Dmitri Braginsky. Shostakovich and Football: Escape to Freedom
2018
This book looks at the personality of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, from an unusual angle—Shostakovich was an avid football fan from an early age until the last days of his life.
Shostakovich was enraptured by football from his early days. He would watch matches in the stands or on television. He would listen to radio reports broadcast from the stadium. He would study the sports newspapers and fill in his sports tables.
It is not enough to say that Dmitri Dmitriyevich could not live without football, he lived in football, as though in a special, parallel dimension.
It was an incredibly important part of his personal life, from which he gained immense strength. And even though this facet of his life also had its disappointments, when, for example, his favourite team lost, or a skilful combination failed right in front of the goal posts, and Dmitri Dmitriyevich would take them close to heart, their bitter taste emphasised the thrill of the game and made it complete.
Dmitri Dmitriyevich felt entirely at home in the world of football. In this terrain, he was forever young, happy and free.