St. Petersburg : A Cultural History

About the Author

Solomon Volkov was born in the USSR in 1944 and studied violin at the Leningrad Conservatory, receiving his diploma with honors. He continued postgraduate work in musicology there, while serving as the artistic director of the Experimental Studio of Chamber Opera. In 1971 his book Young Composers of Leningrad appeared with a preface by Dmitri Shostakovich; he also published numerous articles on the subject of Russian culture. After Mr. Volkov came to the United States in 1976, he published Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich, which he had written in collaboration with the composer while in the USSR. Testimony became an international bestseller and received the coveted ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in writing about music. Mr. Volkov’s other collaborative books include memoirs of Nathan Milstein and interviews with George Balanchine and Joseph Brodsky. Now an American citizen, Mr. Volkov lives in New York City with his wife, Marianna, a pianist and photographer.