Dunwoody resident writes book to preserve Russian family history

Book cover courtesy of David Lyalin David Lyalin a longtime Dunwoody resident and immigrant from the former Soviet Union has compiled his family stories into a book to educate and inspire future generations Tales of a Grandfather Who Once Upon a Time Was a Grandson Himself written in both Russian and English is a collection of family stories published by Sandermoen Publishing in Switzerland Lyalin who works as an industrial engineer specialist at the CDC is a first-time author I originally wrote it for my grandchildren but the project grew into something much larger a way to preserve family memory across languages continents and generations Lyalin commented The stories span the Russian Empire and Soviet history immigration family loss and love and the connections that survive across time and place informed with warmth humor and reflection Lyalin stated his desire to compile his family s memories emerged during the pandemic when his daughter and other relatives were scattered across the world I detected myself wanting to share with them stories not just bedtime tales but something deeper the kind of stories that connect us to the past to each other and to the generations we never knew he noted So I began writing The stories were written in Russian at first because it was the language of Lyalin s childhood his parents and grandparents But since his grandchildren don t speak Russian he wished to translate the tales so they could share in their family history It took him a year to complete Translating my own stories from Russian to English was harder than writing them in the first place he mentioned There s a line from Russian poetry To tears to veins to childhood s swollen glands that s how deeply a native language lives in us The stories are not only personal in nature but they are also historical not in a textbook form but history reported in kitchens and tramcars playgrounds and hospital rooms Lyalin mentioned In them are the small living truths of what it meant to be a Jew in the Soviet Union what it meant to leave what it means to remember David Lyalin born in Leningrad immigrated to the United States in as part of a Jewish refugee undertaking along with his wife and nine-year-old daughter He disclosed the lack of religious and political freedom in Russia drove him from his native country He stated his now- -year-old mother was a source of inspiration and information for the book She remembers a lot of things from the past that I never knew Lyalin commented Although the book is dedicated to my grandchildren I wrote it in large part for my mother Because this book and every story in it means infinitely more to her than to anyone else solely because they were written by me her son Lyalin explained his mother was on his mind during the entire writing and editing process She with the endless patience of an old school educator listened to me read the drafts over the phone and as inevitably firmly and wisely guided me in the right direction he disclosed Lyalin noted his book has resonated with both his Russian family and his American friends To my surprise the book has discovered resonance not only within my family but far beyond it Russian-speaking readers have recounted me it reminds them of people and moments they had forgotten he declared English-speaking readers have announced it opened a window to a world they had only heard about Lyalin s book Tales of a Grandfather is available in paperback and as an e-book through Sandermoen Publishing A short video Lyalin produced about the book can be identified on Facebook The post Dunwoody resident writes book to preserve Russian family history appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta