The Poems of Doctor Zhivago

(London: Roger Schlesinger, 1969). Translated from the Russian by Eugene M. Kayden. With Drawings by Bill Greer. 12mo; pictorial boards; pictorial dustwrapper; decorative endpapers; pp. 61 + (i); illustrations. Dustwrapper a bit rubbed, and slightly edgeworn; gift inscription to half-title; occasional fox spot. Very good condition. "Within the framework of his magnificent novel DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, Boris Pasternak created these evocative poems attributed to his title character. As an integral part of the book, Pasternak's poems illustrate Zhivago's view of the world. Apart from the novel, they are moving thoughts from the heart of a man in love with life. The translation of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO in 1957 ended 25 years of literary exile for Boris Pasternak. Although most of the Zhivago poems had been published in Russian journals, under the Stalinist regime Russia's outstanding poet of the century was forced to devote himself to translating foreign poets rather than creating original works. Despite these privations, Boris Pasternak's international reputation continued to grow. In 1958 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, but was unable to accept the Prize because to do so would have required him to leave his beloved country for the remainder of his life. He died May 30, 1960, in the Soviet Union." .