Description

‘Richly-layered and packed with insight, this riveting account of terrible events tells us as much about the present as it does the past’ Patrick Bishop, author of Paris ’44

From Peter the Great to Putin, a biography of the city Hitler tried – and failed – to wipe off the map

The siege of Saint Petersburg – then known as Leningrad – stands as a testament to human endurance. Intended by the Nazis as civilian extermination, the numbers who perished in this 900-day ordeal almost outweighed the entire total of British and American troop deaths in the Second World War.

The city’s 2.5 million residents began to starve as rations shrank and dwindled. As temperatures plunged to minus 43 DegreesC, electricity faltered, and fuel ran out. Yet, amid this suffering, the resilience of culture and hope shone through, with orchestras and theatres defiantly continuing their performances, a flicker of humanity against the backdrop of despair.

In Saint Petersburg, bestselling historian Sinclair McKay book chronicles the horrors of the siege through immersive prose and gripping first-hand accounts. He also traces the pivotal importance of Saint Petersburg across the centuries, from Peter the Great’s visionary founding of the city to the way it has shaped its most infamous son, Vladimir Putin.

From its darkest moments to its enduring spirit, Saint Petersburg explore the layers of history that have shaped this extraordinary place.

‘McKay is a gifted writer; his prose has the cadence, tone and power of a Shostakovich symphony. Horror is majestically conveyed’ Gerard DeGroot, The Times

Publisher Review

Richly-layered and packed with insight, this riveting account of terrible events tells us as much about the present as it does the past — Patrick Bishop, author of Paris ’44 The story of the siege of Leningrad is one of the great epics of modern history. It has been told many times before, but never in such an engrossing, moving, often horrifying but also uplifting way — Brendan Simms, author of Hitler Sinclair McKay has followed up his spellbinding history of Berlin with another tour de force. Saint Petersburg is a riveting account of a beautiful city with a dark soul. Interlaced between descriptions of incredible beauty and decay are such unforgettable tales of cruelty and courage as to make a reader weep or forget to breathe. McKay’s magisterial history of Peter the Great’s monumental gift to Russia will become a classic in its own right — Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana McKay is a gifted writer; his prose has the cadence, tone and power of a Shostakovich symphony. Horror is majestically conveyed — Gerard DeGroot * The Times *