Gulag Voices: Oral Histories of Soviet Incarceration and Exile (Palgrave Studies in Oral History)

The first collection of oral histories of Gulag survivors to appear in English, Gulag Voices is a groundbreaking and long-overdue addition to the history of the Stalin era. The interviews assembled here represent a wide range of Gulag experiences, including prisons, labor camps and colonies, and deportation settlements. They include among them a so-called kulak who was deported in 1930, as well as an interviewee who obtained his release from a political camp only in 1986. Taken together, these accounts form a powerful picture of incarceration, forced labor, and exile in the USSR, and demonstrate the profound disruptions suffered by everyday citizens. They also reveal the long-term effects of the Gulag, demonstrating how these experiences extended beyond the fall of the Soviet Empire and into the next generation. In This Volume, The Powerful Voices Of Gulag Survivors Will Become Accessible To English-speaking Audiences For The First Time Through Oral Histories, Rather Than Written Memoirs. It Brings Together Interviews With Men And Women, Members Of The Working Class And Intelligentsia, People Who Live In The Major Cities And Those From The Provinces, And From An Array Of Corrective Hard Labor Camps And Prisons Across The Former Soviet Union. Its Aims Are Threefold: 1) To Give A Sense Of The Range Of The Gulag Experience And Its Consequences For Russian Society; 2) To Make The Gulag Relevant To English-speaking Readers By Offering Comparisons To Historical Catastrophes They Are Likely To Know More About, Such As The Holocaust; And 3) To Discuss Issues Of Oral History And Memory In The Cultural Context Of Soviet And Post-soviet Society--provided By Publisher. Pt. 1. Forced Laborers In The Perm Region -- A Life In The Forest : Sira Stepanovna Balashina -- Soviet But German : Robert Avgustovich Ianke -- Under Two Dictators : Abliaziz Umerovich Ramazanov -- Pt. 2. Exiled And Arrested -- A Mother In Exile : Larisa Mikhailovna Lappo-danilevskaia -- Surrounded By Death : Giuli Fedorovna Tsivirko -- It Wasn't Life : Nina Ivanovna Rodina -- Pt. 3. Children Of Enemies -- Three Death Certificates But No Grave : Boris Israelovich/srul'evich Faifman -- Enumerated Units : Giuzel Gumerovna Ibragimova -- Pt. 4. Children Of Enemies And Then Arrested -- From Privilege To Exile : Valeriia Mikhailovna Gerlin -- Bridging Separate Worlds : Felix Arkadievich Serebrov -- Pt. 5. Documents: Survivor Accounts And Letters -- I So Desired Death : Czesława Greczyn -- Fragments : Anna Cieślikowska -- Disgusting And Hopeless : Maria Norciszek -- We Will Surely Die : Irena Grześkowiak -- Why Did He Ruin Our Happiness? : Franciszka Dul -- Fare Thee Well : Valentin Tikhonovich Muravskii And Rozalia Iosifovna Muravskaia. Jehanne M. Gheith And Katherine R. Jolluck. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Series Editors’ Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 List of Maps and Illustrations......Page 14 Note on Transliteration......Page 16 Maps......Page 17 Introduction......Page 22 Part One: Forced Laborers in the Perm Region......Page 36 CHAPTER 1 A Life in the Forest: Sira Stepanovna Balashina......Page 38 CHAPTER 2 Soviet but German: Robert Avgustovich Ianke......Page 50 CHAPTER 3 Under Two Dictators: Abliaziz Umerovich Ramazanov......Page 68 Part Two: Exiled and Arrested......Page 88 CHAPTER 4 A Mother in Exile: Larisa Mikhailovna Lappo-Danilevskaia......Page 90 CHAPTER 5 Surrounded by Death: Giuli Fedorovna Tsivirko......Page 108 CHAPTER 6 It Wasn’t Life: Nina Ivanovna Rodina......Page 120 Part Three: Children of Enemies......Page 136 CHAPTER 7 Three Death Certificates but No Grave: Boris Israelovich/Srul’evich Faifman......Page 138 CHAPTER 8 Enumerated Units: Giuzel Gumerovna Ibragimova......Page 154 Part Four: Children of Enemies and Then Arrested......Page 170 CHAPTER 9 From Privilege to Exile: Valeriia Mikhailovna Gerlin......Page 172 CHAPTER 10 Bridging Separate Worlds: Feliks Arkadievich Serebrov......Page 190 Part Five: Documents: Survivor Accounts and Letters......Page 212 CHAPTER 11 I So Desired Death: Czesława Greczyn......Page 214 CHAPTER 12 Fragments: Anna Cieślikowska......Page 222 CHAPTER 13 Disgusting and Hopeless: Maria Norciszek......Page 228 CHAPTER 14 We Will Surely Die: Irena Grześkowiak......Page 232 CHAPTER 15 Why Did He Ruin Our Happiness? Franciszka Dul......Page 236 CHAPTER 16 Fare Thee Well: Valentin Tikhonovich Muravskii and Rozalia Iosifovna Muravskaia......Page 240 Notes......Page 244 Glossary......Page 262 Measurement Conversions......Page 266 Note on Contributors......Page 268 Index......Page 270 pt. 1. Forced laborers in the Perm region A life in the forest : Sira Stepanovna Balashina Soviet but German : Robert Avgustovich Ianke Under two dictators : Davlet Sulimirovich Ramazanov pt. 2. Exiled and arrested A mother in exile : Larisa Mikhailovna Lappo-Danilevskaia Surrounded by death : Giuli Fedorovna Tsivirko It wasn't life : Nina Ivanovna Rodina pt. 3. Children of enemies Three death certificates but no grave : Boris Israelovich Faifman Enumerated units : Giuzel Gumerovna Ibragimova pt. 4. Children of enemies and then arrested From privilege to exile : Valeriia Mikhailovna Gerlin Bridging separate worlds : Felix Arkadievich Serebrov pt. 5. Documents: Survivor accounts and letters I so desired death : Czesława Greczyn Fragments : Anna Cieślikowska Disgusting and hopeless : Maria Norciszek We will surely die : Irena Grześkowiak Why did he ruin our happiness? : Franciszka Dul Fare thee well : Valentin Tikhonovich Muravskii and Rozalia Iosifovna Muravskaia Glossary. Annotation "In this volume, the powerful voices of Gulag survivors will become accessible to English-speaking audiences for the first time through oral histories, rather than written memoirs. It brings together interviews with men and women, members of the working class and intelligentsia, people who live in the major cities and those from the "provinces," and from an array of corrective hard labor camps and prisons across the former Soviet Union. Its aims are threefold: 1) to give a sense of the range of the Gulag experience and its consequences for Russian society; 2) to make the Gulag relevant to English-speaking readers by offering comparisons to historical catastrophes they are likely to know more about, such as the Holocaust; and 3) to discuss issues of oral history and memory in the cultural context of Soviet and post-Soviet society"--Provided by publisher & Quot;In this volume, the powerful voices of Gulag survivors will become accessible to English-speaking audiences for the first time through oral histories, rather than written memoirs. It brings together interviews with men and women, members of the working class and intelligentsia, people who live in the major cities and those from the "provinces," and from an array of corrective hard labor camps and prisons across the former Soviet Union. Its aims are threefold: 1) to give a sense of the range of the Gulag experience and its consequences for Russian society; 2) to make the Gulag relevant to English-speaking readers by offering comparisons to historical catastrophes they are likely to know more about, such as the Holocaust; and 3) to discuss issues of oral history and memory in the cultural context of Soviet and post-Soviet society"--Provided by publisher