Eufrosinia Antonovna Kersnovskaya (Russian: Евфроси́ния Анто́новна Керсно́вская; 8 January 1908[1] – 8 March 1994[2]) was a Russian woman who spent 12 years in Gulag camps and wrote her memoirs in 12 notebooks, 2,200,000 characters, accompanied with 680 pictures.
She wrote three copies of the work. In 1968, friends typed samizdat copies, repeating the pictures on the back sides of the sheets. Excerpts from the work were first published in Ogonyok and Znamya magazines in 1990, as well as in The Observer (June 1990). After that, German and French publications followed. In 2001 the complete text, in six volumes, was published in Russia.
In 1942 she attempted to escape, but was recaptured and sentenced to death.[3][4] She refused to ask for clemency and wrote on a sheet of paper provided to her for this purpose: "I cannot demand justice, I do not want to ask for mercy". Kernovskaya's death sentence was nevertheless commuted to 10 years of labor camps, which she spent in the Norillag (Норильлаг, Norilsk labor camp) at mining works.
After the discharge in 1953 she lived in Yessentuki and wrote her memoirs during 1964–1968, which were published only in 1990.
Her memoirs are illustrated by hundreds of drawings of life in the Gulag. They are also remarkable for the quality of the drawings.
Bibliography
Керсновская Е.А. "Наскальная живопись". - М.: КВАДРАТ, 1991;
Kersnovskaja Е. "Ach Herr wenn unsre Sünden uns verklagen". - Kiel: NEUER MALIK VERLAG, 1991.
Kersnovskaja Е. "Coupable de rien". - Paris: PLON, 1994.
Керсновская Е.А. "Сколько стоит человек". - 6 volumes, Moscow, ООО "МОЖАЙСК-ТЕРРА", 2000-2001.
