Kolyman kertomuksia is a stage production based on Varlam Šalamov's collection of the same name, one of the most significant works of 20th-century GULAG literature. Šalamov spent nearly two decades in Soviet labor camps in Kolyma, northeast Siberia, enduring extreme cold down to -50°C. The play stages selected novellas depicting camp life: cold, hunger, crushing labor, moments of lost or fleeting humanity. It focuses on linguistic precision and theatrical intensity rather than historical reconstruction.

Šalamov (1907–1982), a principled dissident, was imprisoned for distributing Lenin's testament criticizing Stalin. He refused supervisory roles to avoid violence against inmates. Released in 1953, he dedicated his life to Kolyma Stories, published abroad in the 1970s and in the USSR in 1989 (Finnish translation 1991).

Presented by Helsinki 98 theater group.

Cast: Sami Lanki, Juha-Pekka Mikkola, Maksim Pavlenko.

Duration: approx. 1 h 40 min (no intermission). Recommended for ages 15+.