“I've never written as many letters in my life as I have here…” Historian S.S. Dmitriev in Stalinsk (November 1941 – September 1942)

Many Soviet historians found themselves in unusual evacuation conditions during the Great Patriotic War. One of these historians was Sergey Sergeevich Dmitriev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, lecturer at Moscow State University. His evacuation epic lasted from October 1941 to August 1943, with departure and return to Moscow. From November 1941 to early September 1942, S.S. Dmitriev lived and worked in the industrial city of Stalinsk (modern Novokuznetsk) Novosibirsk region. This part of his biography is poorly studied in Russian historiography. The purpose of the work is to highlight various aspects of S.S. Dmitriev's life in the rear industrial city, thereby filling in the existing biographical gap, as well as to actualize the understanding of the everyday life of the scientific intelligentsia in the evacuation period of the Great Patriotic War. The work is based on the documents of personal origin - published diaries and correspondence of S.S. Dmitriev with his relatives, friends and colleagues. The materials of the city newspaper "Bolshevik Steel" were used as needed. The ego documents of S.S. Dmitriev allow us to identify several aspects that were mainly described by the author. First of all, this is teaching at the Stalinist State Teachers' Institute. The training was two-year, and even a fairly gentle and comfortable work schedule did not brighten up the Moscow historian's negative impression of the level of students and teachers. It was compounded by the absolute inability to engage in research activities due to the lack of archives and special publications. This upset S.S. Dmitriev, who was accustomed to a different rhythm of life, plunging him into melancholy and despondency. He was able to distract himself from sad thoughts by reading accessible periodicals, classical literature, active correspondence, reading educational lectures in hospitals, cultural centers, libraries, as well as writing articles for "Bolshevik Steel". Another important aspect was the description of the daily life of the rear city. S.S. Dmitriev pointed out the prices of products and goods, the variety and composition of dinners, their cost, noted the troubles of communal life, the level of culture and well-being of the population, weather conditions, etc. In general, S.S. Dmitriev's ten-month stay in Stalinsk became a real test for him, as the Moscow historian had to adapt to the harsh realities of the industrial city in the rear. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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