Journey into the Whirlwind
| Author | Eugenia Ginzburg |
|---|---|
| Original title | Krutoĭ marshrut |
| Translator | Paul Stevenson and Manya Harari. |
| Language | English (orininally in Russian) |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | (English translation, 1967): Harcourt (US) Collins Harvill (UK) |
Publication date | Translation: 1967 (US and UK) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 332 pp (Collins/Harvill first UK edition) |
Journey into the Whirlwind is the English title of a memoir by Eugenia Ginzburg. Its Russian title Krutoy marshrut can be translated as Tough Journey. Originally published abroad in translation in 1967, it was not published in Russia until the fall of communism.
The two-part book is a highly detailed first-hand account of her life and imprisonment in the Soviet Union during the rule of Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. Although Ginzburg sought to have the manuscript published in the Soviet Union, she was turned down. The manuscript was smuggled out of the country and later sold in many different languages. The book was published in 1967.
In the book, Ginzburg discusses her experiences in prison, where she was held for eighteen years. Throughout her time in the Gulag, Ginzburg was able to form friendships, cultivate a love of poetry and reunite with her son Vasily Aksyonov, after her release. A second volume, Within the Whirlwind, published in 1969 after the author's death, continues her story.
In the UK the translation was published in 1967 by Collins Harvill as "Into the Whirlwind" (republished in the UK by Persephone Books in 2014).