With the skill of Scheherazade, the narrator of "Fifty Days" slowly unravels the mysteries of two lives. High above the city, in a deserted apartment block, a beautiful ex- porn staris living alone. Gest has fifty days to complete her self- imposed task. Her only contact with theoutside world is thr[...]

The crackle of a tannoy breaks a pregnant silence...and for one moment, as the barrage of shell and artillery pauses, music washes over the city of Leningrad. The defiant symphony of Leningrad's famous son, the composer Shostakovich, infiltrates ruined homes and businesses, echoing in the empty stre[...]