Soviet Typewriter, "Yatran" Model (c. 1970s)

Soviet Typewriter, "Yatran" Model (c. 1970s)

Samizdat Technology, Soviet Manufacturing, Underground Publishing, Print Culture

A mechanical Cyrillic typewriter used in the clandestine production of samizdat literature. Its design and mechanical limitations shaped the aesthetic of underground texts, and its portability enabled political resistance through unauthorized textual transmission. This specific model was typical of dissident households in the 1970s.

Yatran Typewriter Factory (USSR)

Photographed from Soviet technology archive collection

Not applicable

ca. 1970

Photographed and described by Guanxiao Chen, 2025

Image reproduced for educational use only. Original device in public museum collection.

Used in the production of Letters to a Russian Friend

JPEG (Photograph); Physical dimensions approx. 40 x 30 x 15 cm

Russian (Cyrillic keyboard layout)

Physical Object

UT.Samizdat.002

Kiev, Soviet Union; Cold War era