For a long time very little was known about life of white émigrés in Turkey. Although it was Constantinople that became the main transfer site for hundreds of thousands of refugees from Russia after the October Revolution and the Civil War. Perhaps this gap would not have been filled for a very long time if it were not for the selfless work of our compatriot Marina Sigirji. A few days ago she presented her book “Thank you, Constantinople! In the footsteps of white émigrés in Turkey” in the House of Russian Émigré Community.

The first Russian person that Joshua Braganza met was a circus mechanic. Joshua grew up in a small town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where nearly everyone knew each other. The Russian’s name was Nikolai, and he was notable for his education: he was well versed in literature and music. Nikolai shared what winter was like in Russia and about beauty of its nature. Those stories spread a fairy tale sensation - this is how children perceive a narrative of a journey to faraway lands. Perhaps that was the time when the boy got a forefeeling in his soul that his whole subsequent life would be connected with Russia.