Shostakovich, can be heard above the noise of their time. I recommend listening to the Piano Quintet in G minor, or even better, the Eighth Symphony if you have the time, while reading Barnes's biographical novel to get a fuller meaning of his text.

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