By Kirschenbaum Lisa A.
Lisa A. Kirschenbaum, 2006
The siege of Leningrad stands as a profound event of World War II, with commemoration beginning almost immediately. Official accounts of heroic Leningrad often omitted or distorted significant aspects of the experience. Survivors, grappling with painful memories, frequently internalized aspects of state-sanctioned myths, finding their own uses for official monuments. This book traces the interplay between individual recollections and fifty years of Soviet mythmaking.
It contributes to understanding the power of Soviet identities and the potential for delegitimization inherent in the Soviet Union's primary legitimizing myths. The siege, blurring lines between the male battlefront and the predominantly female home front, offers a unique perspective on the gendered dimensions of war, urban life, memory, and public commemoration.