The Island of Crimea
The Island of Crimea by Vassily Aksyonov is an alternate history novel about an island where the ethos of pre-revolutionary "Old Russia" is preserved. In this narrative, Crimea is depicted not as a peninsula as it is in reality, but instead as a fictional island where the pre-revolutionary government withstands a 1920 invasion from the mainland. This haven flourishes as a beacon of freedom and material wealth, in a fashion, mirroring the real-world dynamics between China and Taiwan. Aksyonov, who was later compelled to relocate to the U.S. following the publication of his other dissident work, The Burn (1980), conveys strong anti-authoritarian sentiments throughout the text, offering a compelling critique of totalitarian regimes. This first American edition is the initial English language version, translated from the Russian by Michael Henry Heim.
Hardcover. First American Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth backed boards. New York: Random House, 1983. ISBN: 0394524314. #10002.
Fine in fine dust jacket.