Title: Fay's Shostakovich: Back to the Soviet Times
Product review: [...]First of all, the language is dry and unimaginative. Second, the work lacks any considerable citations. In most of the cases, making statements, Fay doesn't care to cite the source. Consequently, there is very little we can discover about Shostakovich's personality in this book. Third, Fay ignores some considerable and valuable sources, like Shostakovich's letters to Glickman, as well as she questions the statements of Elizabeth Wilson's (Life Remembered) book.My first feeling, when I read this so-called biography was, that it was a merely English abrupted translation of the Shostakovich's Soviet biography by Sofia Khentova.Fay doesn't trust any letters or memories. On the contrary, she widely uses the publications of the Soviet officialese, including Shostakovich's articles and speeches, most of which were even not written by the composer himself!
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