The Besieged A Story of Survival
The Besieged is a beautifully observed account of one of the de fining moments of twentieth-century history: the Siege of Leningrad. The Siege began in September 1941, when German forces severed the last connection to the city, which was to last for 872 days, during which the dying population suffered horrors almost beyond the powers of description.
Caroline Walton, a fluent Russian speaker, has spoken with dozens of the survivors. The result is history in the broadest and best sense: a deeply personal and universal story of survival in extreme circumstances.
“I think it was Cervantes who said that ‘the town opens its gates when the last defender dies.’ No one ever entered our city as conqueror. With the passage of time people will realise what true heroes these blokadniki were. Without their spiritual strength, a strength that went beyond words, this city would not have survived. Imagine a person, half dead from hunger, walking on the frozen street into a place where chandeliers blaze, where there is music and laughter. A person who laughs is unvanquished.” Yevgenii Lind
