Unknown Date — How Long Must I Keep Writing?
Transcription
В.З. Сколько можно писать? Когда я смогу уже снова вернуться на старую родину. Ну, я надеюсь уже совсем скоро. Держитесь крепко, чтобы только все пережить, и снова все вместе, радостно и хорошо. Пока с приветом ваша полна сердечных надежд Раиса. Аня передавай всем приветы.
Context
This brief postcard captures war fatigue and profound homesickness more powerfully than many longer letters:
Letter-Writing Exhaustion: The question “Сколько можно писать?” (How long must one keep writing?) reveals the emotional toll of maintaining correspondence across years of separation. After hundreds of letters and postcards, she voices what many forced exiles feel — the weariness of sustaining relationships through words alone.
Homeland Longing: “Старую родину” (the old homeland) — she calls Ukraine the “old” homeland, perhaps acknowledging that time has changed both her and the place she left. The yearning is palpable: “When will I finally be able to return?”
Cautious Optimism: Despite exhaustion, she maintains hope: “Я надеюсь уже совсем скоро” (I hope very soon now). This reflects the mid-1943 context when the war’s momentum was shifting after Stalingrad.
Family Strength: “Держитесь крепко, чтобы только все пережить” (Hold on tight, just survive everything) — she knows survival itself is an achievement. Her message is simple: endure until reunion.
Beautiful Self-Description: She signs as “полна сердечных надежд Раиса” (Raisa, full of heartfelt hopes) — one of her most poetic self-descriptions. Despite exhaustion, hope remains her defining characteristic.
Postal Details:
- Hindenburg stamps (1+5 Pf) rather than usual Hitler 6 Pf stamps
- Standard “Ab” censorship stamp
- Postcard format suggests this was meant to be brief
Historical Significance: This postcard embodies the psychological reality of forced displacement — the exhaustion of maintaining hope and connection across vast distances and uncertain time. It’s one of her most emotionally raw communications.
The contrast between her weariness (“How long…?”) and her signature (“full of heartfelt hopes”) perfectly captures the duality of survival: despair and hope coexisting.
Source: SCAN0064