{"id":18284,"date":"2016-04-01T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=18284"},"modified":"2016-04-01T08:00:30","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T12:00:30","slug":"m-t-anderson-reveals-hidden-code-in-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=18284","title":{"rendered":"M.T. Anderson Reveals Hidden Code in Book"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0108\"During\u00a0an event at the Fletcher Free Library\u00a0in Burlington, Vt., last night, author M.T. Anderson revealed to the\u00a0audience a little-known fact about his recent award-winning nonfiction title, Symphony for the City of the Dead.<\/em>
\n“Most people think this book is about the composer Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad,” Anderson told the packed house of nearly 100 listeners. “But in fact, it is actually about\u00a0a very different subject altogether.”
\nWhat is that subject? You’d never guess.
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\n\"\"“When I was researching Shostakovich’s creation of the Seventh Symphony,” Anderson said, “I discovered that there were numerous\u00a0passages in the piece that have been argued over for decades as possibly containing coded\u00a0references to the composer, his state of mind, and his political message to the world. I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t I do that with my book?'”
\nIt was the perfect opportunity, Anderson admitted, to bring to light a pet peeve of his own: infelicities in\u00a0the movie scores composed by Charlie Chaplin.
\n“As brilliant as the man was\u2014he was a writer, actor, director, conductor,\u00a0and composer,” said Anderson\u2014”it’s a mistake to think of him as a bona fide musician.\u00a0His meter\u00a0is all over the place. He uses\u00a0phrases from other musicians’ compositions. And he is\u00a0overly fond of temple blocks, glockenspiel, spoons, and sleigh bells.”\u00a0Anderson paused and cleared his throat. “I hate to say it, but there is also an\u00a0egregious overuse of slide whistle.”
\nSo why didn’t M.T. Anderson simply write about Charlie Chaplin, instead of spending all that time researching and writing about\u2014at least on the surface\u2014Shostakovich?
\n“Are you kidding?” said Anderson. “Contemporary audiences\u00a0love<\/em> Chaplin. The man’s an icon, especially since Robert Downey, Jr.’s 1992 portrayal in the biopic. No one wants\u00a0to read a diatribe against America’s favorite tramp. So I had to disguise\u00a0my musical unease\u00a0within the pages of Symphony for the City of the Dead<\/em>.”
\nAsked by shocked audience members\u00a0to provide examples of the coded references to Chaplin’s work, Anderson\u00a0merely\u00a0smiled. “Oh, they’re there,” he said. “Like Easter eggs in an RPG, half the fun is in finding them.”
\nPressed for more, he said only:\u00a0“As Chaplin himself often ‘quoted’ other composers’ music in his own compositions, so does my Symphony\u00a0<\/em>celebrate quotations from writers and researchers before me.” He\u00a0chuckled, “At least in my case, the quotes were attributed.”
\n\"IMG_6363\"Members of the crowd began surmising about possible references to\u00a0titles of Chaplin films, such as The Great Dictator<\/em>, The Immigrant<\/em>, and The Knockout<\/em>.
\nAnderson held up his hands. “I encourage you to see all of the movies. You be the judge. There are some great live-music screenings, and everything’s on YouTube these days. YouTube is\u00a0the 21st-century version of microfiche.”
\nHe admitted that watching slapstick comedy provided\u00a0a welcome occasional break from the seriousness of his foray into writing gripping nonfiction. “Chaplin was a great actor and a great director. There are piquancies in his compositions, too, especially in The Gold Rush<\/em>. And those dancing rolls are a stitch.”
\nHe\u00a0concluded, “I didn’t spend five years researching and writing this book only to chronicle the tolls of war and incredible acts of courage, desperation, and resiliency. I wanted to get my Chaplin on, too.”
\nSo which composer is Symphony for the City of the Dead<\/em> really about?
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\"Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich, courtesy of\u00a0http:\/\/ow.ly\/10aBbw<\/p><\/div>
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\"chaplin

Charlie Chaplin, courtesy of http:\/\/ow.ly\/10aB2x<\/p><\/div>
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