With so much happening in the world at the moment it is easy to forget about the ongoing events in Ukraine. I see the media start to relegate it in their scheduling here, as the news cycles churn over. I had updated my facebook profile icon to be a heart shaped blue and yellow Ukrainian flag but I find that my connection starts to feel limited.
Yet, over thirty years ago I answered an advert for penfreinds in ‘Gay Times’ magazine from a man living in the Ukraine. It turned out he lived in Kiev and was called Viktor. He was full of hope for the future, living in a country just liberated from Russia in the fall of communism; optimistic about change. We didn’t keep in touch for very long sadly, perhaps we had both hoped we would meet in each others country – but it wasn’t to be. In fact I’d forgotten all about this until I happened across his letter yesterday, in a pile of old letters that I’d carefully kept, and suddenly all the dots were connected for me. I can’t get his permission but I don’t think he would have minded if I reproduce his introductory letter here in full, as he wrote it, three decades ago.
I have however omitted his surname and (sadly) his picture, which I still have on the back of the postcard of the beautiful old theatre in Kiev, one destroyed I think in the recent bombardment, that he sent to me with the first letter. It is a less than one inch wide, black and white passport style photo of a very earnest looking young man, in a dark roll neck pullover with dark hair and eyebrows, which I only just noticed he had stuck over a pre paid ‘CCCP Russian federation’ stamp for 5 Hrynvias & dated 1988 on the card. I do remember though that I liked it.
Kiev, 15 Oktober
Hello dear David,
You thought very right that it would be good to write to me. It is splendid! I was so happy when I got your nice letter from London. I am interested for the friendship with you. Here on the card in this letter you can see a photo of myself. Please write me if you like it? Your photo I like quite well.
I like travelling so good as you but I haved not money for it. That’s a pity. My spare time I can go with my friend to the cinema, the theatre, to a party and walking. I like to write poems and stories and I have a dream to write a beautiful story about romantic love between two gay boys. And I want to find a regiseur (a director I think) who will produce a magnificent film about this. How do you like my dream?
Dear David, I cannot understand all the sentences in your letter because your writing is difficult for me. But yes I was in Crimea, in Yalta and in Jeurpatoria. It is very beautiful there. You ask in Kiev are there any cafes and places for gay people? No, there are not. Only is a disco but very seldom.It is so very difficult to find a good friend, a gay boy in Kiev. Yes it is true I have other friends in Kiev but in a moment I do not have a gay friend for love. That feels like my biggest problem.
Kiev City where I live is a very beautiful city with old architecture, it is the capital of our Ukraine and I am working here as a german teacher. I speak German very well , more better than English. Do you speak German or Russian?
Please write me back soon!
My best regards, your new friend, Viktor.
Viktor, I imagine, is in his mid to late fifties now and I do wonder what happened to him, his life and whether he managed to find love, to write his romantic story and carry on learning English? I do hope so. But I also wonder if he is fighting -or even too old now- and how he feels about what is happening to his country. Suddenly though I feel connected: to his past, and I imagine the future there for people such as my young gay penfriend, Viktor.
