Irina Ratushinskaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irina Ratushinskaya
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| Ирина Борисовна Ратушинская | |
Irina Ratushinskaya. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
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| Born |
Irina Borisovna Ratushinskaya
4 March 1954 |
| Died | 5 July 2017 (aged 63) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Citizenship |  Soviet Union (1954–1987),  Russian Federation (1991–2017) |
| Alma mater | Odessa University |
| Occupation | poet, writer, screenwriter |
| Known for | human rights activism |
| Movement | dissident movement in the Soviet Union |
Irina Borisovna Ratushinskaya (Russian: Ири́на Бори́совна Ратуши́нская, born March 4, 1954, in Odessa – died July 5, 2017, in Moscow) was a brave Russian poet and writer. She was known as a dissident, which means she spoke out against the government in the Soviet Union. She believed in human rights and freedom.
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About Irina Ratushinskaya's Life
Irina Ratushinskaya was born in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 4, 1954. Her father, Boris Leonidovich Ratushinsky, was an engineer. Her mother, Irina Valentinovna Ratushinskaya, taught Russian literature. Irina also had a sister. Her mother's family came from Poland. Her great-grandfather was sent to Siberia after a rebellion in 1863.
Irina studied at Odessa University and earned a master's degree in physics in 1976. Before and after her graduation, she taught at a primary school in Odessa from 1975 to 1978.
Why Irina Was Arrested
On September 17, 1982, Irina Ratushinskaya was arrested. She was accused of "anti-Soviet agitation." This meant the government believed she was trying to weaken their power by writing and sharing her poems.
In March 1983, she was found guilty in Kiev. She received a harsh sentence: seven years in a strict labor camp (a type of prison where people were forced to work), followed by five years of internal exile. This meant she would have to live in a specific remote area after her prison time.
Irina spent three and a half years in the labor camp. For one year, she was held in a cold, unheated cell, even when temperatures dropped to minus 40 degrees Celsius. She was released early, on October 9, 1986. This happened just before a big meeting between President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland.
Writing in Prison
Even while she was in prison, Irina continued to write poetry. Before her arrest, her poems were often about love, faith, and art. They were not about politics, even though her accusers said they were.
In prison, she wrote about 250 new poems. She used a matchstick to write them on bars of soap. She would memorize the poems, then wash the soap away so no one would find them. These new poems showed her strong belief in human rights, liberty, and the beauty of life.
Her book, Grey is the Colour of Hope, tells the story of her time in prison. Her later poems also describe the difficult and terrible experiences she faced there.
Life in Exile
In 1987, after her release, Irina Ratushinskaya moved to the United States. There, she received an award for religious freedom. In the same year, the Soviet government took away her and her husband's citizenship.
She worked as a Poet-in-Residence at Northwestern University in Illinois from 1987 to 1989. For the next ten years, Irina lived in London, UK. In December 1998, she and her family returned to Russia. They wanted their seven-year-old twin sons to go to Russian schools. Irina and her husband worked hard to get their Russian citizenship back, even writing letters to President Boris Yeltsin.
Return to Russia
Back in Russia, Irina continued to write. She wrote scripts for TV shows and sometimes gave poetry readings.
Sadly, Irina passed away from cancer in 2017. She was survived by her husband, Igor Gerashchenko, who was also a human rights activist, and their two sons. People held memorial events for Irina in Moscow and other Russian cities.
Irina Ratushinskaya's Lasting Impact
Irina's life has inspired many people around the world. Her books have been translated into English, German, French, Japanese, and other languages. They have been published in many countries.
A Russian version of her book Grey is the Colour of Hope was planned to be launched at the Museum of the Gulag history in Moscow in 2019. Also, an English course that Irina wrote has been expanded by her son Oleg. These courses are now taught to children, teens, and adults in Russia and China.
Books by Irina Ratushinskaya
- Poems/Cтихи/Poèmes (1984), Hermitage. ISBN: 0-938920-54-5.
- A Tale of Three Heads / сказка о трех головах (1986), Hermitage. ISBN: 0-938920-83-9.
- No, I'm Not Afraid (1986) translated by David McDuff, Bloodaxe. ISBN: 0-906427-95-9.
- Beyond the Limit (1987) translated by Frances Padorr Brent and Carol J. Avins, Northwestern University. ISBN: 0-8101-0748-1.
- Pencil Letter (1989) translated by various, Bloodaxe/Hutchinson, UK ISBN: 1-85224-050-4; Alfred A. Knopf, USA. ISBN: 0-394-57170-3.
- Grey Is the Color of Hope (1989), Sceptre, UK ISBN: 978-1-4736-3722-1 Vintage, USA. ISBN: 0-679-72447-8.
- In the Beginning (1991), Sceptre. ISBN: 978-1-4736-3724-5.
- Dance With a Shadow (1992) translated by David McDuff, 1992, Bloodaxe. ISBN: 1-85224-232-9.
- The Odessans (1996), Sceptre. ISBN: 978-1-4736-3726-9.
- Fictions and Lies (1999) translated by Alyona Kojevnikova, Sceptre. ISBN: 978-1-4736-3728-3.
- Wind of the Journey (2000), Cornerstone Press, Chicago. ISBN: 0-940895-44-7.
Music and Unfinished Works
Poems Set to Music
Some of Irina's poems have been turned into music:
- Sally Beamish used her poems for a piece called No, I'm not afraid (1998).
- Irina Leskova also set her poems to songs.
Unpublished Works
Not all of Irina's creative works were published.
- A play called 'Борцу не больно' (the wrestler does not hurt) was written in two parts for a film about sambo (a type of martial art). However, it was not used in the film, except for some character names.
- Irina was working on her last novel, Azor's Paw, when she passed away from cancer. The 13 chapters she wrote are kept by her family. Her son Oleg translated the first chapter into English, which was Irina's final request for him.
