Povratak iz Gulaga

Return from the Gulag serves as a continuation, supplement, and commentary to Karl Steiner’s renowned memoir, 7,000 Days in Siberia. The author revisits the experience of nearly twenty years spent in Soviet prisons, labor camps, and exile, enriching the account with new memories, reflections, and insights. A committed communist and official of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, Steiner arrived in the Soviet Union believing in socialist ideals; however, during Stalin’s purges, he was arrested and—despite his innocence—swept into the repressive Gulag system.

Steiner describes interrogations, fabricated charges, imprisonment, forced labor, starvation, disease, and brutal living conditions, as well as the fates of the many people he met during his captivity. His testimony reveals how the Stalinist system relied on fear, denunciations, political persecution, and arbitrary sentencing. At the same time, he speaks of solidarity among prisoners, the struggle for survival, and the effort to preserve dignity and hope even in utterly inhumane circumstances.

The book also covers the period following Stalin’s death, his rehabilitation, and his return to Yugoslavia, as well as the experience of life after years of captivity. As a companion to 7,000 Days in Siberia, Return from the Gulag is not merely an autobiographical account but also a valuable historical document and a critical testimony regarding Stalinism, political repression, and the impact of a totalitarian system on the individual.