When I reflect on my journey from the Penza estate and my grandfather's house in Kerensk to New York, I feel dizzy. Nevertheless, I consider my life to be happy and, if given the chance, I would live it again from start to finish.

Roman Borisovich Gul, a renowned émigré writer, a symbol of Russian emigration, a man with an extraordinary fate who "took Russia with him." Until the 1960s and 1970s, Soviet Russia was unfamiliar with his work, as Gul was banned as a counter-revolutionary, a representative of the "former ones." However, abroad, his invaluable legacy accumulated, which was later to shed light on the truth and awaken the Russian people. Gul became a kind of chronicler, reporting on the reasons for the collapse.

Although Roman Borisovich did not return to Russia, his work was dedicated to the Russian theme and was fueled by love for his homeland. He sought to create an encyclopedia of Russian emigration, describing its cultural life in the countries where he lived and visited. He documented cultural institutions, libraries, the fates of people and their deaths, gathering a vast amount of names, events, and information about the connections of famous personalities abroad. For example, his memories of Sergei Yesenin. Gul recorded in his memoirs the dialogues of great people and his conversations with them. This is the life we did not know and which was not taught in Soviet schools, the flip side of Soviet reality, the legacy of the great Gul.

The writer passed away on June 30, 1986, in New York and was buried at the Assumption Cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent.