Interview: Author Suzanne Parry
I have always been very interested in World War II. I think it’s likely because the way so many countries worked together to stop the shocking horrors that occurred and the way that everyday ordinary citizens banded together to support one another and fight against literal evil really inspire me.
When I heard about Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry (read more about it here) I was immediately intrigued. It speaks on what happened in Leningrad during the War — when the people of Leningrad were starved by Hitler and his forces — something that, to be completely honest, I was not aware of. I find that there are so many holes in the American school system; we don’t tend to learn about our “enemies’” history and so I feel very ignorant when it comes to Russia. This book opened my eyes and my heart.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Suzanne about her experience writing the book, her research, and what inspired her to begin writing in the first place.
Molli Sébrier: Where did your interest in Russia stem from? Have you always been curious about the country, or is it something that you grew into later in life? What about WWII?
Suzanne Parry: My interest in Russia developed in college. The Cold War of the ‘60s and ‘70s made me decide that understanding and working with the Soviet Union was critical for the US and for mankind. Nuclear war seemed a real threat — as it sadly does again today — and so I thought it made sense to study Russian, political science, and international relations. My specific interest in World War II did not really germinate until later in life when I began reading World War II history.
MS: I personally had never heard about what happened in Leningrad during WWII. I chalk it up to failures in the US school system —we tend to stay away from the history of the countries of our "enemies." When did you first discover what happened there?
SP: You are absolutely right about the siege of Leningrad or much else about the Soviet Union in WWII not being taught in our school systems. I didn’t learn about the siege of Leningrad until college. This gap in our collective knowledge is unfortunate because, in spite of Stalin’s brutal, grotesque tyranny (and the horrors he inflicted on his own people and much of eastern Europe), the Russian people still deserve respect (and, I would argue, gratitude) for their sacrifices in defeating Nazi Germany. Twenty-eight million Russians died in World War II. Think about that number.
MS: I tend to gravitate toward books with young narrators, so it was really refreshing to read Sofya's perspective instead of just Yelena's. What made you decide to go in that direction?
SP: Some of my characters had to be older because I wanted the perspective of those who’d already lived through some terrible things: Stalin’s purges, the Revolution of 1917, and WW I. I also needed a main character who was a professional musician, so it made sense to give Sofya (a grandmother in her late 50s) that skill. Music and literature (and love for her family) had already helped her through some dreadful times. She could draw on that history of love and determination to survive the siege.
Furthermore, I wanted the family to be divided — because almost every Soviet family was divided in some way by the war. So having the grandmother and granddaughter together trapped in the city felt representative of what happened to families all over the Soviet Union.
MS: Where did you go to do your research for the book? Did you mostly read books and articles, or were you able to get some first-hand accounts?
SP: I started with the best comprehensive history of the siege: Harrison Salisbury’s 900 Days. Then I read most of the other histories written in English. I was lucky to get a copy of Dimitri Pavlov’s slim volume, Leningrad 1941: The Blockade. Pavlov was in charge of both the civilian and military food supplies in Leningrad during the siege and his book provides a detailed accounting of resupply efforts and the food-rationing system. I also read numerous diary excerpts, some of which have only recently become available in English. They are heartbreaking.
I spent a couple of weeks in St. Petersburg, Russia (the former Leningrad) in 2017 and was able to see many sites that were important in the siege. I also spent time in two important siege museums that were not there when I was in Leningrad in 1979 and 1986. My guide was very knowledgeable about siege history and I learned many interesting details from him.
MS: In light of what is happening in Russia and Ukraine, have you gotten any negative feedback from people who don't like that you've added such a human aspect to the Russian people? And, did you get that reaction even before the war in Ukraine began?
SP: Almost none, either before or after Russia attacked Ukraine. Perhaps because it is well known that Putin thoroughly controls the narrative of the war domestically. He points at former enemies (the ridiculous idea of Nazis in Ukraine is less ridiculous to a nation that fought so long and hard against the Nazis eighty years ago). He points a finger at the West too and all this gives Russia something to rally against. Putin prevents the truth from reaching Russia by closing independent media outlets. Information is power and Russians are fed a steady diet of Putin’s version of events. Many of the Russians who know the truth about Ukraine have fled Russia. Closing the flow of information has allowed Putin to return Russia to the authoritarianism of the 20th century.
MS: What is the most disheartening/shocking thing that you learned about when studying what happened in Leningrad?
SP: Instances of cannibalism, although not widespread, were very disheartening to discover. Starvation causes a kind of madness and it was painful to read about that and imagine the suffering.
MS: What inspired you to make Sofya a musician? Is she a totally made-up character that you created in your head, or is she based on someone you know/learned about in your research?
SP: Sofya is a made-up character although I drew some traits from a couple of people I know. From the beginning, I knew she would be a musician because one of the events I wanted to include in my novel was the performance of Dimitri Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony. Shostakovich was evacuated from Leningrad to Kuibyshev on the Volga River early in the war and from there he completed his symphony. It was performed first in Kuibyshev in March 1942, then in Moscow, and then went worldwide with performances in London and New York. It became a symbol of Soviet resistance to the Nazis and especially after it was performed in Leningrad on August 9, 1942, a symbol of Leningrad itself. I needed a musician who would be part of that performance.
MS: Is there anything that you'd like readers to know about Leningrad that you didn't include in the book?
SP: The city has a rich history. It is perhaps best known as the site of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 when it was called Petrograd. Before that, it was known as St. Petersburg (as it is again today). The city was built in the early 1700s by Tsar Peter the Great. He was determined to control the city’s access to the Baltic and to do that he built a network of small forts in the Gulf of Finland so that ships could not get close to the city undetected. How those forts were constructed (literally sunk into the Gulf) is a fascinating piece of engineering.
MS: What inspired you to begin writing?
SP: Decades ago, I wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish in life. I don’t remember everything on that list but the last item was “write a book.” In 2016, I was at a transition point, considering my interests and the rewarding careers I’d already had. It seemed time for one last pursuit. Time to write and fulfill that decades-old ambition.
MS: How big of a role do books and reading play in your life?
SP: I could not be a writer if I were not a reader. Books have always been important. I grew up surrounded by books — raised in a pre-Civil War era farmhouse with rooms filled with sagging shelves and piles in every corner. I owe my passion for the written word to my parents.
MS: Who is your favorite author and what are you currently reading?
SP: In current historical fiction, I admire Geraldine Brooks. Her smooth, eloquent prose sparkles with energy and she writes about a wide range of topics. Among 20th-century Soviet writers, I believe Vasily Grossman has no peer. He wrote brilliantly as a journalist with the Red Army during World War II. All his fiction and non-fiction works are outstanding. My favorite book about World War II is Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada. The best novel I’ve read in the last couple of years is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and she’s becoming one of my favorite authors.
I always read multiple books at a time and am currently reading Body and Soul by Frank Conroy, What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad, and Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini.
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