38
Translator’s note — a penal colony run by the NKVD — People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs.
39
Editor’s note — addressing a person using both their first and second (patronymic) name is a sign of respect in Russia.
40
Editor’s note — a common name for the Great War in the USSR in the 1920s and 1930s.
41
Translator’s note — another diminutive for Vasiliy.
42
Translator’s note — a common nickname for the counter-revolutionary forces during the Civil war in Russia (1918-1922).
43
Translator’s note — abbreviation of Communist University.
44
Translator’s note — Moscow Garment.
45
Translator’s note — Moscow City Council.
46
Translator’s note — another diminutive for Anna.
47
Translator’s note — a trio of judges — a typical court during Stalin’s purges.
48
Editor’s note — Yurka, Yurochka — diminutives for Yuri.
49
Translator’s note — diminutive from Alexey.
50
Translator’s note — died during Stalin’s purges in 1937.
51
Translator’s note — Provincial
52
Translator’s note — the President of the USSR — a notable figure during Stalin’s reign.
53
Translator’s note — diminutive for Vasiliy.
54