Resistance

Description

Victor Serge, an authentic witness of the political and cultural struggles of the 20th century, wrote these poems of Resistance in Orenburg in Central Asia, where he was sent into exile by Stalin in 1933. He eulogizes close friends and comrades and movingly records and shares the lives of the people he lived among on the steppe, far from the centers of power, intrigue, and history. Richard Greeman writes in his introduction that Serge "spoke the truth aloud and perpetuated the spiritual tradition of the Russian revolutionary intelligentsia at the very moment when the voices of his colleagues were forced into silence (so that) this collection of poems, written in deportation on the Ural, represents a unique strand of continuity between a lost generation and what one hopes will be a new beginning, 'with no blank pages,' in Soviet literature." "Victor Serge's Memoirs contain the fiber and metaphor of poetry: his novels are replete with the same pulse and rhythm. Even his titles-Birth of Our Power-have a ringing quality. Now, with Resistance, we are given the poems that described and survived the midnight of our century, written with a balanced passion and sobriety-optimism of the will-from the other shore." -Christopher Hitchens, author of Hitch-22 "The poems in this slender volume vividly record his years spent fighting in the Russian Revolution before Serge was exiled in 1933 to central Asia. . . . Serge's biting irony, unlike that found in his Russian contemporaries, conceals an unfailing hope and sensitivity--he does not simply mourn the death of a friend, but records the look and feel of the unbreathing body with a lover's gentleness." -Publishers Weekly Victor Serge (1890-1947), born in Brussels, Belgium, was a Russian revolutionist, writer, translator, and journalist. He published his first article in 1908 for "Le Revolte" and L'Anarchie," where he later became editor. During his early life, he spent most of his time joining various parties such as the anarchists, communists, and Bolsheviks. However, in 1928, he was expelled from the Communist Party and most of his writings began from this point forward. He wrote fiction and non-fiction novels and poems. His most famous non-fiction, revolutionary book is Memoirs of a Revolutionary

Jules Archer was one of the most respected names in nonfiction for young people. During his lifetime he published over seventy books, which have been translated into twelve languages throughout the world. He lived in Scotts Valley, California until his death in 2008. Kathleen Krull left her career as an editor in 1984 to turn to writing, most recently the Women Who Broke the Rules series. Her more than sixty books have garnered starred reviews and awards, and the Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC, honored her with its Nonfiction Award for her body of work that "has contributed significantly to the quality of nonfiction for children." She lives in San Diego, California.