Please note: This event will be held exclusively in Russian. The talk and Q&A will be in Russian, with no translation provided.

Driven from their homeland by the Revolution of 1917 and civil war, a generation of Russian poets became émigrés – scattered across Europe and America. Some had already found their voice in Russian letters; others only began to write after exile. In strange cities and fragile new lives, they turned to poetry to endure the pain of dislocation, to grasp for meaning, and to preserve the language that bound them to what was lost.

Condemned to All That Fate Assigns brings together these forgotten voices in a rare, trilingual collection –presented in Russian for the first time in decades, and newly translated into English and French. Published with the support of We Exist! Foundation, this is a book of exile and longing, of survival and hope, written nearly a century ago but strikingly relevant today. In an era marked by renewed displacement, this collection offers recognition, reflection, and the quiet strength of shared experience.

The compiler of the anthology, Roma Liberov, will present the book and talk about the fate and poetry of this first wave of emigrants – how their voices, once nearly lost to history, resonate with renewed clarity in today’s fractured world.

Roma Liberov is the CEO of WE EXIST! FOUNDATION, a film director, producer and screenwriter, known for his innovative films that blend animation, puppetry, and archival materials to bring Russian literary figures to life. Through his work, Liberov has dedicated himself to preserving and reimagining Russian literary heritage for contemporary audiences.

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