Publication of Ego-Documents in Siberia and the Far East During the Great Patriotic War

Ego-documents (or documents of personal origin) are valuable sources that reveal new facets of historical realities and contribute to the creation of a more complete picture of current events. The growing interest from humanists in ego-documents, which captured the subjective and personal perception of reality, occurred at the end of the 20th century. At the same time, an analysis of the publishing practice of such materials during the Great Patriotic War showed that their value was recognized already at the time of their creation due to the strong mobilizing effect of these sources. The article examines the thematic and typological composition of historical evidence of a personal nature published in Siberia and the Far East in 1941—1945. It was revealed that during the Great Patriotic War, the following types of ego-documents were mainly published: memoirs, letters and diaries. Due to the dual nature of the texts, memoir-journalistic essays that combine documentary and artistic principles are conventionally classified in publications as memoirs. The conducted research showed that this type of ego-documents was the most published during the Great Patriotic War. The publications of letters were widespread in the war years, which came out in separate collections and documentary attachments to fiction and biographical essays. The documents of personal origin published in 1941—1945 are thematically divided into two groups: military and national economic. Ego-documents of the participants of the Great Patriotic War were aimed at forming emotional intolerance towards the enemy among the general population, and at transferring the experience accumulated in combat conditions. Ego-documents on national economic topics were focused on transmitting production knowledge and skills acquired in the process of labor in military conditions. The solution of this problem in 1941—1945 was of particular importance in Siberia, since the region became the most important technical and food base of the country.

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