“I’m not one of those strong people”: Traumatic Experiences in Gulag Letters

Abstract

Letters exchanged between people encourage a shift from emphasising individualism and separation to highlighting relationships. Even in complex traumatic situations, it is helpful to view them as shared experiences, as this increases ways to cope with trauma and demonstrates that correspondence can be a form of healing.

Based on a collection of Gulag letters gathered by Lithuanian museologist Kazimiera Galaunienė (Kairiūkštytė) (1924–2016), this article features over 550 items held at the Galaunė House and Museum, part of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art in Kaunas. The core of the collection consists of letters written by Kazimiera herself and her younger sister Janina, who were detained in various prison camps between 1953 and 1956. A notable section contains letters from relatives and friends sent to the camps. The collection preserves the network of correspondence and provides insight into the traumatic experiences from multiple perspectives. It highlights the trauma faced by young imprisoned women, which spreads to their relatives, penetrating their daily lives. The ongoing relationships turn out to be a strong motivation for overcoming trauma.

The article presents the modality of non-life as a specific experience prevailing in the prison camp, inseparable from slowing time, when years are indistinguishable from decades. Although the letters from the camp are limited by external and internal censorship, they carry the pain of survival in the camp as well as numerous daily prison details that provide at least a partial understanding of past personal and political historical events, which remain relevant today as a healing dimension of contemporary culture.