Leningrad, 1943

‘And then we took off. The idea of going to Leningrad – after nearly 26 years – was hard to take in ..’

Alexander Werth (1901-1969) was born in Leningrad (then called St Petersburg), where he lived for the first sixteen years of his life. His family fled to the United Kingdom after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Mr Werth was a naturalized British author, journalist and war correspondent. He wrote a number of books about pre-war France and, and Russia during World War II. This book, written after his brief visit to Leningrad in 1943, was first published in London in 1944. In his preface to the book, Mr Werth writes that two things encouraged him to write this book: firstly, he was the only British correspondent to have been in Leningrad during the blockade; and secondly, Leningrad was his native city. The greater part of this book, Mr Werth wrote, is a record of all that he saw and heard during his visit.

‘Werth was the first foreign correspondent (and the first Westerner) to record what remains one of the great urban tragedies of World War II: the longest siege ever endured by a modern city, during which nearly 700,000 civilians starved to death.’
In his introduction to the book, Nicholas Werth (son of Alexander) writes that the book was intended primarily for a British audience. At the time, with little awareness of what was happening in the east, the British generally would not have been aware of the courage and tenacity of their Soviet allies. And would not have been aware that conditions were more desperate in Leningrad than in London and Paris as a consequence of food shortages and the cold.

‘Alexander Werth’s book sheds light on the numerous survival strategies adopted during the siege, not only by ordinary people but also heads of industry and even the municipal authorities.’

While Alexander Werth would not have directly experienced the reality of life under the siege, he met with a number of people (both civilians and soldiers) and visited a number of buildings (including the Leningrad Public Library and the Kirov works) and spoke with a number of people working there about their experiences of the siege.

I found this book both informative and moving. While I have read a little about the siege of Leningrad, accounts of events from an individual personal perspective bring the siege to life in a way that descriptions of events alone cannot. From reading accounts of the heroism of individuals, their determination to keep going: their patriotism becomes evident. Images of horror and terror are evoked by reference to the bombing of hospitals, mass starvation, and instances of cannibalism. These are stark reminders both of the brutality of 20th century war, and the suffering inflicted as a consequence.

‘And now, as you see, life is almost normal. There is this shelling, of course, and people get killed, but life has become valuable again.’

When Alexander Werth first arrived in Leningrad, he was comparing what he saw with his memories of the city he had left almost 26 years earlier. By the time he left, those memories were fainter and he was much more aware of the city through the eyes of those surviving in it. So many people died during this siege and yet so many of the survivors never lost hope. They, the heroes of Leningrad, worked hard to try to ensure the survival of as much of the city itself, and as many of its treasures and people as possible.

I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in Russia’s participation in World War II, and specifically in the impacts on Leningrad. We should never forget their courage.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I. B. Tauris for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Alexander Werth was a British journalist and war correspondent, who had been born in Leningrad but had fled Russia with his family at age 16 in 1917. In 1943 he was allowed access to his native city, which was enduring the siege that lives on in the hearts and minds of Russians to this day. He was the first foreign correspondent and the first westerner to record what was happening and his first-hand account is both harrowing and deeply moving. However much one reads about the siege – and I’ve read a lot – every account offers something more and in its immediacy this one is a welcome addition to the many books that have been written since. Well worth reading.

A first hand account of the siege of Leningrad - by a Russian-born British journalist with native Russian language. He knew the city well, having lived there from birth and throughout his childhood. He described the city and its inhabitants under siege in such rich language that it comes alive for the reader decades later. The many hardships suffered by the inhabitants are endured with an impressive level of stoicism. I've read other accounts of the siege, but Alexander Werth's account really makes it come alive.

Recommended.