summary

Summary

The novel "The Noise of Time" by Julian Barnes delves into the life and work of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The book covers three pivotal periods of his life: first, when he awaits arrest by the elevator of his building in 1936 following criticism of his opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"; second, his trip to New York in 1949 as a representative of Soviet culture; third, his coerced joining of the Communist Party in 1960. Barnes explores Shostakovich's internal conflicts, his fears, compromises, and his struggle to maintain his creative and personal identity under a totalitarian regime.