August 09, 2023

Message in the Guestbook: Arina's Story


Message in the Guestbook: Arina's Story
Arina's drawing of herself and her best friend, Alina. The author

In the southern city of Daugavpils, Latvia, the Mark Rothko Art Center stands just a few steps away from the city's eighteenth-century fortress. The museum is a staple for anyone visiting Daugavpils, including Arina G.

Arina G., whose full name has been withheld, is a Russian emigré. Russian Life found her story — and cry for help — in the pages of Mark Rothko Art Center's guestbook.

Arina wrote that, days before arriving in Daugavpils, she was denied a residency permit in Lithuania because she is a Russian citizen. She wrote, "I feel very sad, because I'm trying to escape Russia. I cannot live there any longer, even though it is my home and I love St. Petersburg so much."

Arina's message in the guestbook
Arina's message in the guestbook.

Arina G. is against the war in Ukraine: "I feel terrible for people that [are] still there, or those who left their homes (I even have a friend from Ukraine, he is very cool)." However, she followed this with: "But. Big but: it's unfair for you to keep me in this prison, especially when I don't want to [support the war]."

Arina is not alone.

As a fifth wave of Russian emigration continues, many countries, including Lithuania and Latvia, have denied visas, restricted access, and even banned entry of Russian citizens. Russians who settled abroad long before the war fear losing their residencies and being sent back, especially those who are students.

Those who have managed to stay legally in countries with economic or political ties to Russia risk being extradited. Twenty-year-old political journalist Alexey Voloshinov had to leave Armenia for exactly that reason. Amnesty International Germany has reported that Russian activists and journalists who were able to get Schengen visas automatically become illegal immigrants after 90 days. To any dissenters, even the non-famous like Arina G., a return home could mean a jail sentence. 

Arina G. ends her message: "I don't have a lot of friends, but I wanted to share my sadness with someone. I'm sorry that I was born in Russia." The following page includes a sketch made by Arina of her and her best friend with the inscription: "I wish you were here with me. I love you and miss you."

The guestbook is just a few feet from one of Mark Rothko Art Center's latest exhibits: How Did I Get to the Bomb Shelter? The collaboration between the museum and Ukrainian artists shows works done by Ukrainian artists during Russia's War on Ukraine.

You Might Also Like

A Flood. And Support.
  • August 15, 2023

A Flood. And Support.

Expressing our thanks and optimism amid war, floods, and publishing challenges.
Notes at the Front
  • August 15, 2023

Notes at the Front

More poignant and brave “last words” of dissenters, and a look at one popular place (again) of exile.
Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Considering some telling facts and figures from Russia, the war, and where things are now.
The New Dissidents
  • August 14, 2012

The New Dissidents

The three women - Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich & Nadezhda Tolokonnikova - on trial in Russia for "hooliganism" for their punk rock performance in Savior's Cathedral, made long closing statements last week. While people can debate the women's tactics, it is excruciatingly difficult after reading their statements to doubt that the women are serious, thoughtful and extremely articulate critics of authoritarianism in Russia. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }   #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }  
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955