Current Releases
A Kingdom and a Village: A One-Thousand-Year History of Moscow
NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDER!
“A sweeping history of Moscow that combines taut storytelling with penetrating analysis […] Simon Morrison brings to life the contradictory legacies of power, violence and creativity that have shaped the city as a nexus of empire. A timely and indispensable guide for anyone wanting to understand Moscow.”
― Rebecca Reich, Professor of Russian Literature and Culture, University of Cambridge
"… [this book] offers the best hope of answering the quintessential Russian question, posed by Tolstoy: do extraordinary individuals actually shape the course of history, or are they merely swept along by it? The erudition of A Kingdom and a Village, Simon Morrison’s book on a thousand years of Moscow’s history is matched only by its readability."
― Financial Times
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Tchaikovsky's Empire: A New Life of Russia's Greatest Composer
NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDER!
“A thrilling new biography of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—composer of some of the world’s most popular orchestral and theatrical music.”
“A lively, argumentative and thoughtful reflection on one of the 19th century’s most important musical figures.
—Michael O’Donnell, Wall Street Journal
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"Though Nicks has characterized her own techniques as spontaneous and idiosyncratic, this book approaches her process in a serious manner, pointing out the chord progressions, lyrics, and rhythms that comprise her message of independence and self-assurance. Here, Nicks is re-centered as an artistic presence in her own right, and her opulent attire, seductive mystique, and wide influences become proof of her lasting star quality.
"Written with respect and admiration, Mirror in the Sky analyzes Stevie Nicks’s music with care, noting how it expressed the sentiments of a generation."
— Mari Carlson, Foreword Reviews
Upcoming Events
Tchaikovsky: A Life in Music
Join Simon Morrison, author of the acclaimedTchaikovsky's Empire, on January 14, 2026 - February 4, 2026 for a deep exploration of the man and his music. Portrayed as a hopeless romantic, a suffering melancholic, or a morbid obsessive, the Tchaikovsky we think we know is a shadow of the fascinating reality. It is all too easy to forget that he composed an empire’s worth of music, and navigated the imperial Russian court to great advantage.
Register Now
Simon Morrison Receives Behrman Award for the Humanities
"A brilliant and supremely conscientious teacher, Simon is famous on campus for his beautifully crafted lectures and his extraordinary intellectual range, touching students in music, Slavic [languages and literatures], humanistic studies, and the Global Seminar.”
Featured Books
Bolshoi Confidential
On a freezing night in January 2013, a hooded assailant hurled acid in the face of the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet...
Lina & Serge
Serge Prokofiev was one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant composers yet is an enigma to historians and his fans...
The People's Artist
Sergey Prokofiev was one of the twentieth century's greatest composers—and one of its greatest mysteries. Until now...
Russian Opera and the Symbolist Movement
This second edition explores music and the occult during the Russian Symbolist movement...
Notable Reviews
On Bolshoi Confidential
The insider look in Bolshoi Confidential is incredibly rich and makes this book a page-turner…Breathtakingly complicated life stories of both people and productions parade through the pages…Its central figures, like Plisetskaya, jump off its pages complex and alive."
—Daria Khitrova, New York Times
On Lina and Serge: The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev
"Simon Morrison has written a brilliant and riveting tale of love, intrigue, terror, and betrayal that forces us to confront the paradox of how great art can be made by unspeakably cruel and heartless individuals."
—Leon Botstein, music director and conductor, American Symphony Orchestra, and president of Bard College
On The People's Artist
"Simon Morrison has now produced the most definitive study of Prokofiev the Soviet composer in any language, drawing on a wealth of archival material hitherto unavailable...Indispensable to anyone even casually interested in this field."
—Music and Letters
Upcoming Projects
Shostakovich
Morrison is signed with Norton for a book on the Soviet composer and pianist, Dmitri Shostakovich.
Writings
Morrison has published feature articles and opinion pieces in The New York Times, New York Review of Books, Threepenny Review, London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement and more.
Productions
Morrison has been a Director, Musicologist, Project Coordinator, Collaborator for several ballet and dance performances.
Interviews & Lectures
Morrison is an acclaimed public speaker equally in demand by academic and general audiences.