On January 26 at 3 pm in the department of national regional literature and bibliography in the Sergei Chavain National Library, the book “Chetlykyse muro” (Song of the Barbed Wire) will be presented. The book’s contents were compiled by Oleg Gerasimov, a musicologist, folklorist, and Doctor of Arts.
The collection includes songs recorded in the concentration camps of Wilhelmine Germany in 1914-18 where prisoners of the Tsarist army, including representatives of the Mari people, were detained.
Materials for this book were provided by the music library of Humboldt University of Berlin.
In the book’s appendix there is a photo album entitled “Camp Prisoners of Chemnitz,” shot by one of the inmates of the camp, Hilarion Danilov (1887-1971), a resident of the village of Danilovo in the Republic of Mari El.
A CD is also included, giving you the opportunity to hear the voices of Mari prisoners (songs, tales, riddles, counting, days of the week, and so on).
The book includes additional information about the Mari prisoners, obtained after the appearance of articles and television coverage on the upcoming publication, according to the marketing department of the Sergei Chavain National Library.
The book was published with the financial support of the Finnish Castrén Society.
MariUver
Based on information from the Ministry of Culture and
the Mari Center of Culture of Mari El
Translated by Kristoffer Hellén
