Author: Berezov, Rodion
Title: Dozhd I Slezy. Stikhi [Rain and Tears. Poems]
Description: San Francisco: Delo, 1951. Softcover. First edition; 5 3/4 x 7 1/4; pp. 98; blue wraps printed in gilt; margins of wraps with darker discoloration and some spotting; lacking first blank leaf else complete; text printed on heavy textured paper and ruled in gilt; internally mostly very clean; good to very good. Russian writer Rodion Berezov (known by the name Akulshin before his defection) came to the US, after being in a DP camp in Germany, immediately after WWII (living first in LA and later in San Francisco). Fearing deportation, he gave the US immigration authorities a fake name and place of birth. This practice was not an unusual occurrence among the thousands of Soviet refugees fleeing the terrors from behind the Iron Curtain. Eventually, Berezov decided to make a test case and reveal his true identity. Still, despite coming clean, he faced repatriation due to the signing of the Yalta Agreement with Russia, under which the US was obliged to repatriate illegal Russian immigrants and those who had entered the country under false identity. With the terror of deportation mounting and speculations that Soviet agents had managed to ferret out the true names of Russian nationals in the States - a session of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee was called. Aleksandra Tolstaia, daughter of Leo Tolstoy, was brought in to testify. She recounted Berezov's plight and pleaded the Senate to reconsider their Soviet Redefection Campaign. According to her own words, tens of thousands of Russian immigrants were suffering from "Berezov's Disease." Ultimately, his case would help change US Repatriation Law. The book contains over 80 of his best poems. Ill.: 0. 2.

Keywords: 0


See more books from our catalog: 0