About the book: 2013 / Diary of the poetess Irina Nikolaevna Knorring (1906–1943), named by her “A Tale from My Own Life” is published for the first time. The second volume of the Diary covers the period from 1926 to 1940 and reflects the events that happened to Russian emigrants in France. The reader gets acquainted with the everyday life of Russian poets and writers who make their living as window washers or perfume packers; with the life of the Podgorny estate, where the Homecoming Union took root (and where the poetess, unaware of this, and her son rest in the summer); with the work of the Turgenev Library in Paris, Zemgora children's camps, Red Cross institutions and other organizations providing assistance to emigrants. Many unknown facts of the social and cultural life of our compatriots in France are revealed to the readers of the Diary. The book is equipped with comments and an annotated index of names, including about 1,400 personalities - both outstanding people and completely unknown ones.