A story of romance in the Gulag between a man and a woman who never met. Vladimir dropped a crumpled piece of paper from an open lorry among some women prisoners, asking for one of them to exchange letters with him. The women read the letter out aloud among themselves. Would any of them volunteer to reply? Ivanna did. And so began a romance that lasted 13 years and which still means a great deal to Ivanna.

We are grateful to James Fox for voicing words of an emotional letter written by Vladmir one New Year’s Eve in the Gulag.