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Prokofiev, Sergei,
Prokofiev by Prokofiev: A Composer's Memoir,
Doubleday & Company (Garden City, New York), 1979.
ISBN: 0385099606
Format: Hardback
Pages: 370
Written by Prokofiev himself, this exquisite autobiography known as the 'long' autobiography unfortunately only covers his life up until July 1909. Written in two different periods spanning 1937-39 and 1945, the book is extremely well-written, meticulously detailed, and indispensable toward understanding Prokofiev's attitudes up through the Conservatory years.
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Prokofiev, Sergei,
Serge Prokofiev Diary (1907-1933),
[In Russian] Serge Prokofiev Estate (Paris), October 8, 2002.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 1500
A private publication from the Serge Prokofiev Estate, this three-volume document includes Prokofiev's diary entries from 1907 through 1933. Prokofiev was an accomplished writer and often wrote in his diary daily. The publication comes in three volumes -- the first volume covers the composer's youth from 1907 to 1918, the second volume covers 1918 to 1933, and the third volume is a photograph album containing many hitherto unpublished pictures. Click here for order information.
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Prokofiev, Sergei,
Sergei Prokofiev: Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences,
Lightning Source, Dec 2000.
ISBN: 0898751497
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
This book is a reprint of S. Shlifstein's S.S. Prokofiev: Materials, Documents, Reminiscences, Moscow, State Music publishers, 1961. Most importantly, it contains Prokofiev's short autobiography, first published in 1941 and 1946 in the magazine Sovietskaya Muzika (Soviet Music.) It also contains articles and notes written by the composer on a variety of subjects, as well reminiscences written by prominent Soviet artists and composers after Prokofiev's death. The edition was edited by Shlifstein and translated by Rose Prokofieva.
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Prokofiev, Sergei,
Sergei Prokofiev: Soviet Diary 1927 and Other Writings: Translated and edited by Oleg Prokofiev,
Northeastern University Press (Boston), 1991.
ISBN: 1555531202
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 315
Written during a two-month period in 1927 when Prokofiev toured the Soviet Union (he had been living in Paris at the time), this diary was discovered in 1989 and translated into English by son Oleg. It offers a rare, insightful portrait into how Prokofiev felt about himself, his discomfort as a celebrity, his increasing mistrust of the Soviet system, and his views of other composers of the day. The book also includes three short stories, fragments of two others, and his 'short' autobiography, written in 1941 and first published in Russian in 1956.
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Blok, Vladimir,
Sergei Prokofiev: Materials, Articles, Interviews,
Progress Publishers (USSR), 1978.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 258
English translation of Russian book published in the Soviet Union. Compiled by Vladimir Blok, the book contains articles written by both Prokofiev and by others about Prokofiev. Contains contributions from Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Richter, Oistrakh, Gilels, Milstein, Ulanova, as well as other Soviet musicians and composers. Also contains excerpts from Prokofiev's short autobiography, as well as interviews and excerpts from various Soviet publications.
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Buttino, Vincenzo,
Invito all'ascolto di Prokofiev,
[In Italian] Mursia (Milano), 2000.
ISBN: 8842526118
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 238
In Italian. Contains biography of Prokofiev, a profile of his life, an analysis of his musical output, a bibliography, catalog works, and an essential discography.
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Dorigné, Michel,
Serge Prokofiev,
[In French] Fayard (Paris, France), 1994.
ISBN: 2213593337
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 910
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Gutman, David,
Prokofiev: The Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers,
Omnibus Press (London), 1990.
ISBN: 0711920834
Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
Good introductory book about Prokofiev, laden with photographs, although many have little to do with Prokofiev or his life. Gutman is strong on providing historical and political context to the events surrounding Prokofiev's life. However, he is less successful at fleshing out a portrait of who Prokofiev was as a person.
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Hanson, Lawrence & Elizabeth,
Prokofiev. The Prodigal Son: An Introduction to His Life and Work in Three Movements,
Random House (New York), 1964.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Written in 1964, this was the first biography of Prokofiev to appear originally in English. The Hansons, professional biographers and not musicologists, focus on the composer's youth and his music. The result is a nostalgic, often misleading journey into the Cold War zeitgeist that unfortunately ignores much of the composer's life and dismisses some of his greatest works. Click here to read a complete review.
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Jaffé, Daniel,
Sergey Prokofiev: (20th Century Composers),
Phaidon Press Limited (London), 1998.
ISBN: 0714835137
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
The most recent English-language book written about Prokofiev, Jaffé's biography is more compact than Robinson's tome, and better written. Jaffé is a music critic for Classical CD, and he paints a detailed portrait of Prokofiev as a person, in addition to expertly summarizing his life and music. This is the best short-read about Prokofiev and includes a treasure-trove of previously unpublished photographs.
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Kaufmann, Helen (Loeb),
The Story of Sergei Prokofiev,
J.B. Lippincott Co (Philadelphia), 1971.
ISBN: 0397312695
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 160
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Lynch, Wendy,
Prokofiev: (Lives and Times),
Heinemann Library (Crystal Lake, IL), 2000.
ISBN: 1575722208
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 24
Part of the Heinemann Library's Lives and Times children's books for US grades K-2. Based on primary source material, it is designed to inform as well as encourage young readers to take on their own reading.
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Nestyev, Israel,
Sergei Prokofiev: His Musical Life,
Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1946.
ISBN: 1117302008
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 193
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Nice, David,
Prokofiev -- A Biography: From Russia to the West 1891-1935,
Yale University Press (New York), April 2003.
ISBN: 0300099142
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 390
The first of two planned volumes about Prokofiev's life, this biography by noted British Prokofiev scholar David Nice traces Prokofiev's life from birth through his travels to America and Europe, ending in the years before his return to the USSR. Nice uses a number of previously unexamined sources.
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Robinson, Harlow,
Selected Letters of Prokofiev,
Northeastern University Press (Boston, MA), 1998.
ISBN: 1555533477
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 348
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Robinson, Harlow,
Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography,
Viking Penguin (New York, New York), 2002.
ISBN: 1555535178
Format: Paperback
Pages: 632
This is the most well-researched English-language biography of Prokofiev. It remains a must-read for those who want to know about Prokofiev, the people he knew, and his music. The second edition was re-released in April 2002 and contains a new foreword and afterword by the author. The first edition was published by Viking Penguin in 1987 and can be found at used book dealers (ISBN = 0671804193.)
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Samuel, Claude,
Prokofiev,
Marion Boyars, 2000.
ISBN: 0714504904
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
This is a re-print of French author Claude Samuel's biography of Prokofiev. Originally scheduled for publication in November 1999, it is now available in stores.
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Savkina, Natalia,
Prokofiev: His Life and Times,
Paganiniana Publications (New Jersey), 1984.
ISBN: 956739929
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 175
First published in 1981 in Russian, this short biography contains a wealth of previously unpublished photographs from the Russian State Archive of Arts and Literature. Natalia Savkina, an Associate Professor of History at the Moscow State Conservatory, is a Prokofiev expert, having also written a television documentary for Moscow Television about him in 1991 as well as numerous other articles in Russian-language journals.Translated into English in 1984 by Catherine Young, Prokofiev: His Life and Times is an excellent introduction to the life of Prokofiev.
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Schipperges, Thomas,
Prokofiev (Life and Times Series),
Trafalgar Square (London), 2003.
ISBN: 1904341322
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
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Seroff, Victor,
Sergei Prokofiev: A Soviet Tragedy,
Crescendo Book (New York), 1969.
ISBN: 0800870689
Format: Paperback
Pages: 339
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Dewhirst, Carin,
Peter and the Wolf,
Michael Friedman/Fairfax Publishing, Oct-1977.
ISBN: 1567995403
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 24
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Slonimsky, Nicolas,
Lexicon of Musical Invective: Critical Assaults on Composers Since Beethoven's Time,
University of Washington Press (Seattle, Washington), 1994.
ISBN: 0295785799
Format: Paperback
Pages: 325
Nicolas Slonimsky compiled this classic book in 1952 and it is about to enter its umpteenth printing. The book catalogs music reviews of classical works from the 19th and 20th centuries at the time the works premiered. Amongst the target of this musical invective is Prokofiev, who is evicerated by musical critics of the time. Of course the intent of the book is to show how composers were often misunderstood at the time they wrote. This is a must-own for every classical music listener and provides a representative glimpse into the heads of the critical detractors of Prokofiev's music.
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