{"product_id":"playing-with-fire-elizabeth-wilson-9780300253931","title":"Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin's Russia","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first full biography of the fearless and brilliant Maria Yudina, a legendary pianist who was central to Russian intellectual life \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003ePlaying with Fire\u003c\/i\u003e is a ground-breaking work--a phenomenal biography of a towering human spirit of everlasting relevance.\"--Norman Lebrecht, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Maria Yudina was no ordinary musician. An incredibly popular pianist, she lived on the fringes of Soviet society and had close friendships with such towering figures as Boris Pasternak, Pavel Florensky, and Mikhail Bakhtin. Legend has it that she was Stalin's favorite pianist. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Yudina was at the height of her fame during WWII, broadcasting almost daily on the radio, playing concerts for the wounded and troops in hospitals and on submarines, and performing for the inhabitants of besieged Leningrad. By the last years of her life, she had been dismissed for ideological reasons from the three institutions where she taught. And yet, according to Shostakovich, Yudina remained \"a special case. . . . The ocean was only knee-deep for her.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this engaging biography, Elizabeth Wilson sets Yudina's extraordinary life within the context of her times, where her musical career is measured against the intense intellectual and religious ferment of the postrevolutionary period and the ensuing years of Soviet repression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Elizabeth Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300253931\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300253931\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/22\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.58lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.30w x 1.42d","brand":"Elizabeth Wilson","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44055858348287,"sku":"9780300253931","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e41133c9-c63b-4912-8c12-fefc5a005dbc.jpg?v=1685038191","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/playing-with-fire-elizabeth-wilson-9780300253931","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}