‘A gifted writer; his prose has the cadence, tone and power of a Shostakovich symphony’ Gerard DeGroot, The Times The siege of Saint Petersburg – then known as Leningrad – stands as a testament to human endurance. Intended by the Nazis as civilian extermination, the numbers who perished in this 900-day ordeal almost outweighed the entire total of British and American troop deaths in the Second World War. The city’s 2.5 million residents began to starve as rations dwindled. As temperatures plunged to minus 43°C, electricity faltered, and fuel ran out. Yet, amid this suffering, the resilience of culture and hope shone through, with orchestras and theatres defiantly continuing to perform, a flicker of humanity against the backdrop of despair. In Saint Petersburg, bestselling historian Sinclair McKay chronicles the horrors of the siege through immersive prose and gripping first-hand accounts. He also traces the pivotal importance of Saint Petersburg across the centuries, from Peter the Great’s visionary founding of the city to the way it has shaped its most infamous son, Vladimir Putin. From its darkest moments to its enduring spirit, Saint Petersburg explores the layers of history that have shaped this extraordinary place. ‘The story of the siege of Leningrad is one of the great epics of modern history. It has never been told in such an engrossing, moving, often horrifying but also uplifting way’ Brendan Simms ‘McKay’s Saint Petersburg reveals what life was like for ordinary Leningraders . . . an excellent story told with aplomb’ Iain MacGregor, The Critic I S B N 978-1-405-97513-1
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9781405975131_SaintPetersburg.indd All Pages
PENGUIN Non-fiction
SINCLAIR SAINT PETERSBURG McKAY
‘One of my favourite historians’ Dan Snow
SAINT
INFO BAR
SIN CLA McK IR AY
PETERS
BURG
The Tha City Hitl t Defie er d ‘Ric hly
pac laye insigked wi red an t d Patr ht . . . r h ick B ivet isho ing’ p
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14/11/2025 11:08