Two

History loves such coincidences. Elena Yakovich's film "Two. The Tale of Shostakovich's Wife" was released on Russian television on March 5, 2022 - on the day of the death of Stalin, Prokofiev, and Akhmatova, on the anniversary of the first performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's famous Seventh Symphony, known as the Leningrad. The author visited Irina Antonovna Shostakovich at her dacha in Zhukovka and recorded her excited story about 13 years of life together with the genius composer. They were united by much - the tragic Russian 20th century with its arrests, repressions, war, and blockade - rolled over their fates like a roller. They met in Moscow, in the Big Hall of the Conservatory, and got married in 1962 - so they would never part again. Of course, everything that Irina Antonovna spoke about could not fit into the film - but it is included in this book. This is a love story of two people, connected by common values and having never betrayed them.