Leningrad - Siege and Symphony - The Story of the Great City Terrorized by Stalin, Starved by Hitler, Immortalized by Shostakovich (Brian Moynahan, 2013)

This book fit very well with this excellent overview of the Leningrad siege; this discussion of Sergei and Lina Prokofiev; and this novelistic presentation on the siege and its effects on ordinary folks.

I expected the book to be more focused on Shostakovich and the process of writing his 7th ("Leningrad") Symphony, but the author also mixed in a great deal of information about pre-war terror by Stalin and the military aspects of the Leningrad situation (siege, etc.).  And in the end it all fit together pretty well, much worth reading.

The overall story arc is entirely amazing.

Stalin always distrustful of Leningrad - some of its leaders not necessarily in his camp at selection time; plus general suspicion based on the city's proximity to the West.

Shostakovich - young, talented, popular; a symphony runs afoul of the authorities for whatever reason and is branded as "formalism" - never a good thing for one's future.

But war came along, Shostakovich did have useful allies within the government, and it was recognized that he could be used for propaganda.  One example is a famous posed photo where he serves in a fire brigade atop a building.  The photo was fake, but his service was real.  Eventually he was whisked out of Leningrad to the safety of the south - too valuable an asset to risk.  Most of the 7th ("Leningrad") Symphony wasn't written in Leningrad (though Shostakovich certainly had lived the life there).

Much more detail than I'd seen about the difficulties of keeping alive performances of classical music in siege-beset Leningrad.  Performers starved to death, or were too weak to function.  Performance halls (not to mention rehearsals) were ridiculously cold.  Performing the 7th in Leningrad itself was almost asking too much - but it was a huge success.  Military authorities timed massive barrages to reduce the risk that German bombers might hit the performance venue.

Tremendous propaganda value - Shostakovich's music helped ease fears in the Allied nations that the Soviets were Asiatic brutes, or something.

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (John LeCarre, 1963)

Book club selection (via POC, I think).

Entertaining spy novel set in Cold War years.

It is rather amazing to think that such a thing as the Berlin Wall existed.

Even more amazing to think about the lives of the folks that worked in the intelligence services of these countries.  Though one could make the case that their services had value in those days given WWII experiences and nuclear arsenals.

Folks believed in Communism in good faith in England, at least some of them did.

Leamas, Smiley, Control.  Mundt, Fiedler.  Liz.

Final scene at the Wall.

The Ariadne Objective - The Underground War to Rescue Crete from the Nazis (Wes Davis, 2013)

Author recounts resistance activities on the island of Crete.

I think the impetus for the book is the increasing stature of Patrick Leigh Fermor - a delightful author indeed, who set out on foot from Holland to Constantinople in the 1930s and maintained a journal that has been converted into delightful books.  Fermor and some other dashing Brits work with local Crete population in opposition to Nazis.  Main claim to fame is that they abducted a German general (some minor figure named Kreipe) - utilizing a fairly simple roadside ambush using pilfered German uniforms.  The notion was that this act would demoralize the Germans - but I doubt anyone really believes it had much significance.

Author rather blithely assumes that the activities of these semi-regulars was brave, useful, etc.  I'm sure it was.  But I was rather struck by the thought of the reprisals against regular Cretans - this was nasty business - the insignificant resistance stuff is difficult to weigh against civilian suffering.  I don't know how to think about this part.

But it's fun to read about Fermor; some interesting excerpts of his writing; learned a little more about Crete and the Minotaur, labyrinth ("Ariadne").

The travels across the Cretan mountains with the overweight general in tow were interesting.  Great scene when the General is looking out at a snowcapped mountain and Fermor overhears him murmuring in Latin - figures out it was an ode of Horace - Fermor naturally continues the ode in Latin.  The two got along pretty famously thereafter.  The strangeness of two quite normal folks with a completely common cultural heritage - at war - over ??

An example of his writing - he sees all the incredible wood carving in Bavarian towns (in 1933) - attributes it "long winters, early nightfall, soft wood and sharp knives".