Just Send Me Word

A poignant record … as fascinating and inspiring as it is heartbreaking … It is impossible to read without shedding tears – Simon Sebag Montefiore * Financial Times *This powerful narrative by a distinguished historian will take its place not just in history but in literature – Robert MassieElectrifying, passionate, devoted, despairing, exhilarating … a tale of hope, resilience, grit and love * The Times *Remarkable … moving… possesses extraordinary value … a notable contribution to Gulag literature – Max Hastings * Sunday Times *Immensely touching … [a] heartening gem of a book – Anna Reid * Literary Review *The remarkable true story of a love affair between two Soviet citizens … as much a literary challenge as a historical one: the book can be read as a non-fiction novel * Telegraph *Figes has achieved something extraordinary … the gulag story lacks individuals for us to sympathise with: a Primo Levi, an Anne Frank or even an Oskar Schindler. Just Send Me Word may well be the book to change that … the kind of love that most of us can only dream of – Oliver Bullough * Independent *Remarkable … Figes, selecting and then interpreting this mass of letters, makes them tell two kinds of story. The first is a uniquely detailed narrative of the gulag, of the callous, slatternly universe which consumed millions of lives … The second is about two people determined not to lose each other – Neal Ascherson * Guardian *A quiet, moving and memorable account of life in a totalitarian state … The book often reads like a novel … captivating * Evening Standard *Orlando Figes has wrought something beautiful from dark times – Ian Thomson * Observer *

Orlando Figes is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the author of Peasant Russia, Civil War, A People’s Tragedy, Natasha’s Dance, The Whisperers and Crimea. He lives in Cambridge and London. His books have been translated into over twenty languages.

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