Summary

Pages 63 - 69 – In 1948, 12 years after the central scene of Section 1, Dmitri Shostakovich is on a plane from New York City heading back to Russia. He is with other Russian artists, as they were all sent to New York City as part of a cultural delegation organized by the Russian government. As the other artists drink and celebrate, looking back on the visit as a triumph for the advancement of peace between the United States and the USSR, Dmitri drinks alone and looks back on the trip with a feeling of great regret. He compares his hopes for the trip with the reality of what it had been. He describes the American press as omniscient and brazenly rude, but he admits that there were some positive parts of the visit. He acquired many cigarettes and gramophone records of classical music, he...