Estonians in Russia: Lives and Histories. Estonian Settlements VI.

With the book Estonians in Russia: Lives and Histories (Compiled by Anu Korb Estonian Literary Museum, 2014) we continue publishing the memoirs of Estonians in Russia.

The anthology presents ten stories. This time, the study encompasses Estonians who have settled in regions that are located rather close to their ethnic homeland: north western Russia (Saint Petersburg, Pskov and Novgorod governorates), the Volga region (Simbirsk Governorate, which is now Ulyanovsk Oblast), and the vicinity of Oparino (present-day Kirov Oblast) in North Russia.

Of the texts included in the anthology, seven have been written down by Estonians born in Russia and they are based on memories from childhood or youth and/or on stories heard from their parents and grandparents. Three texts in the anthology were combined from sound-recorded interviews with respondents. The stories from three different regions in Russia, gathered between the covers of a single volume, cannot certainly give a complete overview of the life of Estonians in Russia, but they give some idea about the choices, opportunities and moments of acting upon them that Estonians faced there.

Supported by the Ministry of Education and Research IUT 22-4, National programme “The Estonian Language and Cultural Memory”, project “Estonians in Russia: Settlements History and Cultural Heritage”, Compatriots Programme, Cultural Endowment of Estonia.