A look back at the presentation of the book "Escaping Stalin: The Story of the Baltic Refugees in Denmark and the Long Road Home"

On November 19, the Museum hosted a presentation of the book Flugten fra Stalin: Historien om de baltiske flygtninge i Danmark og den lange vej hjem (Escaping Stalin: The Story of the Baltic Refugees in Denmark and the Long Road Home) by Danish authors Brian Traantoft Rasmussen and Thomas Græsbøll Svaneborg.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book Escaping Stalin by historian Brian Traantoft Rasmussen and journalist Thomas Græsbøll Svaneborg, brings forward the – so far – untold story of thousands of people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who fled across the Baltic Sea by the end of World War II and found temporary refuge in Denmark while their homelands were occupied by the Soviet Union.

Based on intensive research, interviews with refugees and descendants, letters and diaries, the book sheds light on the experience of being a refugee – of loss, hope, courage and sense of belonging.

The book was released the 10th of April 2025 in Denmark and has been well received by the Danish public and critics. It is not translated in Latvian in full length yet, but a translated excerpt is available here: https://issuu.com/baltics_danishculture.com/docs/escaping_stalin_-_excerpt_in_latvian?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

Escaping Stalin book presentation events and discussions in the Baltics are part of the Danish EU Presidency 2025 cultural programme in the Baltic States, which aims to highlight the close ties between Denmark and the Baltic countries and to show how cultural exchange continues to reinforce understanding, solidarity, and democratic values.