Till My Tale Is Told: Women's Memoirs of the Gulag

Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian and East European Studies

by Simeon Vilensky (Editor)

"How extraordinary it is that compassion and tenderness may flourish in the cruellest conditions; how stubbornly and bravely people survive them. This is not a depressing book but an inspiriting and encouraging one." ―Doris Lessing

"The sixteen life stories are riveting. . . . testimony to the complexity of the human spirit[,] to miracles of survival and endurance in the most hellish of conditions. . . . Till My Tale Is Told remind[s] us of the importance of remembrance and testimony about this particularly brutal chapter of human history."
―The Women's Review of Books

Arrest, interrogation, imprisonment, trial and sentencing, transport, labor camps, internal exile, sometimes release, often followed by re-arrest and re-imprisonment and, for those who outlived Stalin, eventual reprieve and rehabilitation these are the outlines of the experiences recorded by 16 courageous Russian women whose moving testimonies, most of them written in secret and at great personal risk, are presented here.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Biography, Russian Literature, Russian History, Memoir

376 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2001

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of this book, it talks about how these women were some of Solzhenitsyn's 200 silent witnesses, but they didn't really like his interpretation. I have to admit The Gulag Archipelago doesn't really have the feeling that this collection does, probably because these are women telling their own story. It's quite amazing, and similar to the many, many stories of Communism in other countries. It's always the same horror, different leader, although Russia is a particularly interesting example because of the sheer numbers of people it managed to annihilate in an organized fashion in such a short period of time, while the world ignored it, and still does.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of several women's experiences in the Soviet gulag system. Some are better than others, of course. Some are a bit vague while others are incredibly detailed. These ladies suffered severe hardships, for no good reason, at the hands of the Soviet state, and took incredible risk writing down their experiences, even decades after their imprisonment.

Their stories - and the gulag system in general - deserve more attention.

[Shaunaly Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compilation of factual accounts that represent the utter degradation and suffering inflicted upon sixteen women who were forced into the slave labor camps of the "Gulag" (Glavnoe Upravlenie ispravitel’no-trudovykh LAGerei), at the hands of the monstrous Stalinist regime. These are their stories of survival, stoicism and endurance.
The book's strength lies partly in its cumulative effect as each account offers the reader a great insight into the women's strength of spirit, determination of character and compassion for humanity while facing the most unimaginable circumstances of emotional desperation they experienced during their respective prison sentences. Their stories, for me, will never be forgotten.

Also, upon completing Vilenskly's compilation, I realized how naïve I am in my knowledge of the experience of this generation of women. It certainly piqued a deeper curiosity within me and a desire to learn so much more and I so love when that happens!

"Since then, at an uncertain hour
That agony returns,
And till my ghastly tale is told
This heart within me burns" From "THE ANCIENT MARINER"

[Fionnuala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another one of those specific collections about the Gulag, and it's an often untold aspect. Prior to this my knowledge of women's experiences in the Gulag system came from comments and brief glimpses in other books, as well as a closer and more academic look by the likes of Anne Applebaum and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This was the first book on the subject I read by the women themselves, and it's also a brilliant reference -- these are extracts from longer pieces and memoirs, so it provides a great reading list for the subject, too.

As with all memoirs about the Gulag, this book is incredibly important and absolutely astounding to read. I don't know what I can say about the content itself without rehashing my opinions from the other books on this topic I have read, but I will repeat that books like this are necessary and, I believe, required reading. I can't imagine what it must take to be able to put an experience like this into words, but it's vitally important -- now more than ever -- that we remember historical events such as these. Considering how many people died in these camps, and their stories with them, collections like these are honestly a miracle.

[Lauren Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent accounts of women who spent time in the Gulag under Stalin's regime. It's all stuff you can read in text books but the personal accounts make it that much more real and that much more important to remember. Really recommend it to anyone interested in this past century of Russian history...it's so much better than just reading facts and the ramblings of historians who are speculating about something they didn't experience.

[Nicky Triggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because it was in the bibliography in Helen Dunmore's Russian books. I wanted to find out more about the treatment of so-called traitors of the state. I am told I do enjoy a miserable book and this is certainly that . For once I did not find it interesting and educative at the same time. The women's tales all echoed the same injustice and waste of human life. Devout Party members could be informed on for making a light -hearted comment deemed to be anti state, or just being a relative of such a person meant imprisonment, torture ,hard labour or being shot without a trial. Bleak, depressingly bleak.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but only tells short excerpts of their story. Just when you are really getting into their tale, it abruptly ends and a new story begins.

[Lloyd Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the the read. Stand alone stories or excerpts from female survivors of the Gulag

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of women's experiences of life in the Russian Gulags. I must admit I only read parts of it, as it is very long and does get rather overwhelming - the long opening section, by a woman who is a fine writer, was especially moving.