Hrytsenko, K.

Description

Creators

K. Hrytsenko (d.b. unknown)

Volodymyr Maniak

, Recipient

Media Type

Text

Item Types

Correspondence

Envelopes

Description

Letter sent from: Kyiv oblast
Letter describes events in 1932-1933 in:
Current location name: Kyiv oblast

Notes

Author's gender: Female
Author's name in Ukrainian: К. Гриценко
Category: Child

Collation

Hrytsenko was one of 4 children in a family of 6 who all swelled up during the Famine, but survived. The only food they had was raw beets. Hrytsenko’s father left, and after some time they received a letter and a parcel from him, with some bread and bran. Some time passed and her father reappeared, then left with two daughters for Podolsk in Moscow Oblast, Russia, where he had found a job. He lived with those two daughters in a room in a dormitory and shared his ration with them. He brought those two children back in the summer [of 1933], then left again for Podolsk. He stayed there until his death at the age of 82.

Meanwhile, Hrytsenko’s mother developed an intestinal blockage, was treated in a hospital and recovered. There was no nursery in their village, so children wandered around unattended. Once Hrytsenko was leading their cow back home from the pasture and the cow almost trampled a three-year old.

She believes that the Famine was caused by “enemies of the people,” who took the grain away from everybody. Many people ate cats, dogs and even other humans. Many died, including entire families, and did not receive a proper burial.

Date of Original